rekiswritings

[rekiswritings]

Time and Space, RNG and Math - The Pillars of Game Mechanic Design

Reki here. Some game design thoughts have been bugging me, so I thought I’d write them down. It’s going to be really boring, just a warning.

At their core, games are interfaces designed to allow the user to manipulate math. I know that sounds absolutely horrid and cynical, but it’s true. When you strafe left in a game, you’re decreasing your character’s x coordinate. When you heal, you’re increasing your health number. Game design is creating math that your player has to adapt to.

I’ve been bothered about this fact because I recently developed a turn and grid based game, Ufflegrim. I always had an odd feeling that something was missing from it. As though something about my design was fundamentally wrong. I added enough gameplay systems, and the feeling mostly dissipated. But I just couldn’t put my finger on why I had it to begin with. After going back to developing more action oriented games, it struck me.

Games are math, yes. And with many types of games, especially turn-based games, knowing the most efficient way to win is a matter of understanding and manipulating simple math. In most card games, it’s possible to mathematically prove that certain cards and strategies are more efficient than others. But a game you can win every time simply by understanding the math is predictable and boring. When we look at design in games from a math perspective, a lot of things suddenly make a lot of sense. Let’s talk about time, space, and rng.

In a real time game, every single frame matters. Time matters. Time makes a difference between you being able to dodge an incoming attack or not. Combine this with space, where an attack could be coming at you from many different angles. Suddenly the skill ceiling is a lot more than understanding the game’s math. There’s reaction time, predicting enemy behavior, and so on. What these two principles do is essentially add thousands of numbers to your game. With thousands of coordinates and thousands of instances of time, there’s a hell of a lot of math for your player to adapt to, and things aren’t so simple.

This isn’t at all to diss on turn-based or limited movement games. You just have to understand that those games need to adapt their math in different ways to remain exciting. Enter RNG. Most games that would otherwise be predictable employ RNG. Take a look at Hearthstone. It’s had its share of criticism for its RNG, but they keep adding more. That game doesn’t have many time or space based mechanics. When you don’t have those, a game becomes predictable. So you use RNG to make it not predictable. Random crits and misses, enemies selecting their attacks at random, so on. It’s like a wild card that works in any game format, though making things still feel fair is a concern.

I do think that games without any time, space, or RNG mechanics can still be good. However, those games need a constant flow of new mechanics and content to keep the player learning and adapting, which isn’t easy to keep up. This is my explanation to my odd feeling during the development of Ufflegrim. While the game has randomly generated levels and enemy placement, it wasn’t enough on its own. I had to add a lot more content, as well as random modifiers, encounters, and quests before the game felt decent. And even still, it feels like a game you play through, then are finished with. I’m okay with that, and I believe I understand why that is now.

In the future, I hope to design game mechanics that take full advantage of time, space, RNG, and math. I’ll be thinking a lot about the best usage of each, and hopefully will come up with some interesting stuff. There are other aspects of game design like psychology, of course, but as far as mechanics go, this will be my focus. Thanks for reading my boring blog post! Reki out.

[rekiswritings]

Project Pilgrim - A Look Back at the Development of Ufflegrim

Ufflegrim is a roguelike card game releasing April 6th.

Reki here. Just wanted to write a bit about the history of Ufflegrim.

I've had the idea for it for around 5 years. With the name "Project Pilgrim", two friends and I decided to work together to make it one summer. An open-world, grid-based card game about a pilgrim finding their way through a world full of cults, shrines, and gods. None of us had much game dev experience, and we did not get far.

Project Pilgrim concept art I made in 2015.

-

Years later, 2019, after making Blessed Surface, I felt ready to at least experiment with the idea again. Was pretty burned out from bsurf, so I didn't intend to release it commercially. I also changed the scope of it from an open-world to a level-based roguelike. Couldn't imagine making another big world again any time soon. However, development went surprisingly fast, and I came up with a pretty distinct artstyle for the game, so I decided to keep going and make it a full release.

The first card I added to the game, the Scrapheart. Originally a creature in Blessed Surface, I felt it was a good fit for the world I was trying to create in Ufflegrim.

-

It’s been a good learning experience. A turn-based, grid-based game really forces you to have structure and standards. This kind of practice carries over to faster paced genres as well.

The more you standardize elements of your game, the easier it will be for you to create interesting and varied mechanics. As a random example, you make sure every character in your game has a defined head hitbox. Now you can do headshots, attach cameras to them for possession mechanics, do headbutt attacks, stick food to creature’s mouths to feed them, and so on. An example from Ufflegrim would be its creature type system. It’s a very simple, mechanical form of using common elements to create mechanics. This creature is [Wet], so stuff that affects [Wet] creatures works on it. Meanwhile in bsurf, I couldn’t even do proper backstab mechanics because I didn’t define what the fronts and backs of creatures were. I think I’ll be better at setting up future projects.

