Gameplay Prototype, 2023
Duration: 12 weeks
Team Size: One of 20 participants from 200+ applicants.
Roles: Part of the Game Design stream along with 4 others.
Overview: Build skills in game design, pitching and professional development led by industry professionals. Gain insight into a real studio environment by collaborating in small groups to work on a live brief from Rocksteady, and pitch the idea to the cohort and industry professionals.
Task:
We were placed into teams of four (one person from each specialism [Design, QA, Audio, Art]) when we received the brief. All interpretation was left to us after that, the goal was to deliver a professional pitch of our idea with a stretch goal of a playable prototype.
Team:
Bilawal Atta - Concept Art & 3D Assets
Dasha Barsky - QA & Production
Michaela Beasley - Audio & Sound Design
Emma Chipperfield (me) - Game Design & UE5
Brief:
The baddies in Batman busy themselves with all kinds of malice throughout the working week.
But even they deserve a day off.
We want you to create a game pitch featuring at least one of the Batman Baddies having the
worst day off of their lives. What could possibly go wrong? Natural disasters, attacks from space
aliens, robotic revenge in IKEA, krakens at the beach! We want you to depict one of the DC
villain characters having a day off that goes terribly wrong. You can choose the genre, whether
the game is 2D or 3D, if the game is solo or multiplayer, the choices are vast and are yours to
make.
*disclaimer*
This is a pitch concept created for the programme and not associated with any project in development at Rocksteady Studios.
INITIAL DESIGN
One of our first tasks as a team was to come up with some initial ideas for what we could do to meet the brief. This was the document I came up with and pitched to my team.
I chose Scarecrow as I thought he would be a fun villain to explore, his character is ambiguous and I feel he is Batman’s parallel in a lot of ways. I also liked the idea of taking a character so smart and brilliant yet stubborn and seeing how those traits could play out.
My gameplay style was taking a traditionally multiplayer setup (Overcooked) and turning it into a more narrative-driven single-player experience. I was also inspired by the Scarecrow sequences in Batman: Arkham Asylum and what would happen if Scarecrow was the one hallucinating. As it was a ‘baddie’s day off’ it would make sense that Dr Crane is without his mask and therefore susceptible to his own toxin.
As a team we began to build on this initial idea, refine and contextualise it into a tangible experience.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Our design process was very iterative and we began by conducting market research and identifying design pillars to adhere to. We wanted to keep the franchise at the core of the design and only include things that would make contextual sense. As Scarecrow is a doctor and methodical we wanted a management/mitigation state where he could follow a process but, due to lone working, be at a disadvantage.
Game Set up:
On a rare day off Scarecrow is alerted to a mass exodus of staff across his factories, forcing him back to Gotham to produce the fear toxin himself. Only he doesn’t have his mask, or much cooking experience…
Work to a tight schedule and don’t inhale too much fear toxin in this management-based RPG where Overcooked meets Arkham.
So as our set up shows, we wanted to focus on a core conflict of Scarecrow versus the effects of his. product. We wanted to create a scenario that was believable within the universe and with the potential to expand the narrative and introduce new characters.
Team Miro Board:
Gameplay Loops:
The core loop centres around following the recipe feed and creating the toxin correctly.
The second is where setbacks will come in. Over time and handling of the ingredients, the player will inhale fear toxin - causing visual obstructions/hallucinations, movement or speed changes. The only way to lower the fear level is to correctly produce batches of toxin.
The outer loop is an overall view of how the game could evolve with further development.
Design Pillars:
Level & Progression Flows:
This is a sketch of the first level and then shows what could happen if the fear level is not managed.
A moving HUD, particle effects and increased failure e.g. dropping ingredients are examples of how we can increase difficulty here.
Next is a potential level 2, this one is an abandoned church setting where we can introduce pushable physics objects such as pews and boxes. Moving these will require player planning and fluency of controls.
PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT
Once we had our concept finalised we decided to start production of a prototype as this would ultimately make for a better pitch if we had gifs and content to show.
First I made a blockout and decided on a pivoting camera. I wanted to go for a cinematic style that would complement the previous Arkham games.
I added the combine/chop/deposit functions so that we could add some variation to recipes.
My last main goal was to add some player feedback, fear bar and a recipe feed to show how the user interface would interact. For the fear bar, I used a stamina system reversed - so fill and change the rate depending on player actions/success.
Final Prototype:
I then added some polish elements, a character with animation, background audio and Michaela’s SFX to show the finished pitch idea.
REFLECTION
Taking part in this experience allowed me to grow so much as a designer, being able to collaborate with peers was really rewarding and we have all been able to build lasting friendships from this. My biggest achievements were in confidence - as I knew no one prior to the academy it was daunting but I was able to quickly feel comfortable and share ideas, and in communication - working in a new team for such a short time forced me to quickly learn how best to communicate with each teammate, present clearly thought out ideas, consider potential issues and construct clear documentation.
Being able to work in this way has been really rewarding, I have often done very short game jams but having a longer experience was fun and allowed me to learn so much from everyone. The ongoing support, community and advice from this academy and cohort has continued to help me develop.