61 - Run Prototypes

[matt]

This is my first in game developer diary! I show what I've been prototyping for run and talk about why it works the way it does. I'm speaking slowly and weirdly because there is a delay in my headphones from what I'm saying, which turns out to be really distracting. Maybe I'll try a different mic next time that might not suffer from that issue. Enjoy and feel free to give your feedback here.

[miumiaou]

It's kind of touching to see the first run of our baby ^^

[Alina David]

It looks and sounds grate,very organic. The audio ques are very distinct so you can tell when the asthma will kick in.
The break animation is just breathtaking I like it a lot because it feels very natural unlike the run styles from other games ( you run and then you just move slow and then run again - the threat feels forced by a in-game mechanic and you are no longer emerged in the game [I guess they could have made a stumbling/tripping animation to keep the player emerged in the game]).
The run feature as a boost works well for the character (he doesn't look very athletic + gamers are not all that athletic so they can relate to the character)

[sunsetbrew]

Really cool idea! Thanks

[gagaplex]

I love the "bent over, heaving"-part, exactly how I imagined it.

I'd start the heavy breathing a wee bit later, though. Obviously this is very early, but I'd expect at least his first few steps to be without heavy breathing.

What happens if you don't use up all your breath? Does it regenerate without the heaving?

[RightClickSaveAs]

I'm speaking slowly and weirdly because there is a delay in my headphones from what I'm saying, which turns out to be really distracting. Maybe I'll try a different mic next time that might not suffer from that issue.

Looks like you were accidentally using a speech jammer on yourself, that makes it very difficult to talk It's getting off topic but Google "speech jammer" for an interesting read.

The run mechanic is looking like it fits in really well, that's a great compromise between having a full on run button and just moving at one speed constantly.

One possible concern, and I don't know how much this would actually impact the game, but there seems to be some potential for abusing the mechanic. Someone could time it out or just listen for the heavy breathing, switch from a run to a normal walk while the stamina meter recharges, and just keep running in short sprints, potentially never seeing the asthma attack. Gamers love to abuse mechanics whenever possible and there's any benefit to gain from it Maybe randomize the meter somewhat so you can't tell exactly when it's going to hit?

[matt]

I'm glad to hear you guys are excited about what I have so far. It is still early. We'll definitely work on the audio.

The stamina regenerates over time, so if you don't push it all the way, you can keep running if you pace yourself. That's by design. If you really want to "abuse" it, I think that's okay. I don't think the speed benefit you'll get will be worth the trouble of listening closely, trying to figure out when you can safely stop running, then walking for a bit, then trying again. At least that's the hope.

You always run the risk that people will try and run, get frustrated and quit the game because the run isn't very effective, but I suspect those type of gamers wouldn't really enjoy the game anyway...

[JPrice]

Ooooo I like it!
The idea of using the mechanic as only a small tool that doesn't give a huge benefit sounds like a nice way of doing things. Only minor things personally for me is that the run animation could use a little work as well as the transitioning to and from each animation stage, but it's only a placeholder as you were saying so I'm sure it'll be fine

Also it's great to see the first steps of the game taking shape! Looking forward to more in-game stuff

[matt]

Yeah, we'll definitely have to do a lot of work with the transitions, but I'm waiting until I have more confidence in the mechanic before I make it really presentable. I still might cut run. I will probably push a build out to alpha backers that is basically just a run test, so you can play around with it. It might be a few weeks before I get all of that in place though.

[JPrice]

Yeah sounds like a good idea to give us alphas a chance to test the running idea before fully committing to or scrapping it. Looking forward to it!