Jan 08

3

Plans for Frankie in 2018.

By Alexandru Palade | Announcements, Development Blog, Game Development | No Comments

Happy new year!

Time flies when you’re having fun and 2017 totally flew by. I haven’t done a great job at updating this blog but this all changes TODAY. You know, in the spirit of all good new year’s resomolutions.

First things first. What the hell have we been up? Well, since I haven’t posted in a while and I don’t want to make this a behemoth of a post, I’m going to conveniently itemize the most important points.

Definitely not hiding behind a vase like this guy.

Online multiplayer! This is a pretty big deal and used up most of our programming time. Nearly done now.
Finalized the design for inter-mission stuff, including rewards, challenges, cosmetics and progression. It was a hefty design problem and it’s pretty much done. Well… at least insofar as anything is done before you test it with actual users.
Levels levels levels! We’ve been experimenting with different mechanics and completed the visual design for the second campaign. Working on a lot of new levels right now.
Destructible objects! With things in them! Radu built some awesome utility items that you’ll find in crates dispersed across the world. Smashing!
Aliens! More details when the time is right.

Alright enough about that. I promised to talk about 2018 so let’s dig into that. First off, some great news. Radu just started working on Frankie full time! That’s great news because our programming backlog was really starting to go down the drain and Radu’s arrival is not unlike a knight’s timely intervention in regards to damsels and their state of affairs.

Second, we gathered our resources and upgraded our studio to Level 3. Here’s a photo of Dragos working hard while Radu gazes ponderously into his screen:

Boxes have taken residence in the studio and are refusing to leave.

Most importantly though, we’ve done a lot of planning and design work and I’m happy to say that WE HAVE A PLAN! It’s not the first one mind you but what’s new about it is that it stretches out until release. In other words, we’re starting to see a glimmer of the light waiting at the end of the development tunnel, although there’s still some way to go. Here’s our schedule, in a nutshell:

Finish online multiplayer
Run an alpha test and absorb feedback
Release in early access and iterate
Full Steam release
… profit?

Dates, you ask? Don’t be rude! Well ok, I can tell you that this is all happening in 2018 and I hope we can run the alpha sometime in February-March. We’re going to need your help to spread the word so a tip of the hat to you if you’d be so kind to subscribe to our newsletter and help out when the time comes: http://eepurl.com/b0H5v6

To sum up, Team Rikodu is starting 2018 with big plans, lots of energy, and a desire to do better at keeping our community in the loop. And it’s on this point that I’ll make the final announcement: we’re going to start recording and sharing our internal bi-weekly demos. Think of it as a sort of dev diary. We’re going to release these videos on our YouTube channel regularly, starting in a few weeks.

Stay frosty.

-Alex

Apr 07

0

Getting ready for Reboot Develop. Meanwhile speaking at CodeCamp in Cluj.

By Alexandru Palade | Announcements, Development Blog, Game Design, Game Development | No Comments

Nope, we’re not dead. We just have to pick our battles and make hard decisions about where to spend our time. This blog doesn’t win that contest very often so follow our Facebook page if you’re hungry for regular updates. Still, we’re committed to posting major updates and interesting stuff here even if the frequency is lower than we’d like.

So here’s the deal. We’ve been super, duper busy since Casual Connect adding the next big system: robot customization and player progression. Now, I know this may not sound like much but it is in fact a HUGE addition. It’s basically the part of the game that will form… *drumroll*… THE OUTER LOOOOOP! If you’re not a game designer you may not have heard about this so let me explain with a quick diagram:

loops

Until February we’ve focused entirely on the “Core Loop”. It defines the sequence of actions that the players will keep doing over and over, most of the time that they’re in the game. It’s what makes a game enjoyable at a micro-level. As the name implies, it’s really important to get the Core Loop right, lest you risk getting into a mode I fondly call “polishing the turd”. That’s when you add a bunch of sprinkles and other pretty things on top of a ‘meh’ core. And that’s just sad.

