Sometimes it's hard to know what your game is going to be about. Rulewise and Context wise. Here, we focus on the internal workings of core mechanisms, even though at moments we may suggest an overall theme to make it easier to explain a high concept.
Referencing a theme, a context or even the world of a game can facilitate the understanding of the idea since in many cases those themes already have well established intrinsic rules, like the physics behavior in an underwater world or the deadly nature of a lava square in a boardgame.
However, all this clothing is really unnecessary for the game design process, since we are tackling the core mechanics and rules, they become obsolete during the first gameplay prototypes.
It's Liquid, not Water
Imagine we wanna have a game in which the character walks on water but also has the ability to dive and jump. The moment we establish it's a game with water, we already assume a few things:
- that it must be water
- that water obbeys gravity
- and that it's liquid (because... water).
But in fact, we can actually change all of those attributes as we take a deeper approach:
- it could be milk, lava or honey or... not water
- this liquid could have it's own gravitational base and be present in walls or even on the ceiling upside down
- and what if it could be frozen, transported or manipulated in any other way?
As soon as we step out of the theming "water" and see that game element just as a liquid instead (or anything else), new possible mechanisms of interaction begin to pop up.
As game designer and writer Ernest Adams states referencing Kyle Gabler's advice in his book Game Mechanics, Advanced Game Design:
"One tip, which is very relevant for our discussion here, is make the toy first. Gabler suggests that before you spend any time on creating assets and content, you have to make sure that your mechanics work. This means you should start by building a prototype or proof of concept for those mechanics. They should be fun to play around with, even without nice art, clear goals, or clever level design. In other words, you need to design a toy that is fun to interact with in its own."
A rubik's cube is the perfect example of "mechanics first". Because the colors here are a modular theme, they could be replaced by anything, from profile pictures to landscape images.
Well, for this matter we thought about designing a game mechanic that can be very versatile and explored in any theme you want.
So, it's a Race?
Now, is the word Race already a definition of theme? Because, if we think about it, it defines many aspects of the game:
- players must move in a predetermined space
- players will compete against other elements (players/racers/time)
- being the fastest racer is constantly the main goal
- there's a pre-established race course
- there's a finish line (be in a sprint or lap based course)
But these are all functioning aspects of any basic racing game. So they are not suggestions of themes. If we wanted to start considering a theme, we would have to ask these questions:
- is this a digital (video game), an analog race (people running) or both (a drone race)?
- are vehicles used in the race?
- in what type of environment are the tracks travelled through (air, ground, liquid, vacuum, walls)?
- how is the camera view (if any) displayed to the player, in other words, what's the perspective of the game?
We could go on and on asking those questions to gather information about the game's direction. But we know that being a game designer is no joke, and making decisions can be tough.
Since there's no time to analyse all possible racing game combinations that might exist, we'll propose one that consists purely on an innovative set of mechanics and controls that can be themed with anything, really.
So, we're gonna call our racing game prototype, tracer.
And, before we get into it, bear in mind that all we offer is an idea for a game concept that can be used, changed and transformed at will as long as it helps you on your game development journey. So, with that in mind, let the race begin!
High Concept
tracer is a digital racing game that can be played online or not in single player or multiplayer modes. The main feature of the game consists in the constant change of the vehicles' controls inside the courses, having a specific set of controls shifting between two track types: the Floors and the Walls. These parts of the courses can have different elements of interaction based on the track's mechanisms.
Floors and Walls
In a digital racing game, the camera can be crucial for a good playing experience. In tracer we're gonna use the camera as a playground to mix different mechanics based on which track type players are on.
How does it work?
In a way, all courses will have a "side/top" view camera. Both "at the same time". How? This effect will be possible based on the position of the vehicle relative to the track it is on. For Example, when on the Wall, it's going to be seen from the side, whereas on the Floor it will be seen from above:
With this in mind, we establish that when the vehicle is going through a Floor it will be controlled as it were being seen from above (like Bomberman) however, when in a Wall it will be controlled as if it were being seen from the side (like Donkey Kong). Players will be able to switch anytime between these environments during the race, to avoid obstacles, perform overtakes and to maneuver through the course.
This track influence on controls and moves can open up interesting possibilities for game hazards, actions, and many other game elements that we are about to explore. But first, let's understand how these track parts change the controls and movement of the vehicles.
Controls and Moves
What we have to define now is how to control vehicles in each element of the level and what are the possible moves and interactions based on this mechanisms. We're gonna have 3 layers of control: the Floor Moves, the Wall Moves and the Default Actions that can be perform in any track type.
Default Actions
All vehicles will have a default control for accelerating & braking, shifting (from Floor to Wall and vice-versa) and for a dash turbo that accelerates them with a quick speed increase. All these actions can be performed with a single input and at any moment of the race.
acceleration ↔ brakes - in tracer, vehicles don't have a specific front or back part. They can move in any direction when using the Acceleration and Brakes. 2 different inputs are used to alternate between both, being one always the opposite of the other. When in a Wall or Floor, if holding one input, the vehicle will start moving at one direction:
The other input will move the vehicle in the opposite direction, serving as a "brake". After reaching speed 0, the vehicle starts moving to the direction of that input.
shifting - this is a toggle control to go from one track of the course to the other (Floors ↔ Walls). One key feature about the shift action is that it maintains the vehicle's momentum, keeping its speed and direction of motion when performed.