It’s evolved a lot from its roots.

-

I don't really know what's in the cards for Ufflegrim beyond release. It's a very experimental idea of a game, and has gone through many stages that I wasn't satisfied with. It was repetitive, so I added many new areas, creatures, and random encounters. There were pacing issues, so I added quests. There weren’t enough things to buy with coins, so I added base-building that you can buy tiles for. It’s been a slow buildup over the course of a year, dealing with inadequacies as they came. But after all that, I’m pretty content with the game. It has a lot to offer, and it’s ready now. I’ve done my best to listen to alpha and beta feedback.

Random note, this is the first time I’ve composed original music for anything. There’s a lot I still need to learn about it, but I hope you enjoy this beginner’s beats.

-

That said, I’m not sure how its critical reception will be. I suspect it's a game you play for a few days, hopefully finish, then likely move on from. I'm okay with that. If people do play it to the hundredth floor, that'd be a lot better than bsurf's tiny completion rate! Also, in these last few days before release, I'm adding some more endgame content. Anyone that does stick around will have plenty of stuff to do. There are some wicked difficult achievements too, will be interesting to see completion rates on those.

-

Whatever comes next for me to create, be it Uffle expansions or new games, I’m hyped for it. Please look forward to Ufflegrim’s release on April 6th. Most importantly, have fun!

[rekiswritings]

The Father Gob Giga Challenge

Blessed Surface: https://store.steampowered.com/app/657810/Blessed_Surface/

Father Gob is one of the hardest bosses in the game. His health is one of the lowest at a mere 100, but his arena filled with spikes combined with his relentless, high mobility attacks make him a dangerous opponent.

By the power of a Calamity Card, Father Gob Giga mode is nearly impossible to defeat without using clever strategies. Luckily... this is game absolutely filled with clever strategies and exploits.

I'm challenging YOU to record video footage of a winning battle against Father Gob Giga. Show me what you've got! Doesn't matter how you do it. Use everything at your disposal. Or if you'd like to impress, do it without any special abilities or schemes.

As for the reward, up to 10 chosen winners will be given a code for Corpse King Games' next work, the roguelike card-game Ufflegrim. [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1072800/Ufflegrim/]

TO ENTER:

Record a winning battle against Father Gob Giga.

Upload the footage to Youtube or other video sharing service.

Send a link to me preferably via Twitter @CkRekii or email to corpsekinggames@gmail.com.

If you cannot record footage of the game, you may instead take a screenshot of Father Gob Giga at 0 hp.

RULES & NOTES:

Limited to 10 winners.

One entry per person.

The email or Twitter account you submit with is what the reward will be sent to.

No external cheat programs.

Your recordings may be shared. Please do not include any personal info.

Entries will be graded by how stylishly you dispatch Father Gob.

Please submit your entry by the end of the month.

WHERE TO START: If you need recording software, I recommend OBS: https://obsproject.com/

To gain access to Father Gob Giga:

Find the Holy Cathedral of Dust. It's the leftmost area in the game.

Get a Calamity Card as a random drop from enemies in the area.

Kill Father Gob.

Activate the completed Calamity Card, and use a soul to revive Father Gob.

Perish.

Good luck!

[rekiswritings]

It’s been a while since I’ve posted on the devblog... I’m sorry for neglecting you, my child. But new gameplay trailer!!

https://youtu.be/K4x7uNgWhmU

http://store.steampowered.com/app/657810/Blessed_Surface/

[rekiswritings]

Blessed Surface Devblog #20 - Update

Blessed Surface (bsurf for short) is an open world platformer currently in development by me

http://store.steampowered.com/app/657810/Blessed_Surface/

I think it’s been a few months since I’ve written anything substantial about game, so here goes.

What’s Been Happening

I’m still working on content for my few areas I’ve got. Development’s been slow, honestly, but I’ve made a lot of small improvements.

Tutorial

Biggest new thing since I last posted would probably be the new tutorial. It’s a really big improvement over the old one. The old one was terrible though, so just that isn’t saying a lot. But I think the new one should be generally adequate, and more fun!

I know some people very much dislike tutorials. It’s necessary here though. I have mechanics that are out of the ordinary, but make sense in practice. Things that are just easiest to tell the player outright, in words. Such as using finishing moves to kill enemies, at the cost of health. It’s a simple thing, but it does need to be stated to be understood.