Post-Casual Connect we evaluated all the feedback and we think we’ve got the core loop right! The minute to minute combat is enjoyable; players like the world, the characters, the way the controls feel and they find the combat satisfying. Job well done! Let’s pop the champagne and wait for the money to start flowing in! As you might have guessed by now, we’re not quite there yet. See, while the minute to minute experience is interesting, there’s not enough in the game to get players wanting to come back. So here we are, working hard on the Outer Loop to give players long-term goals and keep them interested after playing.

This is more of a teaser but I’m going to write up a longer article talking about how we tackle these things after we’re back from Reboot.

Speaking of which, here’s what’s happening next for us:

Tomorrow, we’ll be at Codecamp (http://cluj.codecamp.ro/), the largest tech conference in Cluj-Napoca. Radu will start the Gaming track at 10:00 with a 45 minute session about how we’re planning to build multiplayer for Second Hand. Then I’ll take over the mic at 11:00 to ramble about what it’s like to start an indie studio and how that’s different from regular tech startups. Come join us if you’re in Cluj.
In less than two weeks we’ll be at Reboot Develop (http://www.rebootdevelop.hr/) in Dubrovnik. It’s going to be an awesome conference and we’ll be showcasing Second Hand there at the Indie Area as well as participating in the Indie Awards. Definitely come visit if you’re around.

That is all. Enjoy the finicky spring weather.

-Alex

Oct 07

1

Is your baby ugly? We took ours out to find out.

By Alexandru Palade | Development Blog, Game Design, Game Development | No Comments

Showing your game to strangers for the first time can be a little nerve wracking. After months of toiling in a secluded attic, the last weeks of which were particularly grueling, we finally took Second Hand to its first public showings: first to Dev-Play in Bucharest and shortly thereafter to Clujotronic in our very own Cluj. It was scary, thrilling, amazing and… we won the Dev-Play Indie Pitch!

Alex and Ovi receiving the Indie Prize at Dev-Play

Kids had fun with Second Hand at Clujotronic

In addition to winning this awesome prize (Casual Connect Berlin, here we come!), we found out that our baby is kind of ok looking as far as babies go and learned a ton of things about how to make it better. Read on to get the insights and the words of wisdom.

Before we get into the details though, I’d like to start with a round of virtual applause for the real rock stars, the guys and gal of Team Rikodu who made it all possible.

Ovidiu Mantoc – Level Design, 3D Art
Gabriel Tanko – Concept and 2D Art
Cosmin Coroiu – 3D Art
Carmen Palade – Animation
Radu Cristea – Programming
Stefan Dinca – User Interface
Dragos Geomolean – Additional 3D Art
Nikolaos Chatzigeorgiadis – Marketing

Nearly everyone does this in their spare time, so it was no small effort to get this thing out the door. I’ll spare you more praise and flattery because I honestly suck at it but I will say this: Guys, you rock!

What we learned about the game

The feedback about the game was better than we could have hoped. Everyone was very positive and I was stoked that many of the people who played our game at Dev-Play – mostly industry peers – said that they saw a lot of potential. Color me excited!

People liked the game but there was also useful feedback (and observation) of where we can improve. In no particular order:

1. Still too much clicking required

Yeah, we kinda knew this one already but it was even more evident as people played. The game still requires constant clicking, even more than Diablo, and this is something we’ll have to solve.

2. We got the pacing and distribution of the enemy waves completely wrong

It was funny when I saw this for the first time. Here’s the scenario: the player enters a new “zone” but doesn’t really know that because there’s no clear indicator. This triggers enemies to start spawning at a predefined rate and in a predefined sequence. Everything would work out as designed if the player started fighting in the new area but of course players will surprise you.

This dapper fellow thinks there’s too much clicking.

Many players backed away after seeing the first enemy, luring him away and then killing him. They would try to draw and kill enemies one by one with surprising consequences. The predefined spawning sequence would run in the background and enemies would just keep spawning in the room that was now out of view. This ensured that by the time the player got back from killing 1-2 enemies, there would be an entire horde chasing her down.

Fun stuff, needs fixing.

