Hello Riftbreakers!
It is often said that good game design is largely invisible. It subtly affects your decisions and gives you a sense of direction, without many obvious clues. We do not mean to say that painting ledges yellow is necessarily wrong. On the contrary, overthinking simple scenarios may complicate them beyond what's necessary. Today, however, we won't be talking about simple scenarios. It's the complex moments that truly allow a developer to create something memorable. In this article, we will examine a couple of moments from The Riftbreaker's campaign that posed a challenge for us. We will explain what we wanted to achieve through our design, and show you what we didn't want you to notice. Warning - spoilers ahead!
THE PROLOGUE
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Even in the prologue mission, you can get into some pretty intense situations. We made sure that everything is under control, though.
We will kick things off by taking a look at the Prologue mission. For many of you, it was the first experience with The Riftbreaker. We had to nail the design on this one, as this one mission carried profound consequences. You only have one chance at making a good first impression. It was a challenging process, as we had to pack the entire Riftbreaker gameplay into a bite-sized demo. Our heads and hearts were engaged in a tug of war. The hearts wanted to show off all the cool things we have been working on. The minds, on the other hand, were doing their best to keep us in check and stick to the good old "less is more" rule. After much trial and error, including several rounds of playtesting, we concluded that we need to balance freedom and guidance while minimizing potential problems. Let this table show you what we mean.
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We wanted to give you enough freedom that you can get a taste of building a real base. Did you even know that you could research new tech in the prologue? It has a special, modified research tree!
| GUIDANCE | FREEDOM | MINIMIZE PROBLEMS |
|---|---|---|
| We want the mission to be completed in 30 minutes… | …but we won't force you to end it. Take as much time as you need. | Always display objectives that tell you how to progress, but don't enforce them. |
| We would like players to build some basic defensive structures… | …but Mr. Riggs shouldn't feel weak in these early moments of gameplay. | We gave Mr. Riggs a custom loadout with "special" weapons so that you get the taste of all game aspects. |
| We want you to build an Armory, AI Hubs, and some towers during the mission… | …but we don't want to punish you if you spend those resources elsewhere. | We quietly "boost" the resources you need to build key structures as part of the mission objective flow. |
| We want you to experience fighting a horde… | …but we don't want to display a "Mission Failed" screen. | Cut to black before the base goes down in flames. |
| We want you to gather some resources and get a feel for the game's logistics… | …but we don't want you to run into the resource cap too early. | Give the player a couple of Solid Material Storages beyond the visible map boundaries. |
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Apart from building, you can also explore the Prologue map and discover surprises we left for you here and there.
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And look, we weren't joking about having storage buildings off the map. It was much easier than creating a separate mech entity only for the prologue.
The list goes on and on. Designing the Prologue meant solving hundreds, if not thousands, of such problems. We solved some of them quite quickly. Others took months of iterating to get it right. However, taking things one step at a time allowed us to build a tutorial sequence that allows you to set your own pace. We don't increase the pressure when it's not necessary, and when we do, it is just a taste of things to come in the full game.
Most players played the demo for more than 40 minutes, which is exactly what we wanted to achieve. The surprising fact is that more than 31 thousand people played it for more than 200 minutes, wow!
RESEARCHING YEAST
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This research mission seems simple, but we create tension and pressure by layering various design elements.
Let's now take a look at a moment that is designed to put pressure on you. During one of the missions in the Acidic Plains biome, you have to build a Research Station next to an Acidic Yeast colony root. It is not an easy task, especially when it is your first Campaign run. Not only do you have to protect the Research Station from the ever-expanding Acidic Yeast colony, but you also have to repel attacks from powerful enemies, some of which you might have never seen before. Baxmoths, Bomogans, and Nurglaxes will gladly bombard your station from afar, often with the additional protection of the Acidic Yeast, preventing you from dealing with them face-to-face. What seems like a standard research mission quickly turns into a frantic fight for survival. We wanted you to feel a bit on the back foot - and here's what we did to facilitate that feeling.
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From ever-growing yeast, to hordes of angry creatures, this mission has it all.
- The first time you encounter Acidic Yeast colonies, they are just baby roots - they do not spread very far. In this mission, things are different. The roots will try to take over the entirety of the map if you do not spot them.
- Before the mission, you gain access to Acid-Resistant Floors. They will prevent the Yeast from growing; however, you have to clear some of the smaller cells first. You will most likely want to use an Area of Effect weapon to do so. That, in turn, may destroy the root, forcing you to find a new one.
- The main mission objective seems simple at first: build something, power it up, keep it around for a while, and come back home before dinner. Unfortunately, Galatean creatures have other plans for you. They will attack in large groups, and very often, sometimes forcing you to build up a small outpost to keep the Research Station alive.
