Sam Scott
Game Developer
RV Punch - 2018
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Role: Systems Designer
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Platform: PC
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Built in Unity
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Team of 8
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12 weeks of development time
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Best Movement Mechanics, RPI Gamefest 2019
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Best Gameplay, Champlain Games Festival 2019
Overview
A multiplayer racing game where players go head to head in RV vehicles with gigantic mechanical arms.
Players will punch everything, the ground, the walls, and other players, to pass the finish line in first.
Play on PC
https://milkshed-games.itch.io/rvpunch
My Work
Stats Categories and Variables
A majority of my work on this project was designing the playable RVs. I had a discussion with our lead designer to come up with some potential stats that could be used to differentiate the RVs in the game for the player. The stats were Speed, Handling, Punching, Weight, and Boost.
I then reviewed the variables of the RV in the game to see what variables could be adjusted and what stat they would belong too. Upon doing this, I realized that there were not many variables that would warrant punching to be its own stat, so I omitted it and found ways to include punching-based variables into other stats.
Speed
A very valuable stat in any racing game. The Speed stat determines how fast the RV can go, whether accelerating forward or going in reverse.
Variables:
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Speed - The RV’s max speed in units per second
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Reverse Speed - The RV’s max speed for backing up
Handling
A stat to balance against RVs with high Speed. Having better handling means players can retain more speed while accelerating towards turns and corners.
Variables:
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Rotation - The max speed an RV can rotate at
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Rotation Acceleration - The speed at which the RV’s turning to hit max rotation speed
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Punch KB Scalar - The knockback force (speed boost) applied to the RV when it punches off a wall
Weight
A stat that determines how sturdy the RV will be. This makes high Weight vehicles appealing to beginners, who don't have to worry as much about being punched and being stunned.
Variables:
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Artificial Gravity - The force pulling the RV to the ground while it’s in the air
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Knockback Force - The force that is applied to the RV when punched
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Stun Duration - The amount of time the RV spends immobilized after being punched
Boost
A stat to represent the strength of the boost mechanic. When boosting, the player uses a meter to gain a ridiculous amount of speed. The Boost stat, like the mechanic, is for players who like to manage resources, and use every last ounce of Boost to make the most of it in any situation, especially in comebacks.
Variables:
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Base Boost Power - The initial speed (Boost Power) applied to the RV’s speed when first boosting
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Boost Power Inc - The acceleration speed added continuously to the RV’s speed while boosting
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Max Boost Power - The highest speed the RV can reach while boosting
Star Rating System
I decided to make a rating system between 1 to 4 stars so the differences between RVs to be easily understood by players on the RV Select screen.
At first, to make the minimum and maximum values, I made halved and doubled sets of the original RV stats. I then adjusted each minimum and maximum variable in game to change what was overwhelmingly unplayable or unfair.
I then developed a simple algorithm so while I tested, I could easily see how a variable would rank between the minimum and maximum stats.
As seen in the example, if we plug in the Class A’s Speed of 120, the rating that comes out is just in the middle of the minimum and maximum, and therefore has a rating of 2. This made it easier to visualize where each RV stands as I tested different variable numbers in engine while balancing each RV.
Each variable's star rating is averaged in a category to determine the overall rating for the category. This gave me wiggle room to adjust certain variables up or down within a category without changing the entire category rating. The next step was using this rating system to shape each vehicle’s playstyle.
RV Vehicle Design and Stats
Intention
Class A was to keep its stats as close to the original RV stats as possible. I wanted to preserve this constant in the game to create an interesting contrast when playing other types of RVs.
However, I did make one change compared to the original RV. Since the Class A was the first option on the vehicle selection screen, I wanted any new players who pick it to have an easy time taking punches and learning the mechanics of the game. So, I gave this vehicle a huge weight stat, at 4 stars.
Intention
This RV has a huge jet engine on the back. There was no question that this RV needed to feel overwhelmingly fast while boosting. So I had one question, How do you balance the non-boost stats on the vehicle to keep the vehicle fair?
I drew on a conclusion when I thought about other skills and mechanics within the game. I thought of making tight turns and wall jumping a center point of the Class B's gameplay. Giving the Class B a good Handling stat is twofold:
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After boosting down a straightaway, the better rotation from its Handling stat will allow players to swiftly and gracefully turn.
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The higher Punch Knockback Scalar lets this RV fly with wall jumping, letting Class B players reach alternate routes that have boost-charging panels.
Intention
I had a tough time deciding what the Class C RV would specialize in. There was already the heavy beginner-friendly Class A, the boost-heavy Class B, and lastly the glasss canon, the Pop Up. It felt like there was no other play style to specialize in. But, by deciding to specialize in nothing, I found the Class C’s potential niche: being an all-around vehicle.
The Class A is similar, but the Class C focuses more in Speed than it does weight. This makes it a natural evolution from the Class A. Players who are more confident in their ability to avoid punches will find this RV a fitting upgrade. Additionally, the design of the vehicle seems to just inform you “this RV just looks like a Class A with more horsepower and less bulk.”
Intention
This vehicle is a pop-up camper running on its own. To replicate the absurdity of that concept, I wanted to go a with full extreme when designing its stats. It has the highest Speed rating, with the lowest Weight. Not only is it hard to control, it also is set of course very easily when getting hit by punches. To emphasize this, its Boost rating is also lowest out of all other vehicles. No special mechanics for the Pop Up, only pure speed!