3. Some things need a tutorial no matter how hard you try

The “service stations” where you enter to recharge your health and get a new Frankie configuration are very important. They’re a temporary solution until we implement actual customization but we really wanted players to see and use them. We saw players zooming past them early on (before Dev-Play) and we tried a bunch of things: make them a different color, put a huge neon sign that says ENTER, add a light to draw the eye. At some point we even had them painted in bright fuchsia.

You’d be wondering if it worked if I hadn’t already spoiled the answer. Yeah… no luck. Players were still happily zooming past and we had to constantly point them out. Teaching is in order.

4. Balancing the difficulty for a wide range of players will be a bitch

Some people finished the demo level in 4-5 minutes. Or, in the case of Josh Naylor from Unity, he did an almost flawless run in roughly 3 minutes on his third try. That’s better than most of the devs who worked on it! On the other end of the spectrum, some people took 3-4 tries just to finish it or couldn’t finish it at all.

Did I mention the aiming? Oh god, the aiming! It was excruciating to see some people just not aim at all and stick to using the attack controls. Turns out that if you’re not a hardcore gamer, it’s pretty challenging to move, aim and shoot independently.

Yeah, this is gonna be fun!

What we learned about showcasing

Both Dev-Play and Clujotronic were just amazing because we got to see people play our game. At Clujotronic we were even a part of this crazy, live gaming thing where an electronic band (Crowd Control) played live music while Ovidiu played the game and had it projected on the walls. Very trippy stuff!

So really the main lesson is old and tired: show your game! Show it early to strangers, don’t be afraid they’ll say it’s ugly. You’ll learn so much and it will be better as a result.

But there are a few more lessons for the would-be conference trekker.

1. Meeting other indie devs is really cool. You connect with like-minded people and get a ton of great ideas. Totally worth it just for this. Here’s a photo of Disco Dave and Second Hand: Frankie’s Revenge representing Cluj and being all gangsta. Except for Ovi; he can’t pull gangsta.

cluj-represent

2. Moving from full-on development to showcasing your game is a huge shift. You’re working in a bubble for 12 hours a day to get that last build ready for the demo and then suddenly: BOOM! You’re talking to people, seeing others play it, watching talks, participating in workshops, maybe even giving some yourself. Not really a lesson just more of a “be prepared” kind of thing.

3. If you’re setting up a booth, always have a spare extender (thanks Eni). Seriously, I would not have thought this could be a problem but it was. Tape also helps and a spare laptop doesn’t hurt. The desktop that was intended for the showcase almost gave its dying breath when we set it up.

What’s next?

The dust has settled and our energy bars are maxed out. SH:FR is now entering a new phase!

For one, we will be heading to Casual Connect in Berlin to take part in the Indie Prize. That’s due in February though so there’s plenty to do until then. For the game itself, here’s what’s coming up:

Multiplayer! The biggest feature request by far, we really want to add cooperative multiplayer into the mix and test it out as soon as possible.
Fix the problems we identified during the playtest.
Make the demo bigger and better. This means adding a couple of more enemy types, improving some of the existing parts and adding ranged weapons!
Paint a picture of the final game. The demo achieved its goal by proving that combat is fun and people like it. While combat is central to the game, we need to design and think about all the other details. How many levels? Where do they take place? What’s the overall story? Many questions will be answered as we try to design the complete experience.

I’m pretty sure we’ll be doing some more playtests in the near future. And yeah, we might even attend a conference or two before Casual Connect, strictly as attendees this time. Meanwhile, here’s a photo of the trippy live gaming gig:

live-gaming-at-clujotronic

Thanks Dev-Play, thanks Clujotronic. Hope to be there again next year!

Sailing on the netherplanes,

~Alex

Jun 29

1

Devlog Update: Doing it in Style

By Alexandru Palade | Development Blog, Game Development | No Comments

Radu and I were planning to write a series of tech articles on some specific physics problems we’ve encountered and how we solved them. Second Hand is physically driven and we spent quite a bit of time in the last month solving the problems that derive from this physicality. Tech articles take a while to write though and we’ve still got loads to do for the prototype so you’ll have to wait a bit more to see how we solved all of the physics in Unity!

It Begins with a Dare. Ludum Dare.