I’ve tried to make the tutorial reflect the style of the main world’s gameplay. The actual forced tutorial bit is really quick, and plays like simon says, where you complete a few actions. Just the essentials. The real lessons are delivered via things to find and read, exploration, choices. You can go in a straight line to the end, but you could also take the initiative to have a poke around.

Nails

Speaking of poking, nails! Basically signposts but visually cooler. Quick and easy way to stick text in the world. Could be lore, or could be explanations of what things in the world do.

Secret Passages, yo

I have really fond memories of playing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for PC. So many secret passages and buttons and things. I’d very much like to recapture that kind of feel with bsurf, with secret passages being a large feature of the level design.

NPCs

I’ve been slacking off a bit when it comes to NPCs. They’re a vital feature, being the game’s main way of delivering story, yet I only have a few. Making more is a big focus for me right now. I think the main reason I haven’t made more is that I’m too damn lazy to sprite them.

Gonna sprite this guy right after finishing this post!

Other than that...

Sound effects, visual improvements, combat balance, more random events, lots of stuff is getting worked on. Not a ton to show for it, but it’s all stuff that needs to be done.

Thanks for reading!

Jam of the day: https://soundcloud.com/klausveen/klaus-veen-ordinary-days

[rekiswritings]

Combination lock ingame

[rekiswritings]

Combination lock, find codes for it in the world and step on the big red buttons to input it and get a rare item

[rekiswritings]

made a boomerang

I didn’t want it to be too stingy, so I made it just keep going forever till you walk into it, seems like the most fun way

[rekiswritings]

bones now pop out when you kill stuff

pretty goofy but I think it adds to the sort of pinata effert

I always forget how stingy tumblr is with their gif size limits and have to redo my posts

I hope nobody saw my failed attempt, so embarrassing

[rekiswritings]

I draw a lot of creature designs, I think having a lot of unique animals is one of the big appeals of my game... sometimes they dun turn out so good though

[rekiswritings]

Blessed Surface Devblog #19 - Knockback and Melee Combat

Blessed Surface is an open world platformer currently in development by me

http://store.steampowered.com/app/657810/Blessed_Surface/

Knockback is some good stuff yo. It’s a very powerful balancing tool for any non realistic melee combat game. I kinda wanna ramble about my experience with it, so here goes.

-

I booted up LttP just to make this gif for you.

Cause and Effect Satisfaction

Zelda has always been my favorite example of how valuable knockback can be to a game when a developer isn’t shy about applying lots of it. Look at how silly it is, how they go skidding off when hit. Isn’t it satisfying though? For whatever reason, we humans really enjoy seeing cause and effect in games. People like to see that what they did made something happen, something significant. Stuff going flying when you hit it very much triggers that satisfaction.

-

Melee Combat Balance

Melee combat is harder to do than ranged, because with ranged combat, pretty much no matter how you develop it, you’ll always have a balance of aim and prediction skills to keep things interesting. As long as the enemies move, you’ll have a challenge.

Whereas melee, unless you apply some balancing mechanics, it’s just going to end up being standing in an enemy’s face, mashing the attack button. Not very fun.

Now knockback, is a really powerful balancing mechanic. It’s sadly underused since it isn’t exactly realistic, but it can solve all issues with melee, not needing the support of any other system. It forces you to move, which forces you to make decisions.

-

Blessed Surface and Knockback

Since bsurf is a very unrealistic game, I’ve done most of my balancing around knockback and movement.

There’s a ton you can do with it. Applying it to either the attacker and the attacked on hit, giving immunity to it to certain enemies (the one in the gif for example is immune only when it’s in its attack animation), etc.

Not to mention all the boring technical stuff that isn’t really visible, but makes a huge difference in quality of controls.

I went and made some food and I’ve forgotten where I was with this, so I’ll just stick another gif on and post this.

Been working on a lot of traps and mechanisms. If you can find the area’s battery and remove it, they’ll stop working, and you can use the battery for your own nefarious purposes.

[rekiswritings]

tumblr

tumblr is strange

lately I think I’ve been losing followers rather than gaining

not that I’m complaining, since my blog is pretty boring after all

but sometimes I get paranoid that people only followed me hoping I’d follow back and reblog all their stuff, and when I do not, their head turns red and swells up with rage, and they mash the unfollow button

Is that a thing? Is there tumblr etiquette like that?

[rekiswritings]

I made a perpetual motion machine in my game

[rekiswritings]

Blessed Surface Devblog #18 - Developing Content for an Open World

Blessed Surface is an open world platformer currently in development by me

I pride myself in coming up with the most boring titles for these posts :P

So at the moment, I’ve got a few decent sized areas, and I’m not making any more for a good while till I’ve packed the areas I’ve got with a good amount of content.

Curse shrine sprites! It can eat all your health or a monster to grow, but if it grows too much it’ll turn into a big blob that chases and eats everything.