It's also important to point that the walls will have their gravity as the priority for snapping when shifting from Floor to Wall. The vehicle will be moved to the nearer wall it is running along, following its orientation to set the jump direction on that wall. Since Floors have only one axis, the vehicle will always snap exactly where it was when shifted from the wall position. So for example: in a jump, a vehicle will snap to the Floor exactly at the position when the shift input was triggered.
dash - the quantity of dashes is based on the lap position of a player. For example: if a player finishes a lap in 1st place, they will get only 1 dash to use on the following lap. The player in 2nd place will receive 2 dashes and so on... They can be used in any track type during the race. In a Sprint Race (point A → point B), all players will receive 5 dashes each to be used during the course.
Floor Moves
On the Floor, all game elements are displayed as if they were being seen from a top view. Because of that, all vehicles on this track type will have the following controls:
analog control - the direction of the vehicle will be set analogically in a 360º manner, rotating the vehicle in any chosen direction. If the opposite direction is maneuvered by the player, the vehicle will rotate to that position as fast as it can but not immediately.
hover - when holding this input, the vehicle will be able to rotate freely while keeping its current direction velocity and momentum. This can be useful to be used in combination with the dash action covered later.
Wall Moves
On Walls, all the game elements are displayed as in a side view camera. Because of that change of perspective, the controls will cause a different behavior on vehicles, also respecting the current wall's gravity direction:
jump - all vehicles can perform jumps. They can be done one at a time (from touching a Wall or platform) with a controlled height, that is, the longer the player holds the jump input, the higher the jump.
flip - while in a Wall, players might want to go to the opposite one without having to shift to the Floor in between. This is possible with the flip input. During a flip, players can still shift to the Floor track using the shift input.
It's like a "gravity inversion"
pre-direction - while racing on walls, the analog control can be used to aim around the vehicle in a 360º manner in order to specify at which direction it will be pointing forward when shifting from Wall to Floor.
All those control sets will require players' skills at the maximum level in order to win a race. Since there are no items to upgrade any specific skill, everyone starts with the same winning chance.
Interactive Elements
Many are the paths, corridors, platforms, obstacles, hazards and interactive objects of a course. Some will only have influence in vehicles when interacted with in a specific track type. Others will have impact on both gameplays.
One key behavior of any hazard present on the tracks is that they "stun" vehicles for a short period of time, causing a delay and sometimes even position losses. Anytime a vehicle falls in a hole or is hit by an obstacle for example, it will respawn after 2 seconds near its last position with a 3 seconds invincibility tolerance.
We are going to separate the main elements into 3 different groups: the Floor Elements, the Wall Elements and the Course Elements.
Floor Elements
These are objects that only interact with vehicles moving on the Floor tracks.
starting position - all races start on the Floor track. The position of the players are inversely determined based on their previous race qualification. If a vehicle/player finished their last race in 1st place, they will start last on the next race.
speed pads - passing over this pad, vehicles gain a quick speed increment, like an "extra dash".
holes - these elements stay fixed on the floor and is where vehicles can fall in.
broken floors - have 5 breaking stages. Every time a vehicle passes over them, they break a little more. After the 5th time, they open a hole on the floor.
moving floor - at certain areas, the floor can be constantly moving like a running machine. The direction of the moving floor (←↑↓→) is set on the level design.
on/off spikes - these spikes have an in and out pattern. To avoid them, players need to dodge on the Floor or shift to the Wall track.
Wall Elements
These are objects that only interact with vehicles moving through this track of the course.
speed arcs - passing through this element, vehicles gain a quick speed increment, like an "extra dash".
inclines - these are smooth linear ramps that serve as up and down oscillations on the walls. Although they are designed for the Wall track, vehicles on the Floor can still collide with them.
static spikes - if a vehicle hit these hazards, they are stunned.
ramps - it's a quarter half pipe that can be concave or convex to aid vehicles on the Wall performing curves while still attached to it.
projectiles - these are moving objects that can be shot from on wall to the other. They can come from any direction and to avoid them, players need to dodge on the Wall or shift to the Floor.
Course Elements
These elements affect all vehicles independently of the track type they are in.
vehicles - only 8 vehicles compete with each other in every race. The vehicles themselves can also collide and push each other. A simple collision has a common hit reaction on both vehicles, however, if one vehicle hits another using a dash they can push them into an obstacle or out of the track.
finish line - this is the lap counter and the point where the race is finished.
blocks - they block any vehicle's movement. Some can be destroyed (with a dash), others can't. Blocks can have any shape. If not destroyed, they should be avoided or used as platforms.
moving pillars - they can serve as platforms on the Wall track or as blocks on the Floor track and cannot be destroyed.
on/off hazard tracks - these tracks (Floors or Walls) oscillate between states with a harmful effect on vehicles that need to shift tracks in order to avoid them.
floating bombs - small flying objects that explode and stun the vehicle. They can have various flying paths. When hit, they are destroyed and disappear from the course.
Course Types
There are 2 Course Types in the game: The Lap Course and the Sprint Course. The Lap Course can have any predefined number of laps. The Sprint Course is one that needs to be completed racing from point A to point B.
Level Design Examples
Since Courses can be very long and full of connected parts, here we're gonna cover some examples of interesting combinations of the elements covered previously. Take a look to have an idea about the possibilities:
tracer Structure
The approach on the navigation mechanic on tracer is quite unique. Because the game offer so much control freedom and level design creativity, it's really a matter of imagination to set a given theme to its mechanics
If the focus is to be an online multiplayer game, you can do it. If it's a racing adventure focused on single player vs AI, that's good too. Even the Course Structure could be something totally different with modular and procedural level design in order to make races more unpredictable and challenging.
We would really like to know what would be your suggestion of a game theme on this one as well as any level design idea with these or any new alement you think of! So please, share your point of view in the comments and also any suggestion about a different mechanic or rule tweak to improve the idea!
We hope to see this game on the road someday, will it be you or your studio that's going to join the race? We hope to reach 1st place together!
Thank You
for reading!
Comentarios