- The increasing presence of the Yeast cells will limit your available space very quickly if you don't secure it quickly enough - and why would you? This is a simple research mission after all!
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It's not all doom and gloom! Once you start scanning the root of the colony it becomes completely indestructible. This prevents sad accidents.
There are plenty of little traps that you can encounter during this mission. They are all there to give you a sense that this biome is not as cozy as the Tropical Zone was. It's not all doom and gloom, though. Once you start scanning the Acidic Yeast root, it becomes completely invulnerable. Thanks to this little trick, you won't blow it up with a stray nuke, and Bomogan bombs won't affect it either. As long as you keep your Research Station alive, you won't have to look for a new root. We probably saved at least a few controllers from a rage-throw incident with that decision. Designing missions like these is always about striking a balance between challenge and fun by delicately twisting the rules of the game.
LOOK MOM, NO HANDS
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First, we let you take baby steps with the Gravitational Modulator and sample transportation mechanics.
The core pillars of The Riftbreaker gameplay are exploration, survival, combat, and base building. Most of the missions in the Story Campaign blend these core characteristics to varying degrees. Sometimes you encounter a more combat-heavy objective, other times, you are free to build up an outpost of your dreams and dig up all the resources you want, but you can always rely on Mr. Riggs and the tech you already researched. From a designer's perspective, staying within those four cornerstones of gameplay is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you know how to design missions that fit the narrative and style of the game. On the other hand, an outlandish gameplay twist might feel out of place and alienating to some of your players, limiting your creativity. We don't want to risk any "stealth mission in a fast-paced shooter" or "underwater temple" scenarios, after all, unless it's a side mission!
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Second, we give you an incentive to use it on your own.
Optional objectives provide space for experimentation and allow us to stray from the "traditional" bounds of gameplay. Players can complete these objectives for additional rewards, but they are never necessary to finish the game. One interesting side mission in The Riftbreaker takes place during the Heart of the Swamp campaign. At one point in the story, you get an optional objective to find a Phirian Lair. Ashley is curious as to what she may find there, as all the Phirians she faced before were solitary creatures and she never suspected them to be social enough to form packs, let alone build entire lairs. Mr. Riggs warns Ashley that investigating the lair is risky. At this point, you are faced with a choice: abandon the idea or risk it for the biscuit. Obviously, we hope that your curiosity gets the best of you here!
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Then, we send Phirians in hot pursuit after you. This is the first time you are defenseless and have to run for your life.
If you do decide to investigate, you must first navigate a maze of rocks, trees, and other natural obstacles deep into the heart of the swamp (see what I did there?). It is a confusing labyrinth, full of false exits and dead ends. At the end, you find something unexpected: a Phirian egg. Here comes the problematic part: the egg can't be scanned on the spot, and sending it through the rift to an Outpost is out of the question because of its size. The only choice is to carry it using Mr. Riggs' Gravitational Modulator. That comes with an additional risk: when carrying something, Mr. Riggs can't use any weapons or movement skills, which leaves our duo vulnerable to attacks. Ashley decides to risk it anyway. What comes next is a mad dash to the Outpost via the twisted maze, running away from an entire swarm of very unhappy Phirians, and juggling a one-of-a-kind egg that you definitely do not want to break.
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Escaping the creatures' chase can be quite difficult, but the reward is pretty cool. Plus - this is an entirely optional objective, so if you're not into this kind of adventure, you can safely skip it.
What makes this mission special is our deliberate choice to take away a large chunk of your abilities while carrying things with the Gravitational Modulator. Up to this point in the Heart of the Swamp campaign, you had to transport things utilizing this tool several times, either delivering samples to your HQ or gathering Garlimonium fruit. At those points, you faced almost no danger. This time, it is different. Instead of being the predator, you become the prey. The chasing Phirians require you to not only plan your route through the maze, but also actively observe your immediate vicinity and dodge their deadly dash attacks. This completely changes the game's dynamics and puts you in an unexpected and inconvenient position. This is the ultimate test of your mastery of the new game mechanic. We knew that such a design might be controversial, as it breaks the power fantasy. However, by making this mission optional, we can reward your curiosity and risk-taking nature after testing your skills in an unprecedented manner.
CONCLUSION
We hope that these examples show that designing a game is not a straightforward process. It is an exercise in patience, planning, and, surprisingly, psychology. However, it is also very rewarding. There is no better feeling than seeing countless players enjoy the challenges you set for them. We will always be grateful for that.
If you'd like to learn more about The Riftbreaker, read our other articles about game development, or get exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, please consider signing up for our newsletter at https://www.exorstudios.com/blog/#newsletter and joining our Discord at https://www.discord.gg/exorstudios.
See you next time!
EXOR Studios