I like you, so here’s a gif of a curse shrine pulsating, too.

-

Open World Content versus Linear Games

I think I harp on about the idea of open world too much, but it really does make planning development more difficult. Gotta write to focus my thoughts.

Filling an open world with content isn’t quite as straightforward as most other genres.

Most games, you got your levels that all lead into each other. You wanna add more content? Stick another puzzle in level 5, put more monsters in level 6, add level 7, put a boss at the end. Straightforward.

-

Open world, you don’t got linear levels, and probably a lot of your content like monsters are dynamically spawned in. You can’t say, “First the player is gonna be here, then they’re gonna do this, so I should put this other thing here”. They could go anywhere, do anything! It’s so confusing! ;A;

-

Ultimately though, open world doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. Best to remember, linear games are very focused, and tend to have damn good gameplay as a result. Really, an open world should try to emulate its linear counterparts as much as possible, I think, while having the dynamic systems, options, and potential for mayhem that make open world so great. So what I’m saying is, I need to steal more ideas from Super Mario World. Great, I’m glad we had this discussion.

Speaking of mayhem, I had this horrible situation happen while I was testing the game. There are these peaceful slugs that get squished for a bit if anything walks on them, before springing up and continuing on their way. And then you have these centipede guys that run back and forth... Poor sluggy got squished over and over... No escape...

-

In other news, I finished a boss I’d posted about here a couple times. You can check out my sloppy attempt at fighting it here.

Other than working on new content, I’ve been doing a lot of polishing and reworking old stuff. Most significantly, I changed the way the game saves a bit. The old system would’ve broken slightly when updating the game, not being able to detect or do anything about new content. It’s been bugging me for a while, so I’m glad I updated it. Good work, me.

-

I’m going to goof off and relax now, so I’ll leave you this and make my escape.

Have a guess at what it is. I’m not entirely sure either.

slam of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3ViTc65XYs

[rekiswritings]

never sure if I enjoy or despise animating

probably despise, like most things in life

but anyways, here’s today’s meager haul of sprites, for the boss I’m working on

[rekiswritings]

Blessed Surface Devblog #17 - Steam Page Live!

Blessed Surface is an open world platformer currently in development by me 

Yaay! Just to clarify, not a full release, but a coming soon page. It’s a step though for sure. Got a nice description going, a pretty mediocre trailer that I’ll replace as soon as I can, and a steam community. Have a look: http://store.steampowered.com/app/657810/Blessed_Surface/

-

There’s still an absolute ton of work to be done on the game, but it’s coming together. More content, always needs more content. Speaking of, just doodled a boss:

This guy will probably be the second, non-random-event world boss I’ve done so far.

-

Struggling with insecurities during development

Honestly, setting up to release a game is the most insecure thing.

Personally, I don’t have anyone to tell me, “Good job! You did really good finishing this thing for the game, I’m proud of you, you’ll be a success for sure!”. I wish I did.

Just a deafening silence, leaving me to question what on earth I’m doing with myself. The cries and laments of other developers scattered across the internet, “my game hasn’t even sold 10 copies”, “you’d have to be insane to try to make a living from game dev“, and so on...

And me? No proper education whatsoever on anything to do with game dev? Trying to do this all alone? Aren’t I just pretending to be productive so I can feel okay about myself? What am I doing?

-

HOWEVER

Sure, I’m not the most skilled, my art sucks for one, but that don’t matter, I’ve accomplished up to my standards on everything, I’ve done what I want to do. And I’ve done my research. There’s a market for this game. It’s different enough to stand out in that market. I don’t even have to be that successful since the game has costed me like maybe $100 to make so far and I’m the only one working on it.

By the way, come place your vote on my battery sprite election over at the official subreddit! https://www.reddit.com/r/bsurf/comments/7eyk0m/kicking_off_the_subreddit_come_vote_on_which_of/

-

In conclusion

I’m kinda rambling, but my point is: As an indie dev, you can’t let yourself be overcome by insecurities. It only decreases productivity. Design a good game that will appeal and stand out to an audience. If you’re worried it isn’t good enough, that’s okay, you can always make it better. Be smart about your goals, achieve those goals, and there’s nothing to be insecure about.

-

Sorry if I’m sounding like a know it all, giving all these commandments :P

Honestly, I’m saying all this to myself more than anyone. Even if it’s just you talking to yourself, it’s important to have reminders that everything is okay.

This one though, is from me to you, whether you’re an indie game dev, or just anyone struggling to survive in the world. You did your best. I’m proud of you.

-

Thanks for reading!

jam of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBTqAsYC7NI

[rekiswritings]

garden npc doodle