Designing the chaos!
...the core design pillars of Retrospace.
This dev diary will be a bit unusual, as we'll simply list - and explain a bit - the design decisions that form the backbone of RetroSpace's development and ethos. So here's the list, in no particular order of importance:
1- Don't take the player for a fool!
It is very important to assume that your player is an intelligent being with creativity and problem-solving skills. If they are stuck in a room for 30 seconds, don't poke their eyes out with a popup, quest marker arrow, or anything like that. Trust your players. They'll solve the problem and they will enjoy it much better than if you had given the solution to them right away.
2- Freedom and exploration are key
In a game of this kind, don't take away the player's freedom for too long. Sometimes you can, and sometimes you should - because complete and uninterrupted freedom can also be overwhelming - but make sure that even in the most controlled parts of the game, the player has a basic freedom to do things the way they want.
Concept art for the garden area of the game
3- Horror can be funky and colorful
Just because you're making a horror game doesn't mean everything has to be grey and dark. In fact! The bright and colorful parts can be particularly scary, especially since light - and its manipulation - is an important element of survival in our game.
4- Make your systems so that any simple encounter can end in something special and unique
When designing combat and other general systems, the primary consideration should be to create organic, interesting, and unexpected situations.
It will cause QA hell? Probably...
Worth the suffering for the end result? For sure!"
5- No space zombies! you can do better than that!
Zombies are everywhere. Nothing against zombies, really, but surely we can think of something more exciting than that, right? That should be the main goal when planning your opponents. Make them unique, special, and as weird as possible. After all, even in classic science fiction pulp novels, crazier and crazier creatures scared the hell out of unsuspecting astronauts, instead of a hoard of generic space zombies. (If zombies are part of your narrative and/or gameplay, that's a different story, of course.)
6- Handholding is not cursed, but do not overdo it!
Excessive handholding can be extremely toxic and can seriously undermine the rule in point 1. Don't make your player look stupid. Of course, certain conveniences and assistive features are necessary, after all, it is not our goal to have the player get lost at every funkin' corner or have to draw a map on real paper with a real pencil (oh my god, no!), but the opposite extreme is even worse. Let's not clutter the screen with unnecessary UI elements and prompts and glowing sh*t, and let the player play the game - not the other way around...
7- Reward adaptation and creativity
Has the player found a completely new way to solve a problem? Do not block it with invisible walls, or apply any other "punishment". In fact, try to reward his creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. After all, this is partly what the immersive sim genre is all about.
8- Let the players customize their experience
Do some players want to play in No-HUD mode for extra immersion? Let them! Are they making it difficult for themselves? Sure, but it might make them enjoy your game more. Don't shut the player out of opportunities that can make your game a greater and more unique experience for them - and if it's not too much extra work for you as a developer, even better. That's a win-win in our book.
The No-HUD option will indeed be present in the game and the player can activate it by simply choosing not to wear the helmet, which is responsible for displaying most of the HUD elements
9- Stealth and combat should be equally effective
It's all about balance. If you make one extreme strikingly easier than the other, you can spoil the player's experience even if he or she sticks faithfully (and willingly) to the more difficult option. Because all the while he'll be thinking "How easy would it be just to do this the other way... why am I bothering?"
Sneak behind the creature or start blasting? Both have their pros and cons...
10- No levels, but interconnected areas
The more "classic" progression via a level-to-level approach is not for us. Let there be more and more areas opening up for a sense of progression, yes, but still have enough connectivity and freedom (and shortcuts, and side-ways) so that the player doesn't feel like they're moving from point A to B all the time.
Concept art for one of the hub areas of the game
11- Metroidvania-like progression
There should always be a new goal (or more!) towards which the player is striving and which, by completing (or obtaining), will open one or more paths that he has seen before but which were closed to him.
Old (unused) wireframe plan for a level
12- Scripted scenes should be rare and really significant!
Scripted scenes can be very useful and can be either educational or just mood-enhancing. But they shouldn't be overdone, especially not in a way that takes control away from the player. The player should be a witness to them, but not - or not always - a participant. Even more so, the player should have the option not to look if that is what he wishes. That way the game will have a really free and ever-changing feel - of course, occasionally, and for REALLY significant parts (main narrative center-points) you can have a guided scripted scene where the player is just a spectator.
13- Safe rooms are cool!
No question! Since we use inventory, which is finite, we need to have an "island of calm" where we can rest, feel a little safe and unload the items we feel we might need later. Finding safe rooms and exploring around them can be an important element, or even the backbone, of many players' gameplay loops.
14- Make safe rooms modifiable
This is exceptionally rare in survival horror games, so we would like to do it. With a feature like this, you can make your safe room feel a little bit more cozy so that it really has its very own feeling and style. You're on this crazy, broken space station but you also have a tiny place that's really quiet, really safe, and really yours. Players will love it (and of course, they'll exploit it - which is great!).
15- Make organic tutorials! no aggressive pop-ups
Teach the player with clever guidance (both visual and narrative), small scripted scenes, posters, audio logos, etc. Don't poke his eyes out with a pop-up at every corner, because without even realizing why, he'll lose immersion and therefore focus.
16- Beware not to overstay your welcome! (a long game does not equal a better game)
Too long a game length can result in the player losing interest, rushing to the end of the game because they want to get it over with, and perhaps even getting bored. Rather, build on the fact that once the game is over, he will want to play more and start again, perhaps this time with completely different player behavior.
17- Build on replayability from the start
This applies together to point 16. From the start, design the game so that it actually makes sense to play it again. (and play it differently!) Have more options for everything, but also close off certain parts, following certain decisions, so that the player feels that their actions really have consequences - for that particular walkthrough. Players will wonder what will happen differently if they choose the other path at that particular point. In addition, randomizing certain items, loot, traps or enemy placement (in certain parts) can also be a great way to mix up the game's regular order, thus increasing replayability (not to mention challenge modes and game mutators).
18- Use a lot of indirect storytelling (via logs, notes, enviro, etc)
A strong, good story can be the perfect backbone for a game. A hidden story to be discovered can make it even more so. In addition to the main story - some parts of which will be fixed, others optional - tell another story that the player, as an archaeologist, has to dig out from the details. Computer notes, environmental storytelling, audio logs, notes and emails, posters and graffiti, and even whole sections of a level can be the building blocks of a deeper story beneath the surface. Once the player discovers and starts to pick up the pieces, they will soak up all the details, and actively seek out these sources, forcing themselves for more in-depth exploration, which in turn means a more complete game experience.
19- Sometimes push the player out of his comfort zone but not too much and not too violently!
Players tend to get too comfortable with one style of gameplay, but they don't know what they're missing until they've had a taste of the other extreme. Sometimes try to push them out of their comfort zone a bit, so that after they've had to adapt to the new situation, they're free to return to their old style of play, or if they like what they've experienced, to incorporate the new things in their gameplay.
20- Make a game you LOVE to play and experiment with (then everything will be fine!)
There is nothing to write about this. Yet this is the most important point...
We hope what you read was exciting and interesting, Janitors! We'll be back with more exciting information from aboard Aurora 5 soon!
Until then... don't forget to Wishlist the game and spread the word!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2067820/RetroSpace/
PS: Another part of our team is working on a fabulous (and fabulously weird) dark, noir adventure game called Chicken Police - Into the HIVE!, which is a sequel to our multi-award-winning previous title. If you're interested, check it out:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2362090/Chicken_Police_Into_the_HIVE/
- The Wild Gentlemen