How do we design spaces for Kabounce’s unique gameplay and movement? This weekend it’s time to talk map design!
An important aspect in Kabounce Multiplayer is that the playing field itself is a big part of the objective. It’s all about capturing as many Bumpers and Hoops as possible.
Rolling, bouncing, and platforming
Designing a Multiplayer map comes down to balancing the rolling and bouncing on the ground with the aerial platforming routes.
On the ground you’ll mainly find Bumpers, which play a big role in a team’s overall domination of the playing field. They are super dynamic, Clusters of Bumpers can be used to quickly increase speed, get combo, and charge your abilities.
You can also jump on top of a Bumper or use Hoops to keep yourself in the air. Hoops give a boost, which allows you to quickly traverse the map. With a well-timed Jump or Dash you can use it to launch yourself to great heights! Platforming through the air can give you a lot of points, makes it harder for opponents to eliminate you, and gives you an advantageous overview to plan your offensive manoeuvres.
At first it can be quite difficult to keep yourself in the air, but once you start mastering the movement, you’ll be able to fly around the map like a super pinball!
While doing aerial platforming, you won’t be able to build your combo or charge your abilities as fast – so you’ll want to capture the clusters on the ground too!
Map ‘flow’
Flow is a word that is often used to describe the invisible driving force that guides you and allows you to constantly keep moving, whilst making interesting decisions along the way. It makes a map “feel” good and fun to play.
The flow of Kabounce’s gameplay is very dynamic. As a Designer it becomes less about designing paths that go in a specific direction, and more about placing Bumpers and Hoops in such a way that they can be linked up from many different angles. This allows you to keep the Pinball’s momentum going at all times, whilst choosing between different options on the fly.
With every map we try to create a layout that provides a different balance and a different set of options.
There is a lot more that goes into creating a Multiplayer map for Kabounce, but hopefully this gives some interesting insights into our map development!
Thanks for reading! Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
-Mart
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