Jupiter Hell is almost half-way with 22 days to go. The latest update focuses on game design and story.
More information.Game Design in Jupiter Hell
Game design is perhaps the most important element of roguelikes. With the constant replays that the genre offers the base game mechanics must remain engaging and interesting, and the game must still offer challenge and the feeling of reward.
Jupiter Hell stands very heavily on the shoulders of DoomRL, which was widely praised for its fast and fluid gameplay. Unlike many traditional roguelikes, DoomRL had a simple interface that let the player mow through many enemies with ease. Challenge came in the form of optimal tactical decisions and resource management, rather than remembering obscure key-presses or spending lots of time scumming for the best items.
To ensure that we get this right for Jupiter Hell we have defined 6 pillars of game design ethos that run through all of our decision-making:
Following these pillars will help us make sure we have a game that is rigorously designed and fun to play. We also take specific inspiration from well-designed games like Brogue, DCSS and FTL, with the fun of Doom thrown into the mix.
- Replayability - If it gets boring after 100 plays, then remove it or change it or make it skippable. It doesn't matter how cool the idea was at first, it must stand up to multiple replays. This also means the game must fluidly restart, so that once you die you get right back into the action without any annoying menus or story fluff.
- Balanced Randomness - Random shouldn't mean unfair. No sudden deaths, no insta-win items, no impossible situations. This means putting constraints on the generators and doing a huge amount of playtesting to get the balance right. We'll also have multiple difficulty levels and challenges to push even the best players to their limits.
- Meaningful Choices - If everyone always chooses option A over option B then option B needs to be removed or replaced. There will be no "better" path or strictly "best weapon in the game". If players aren't arguing over which is the best build then we've done our job wrong. It also means choices can't be boring - level ups and weapon upgrades should not mean +3% to a stat, they should change the way you play.
- No Grinding - There will be zero opportunities to do repeated actions for limitless rewards. No item hoarding (inventories are limited), no scumming enemies for xp (it'll get capped), no resting for HP recovery. Jupiter Hell is not allowed to be boring!
- Accessibility - The whole user experience has to work with ease, even for the newest players. Simple controls, pick-up-and-play interface, no need to mess around with manuals or tutorials (the game will have both, but the aim is not to need them). Accessibility also means working for everyone, and to that end we'll have customisable controls, multiple input methods (mouse, keyboard, joypad) and support for screenreaders in ASCII mode so that blind players can still fully enjoy the game.
- Dynamic Flow - The pace of the game must be just right, allowing smooth and seamless flow throughout. Decision-making must come easily, without having to dig through menus. There should be no slow moments, no backtracking, and the player will be pushed forward throughout the game so that they never feel bored. This also applies to other game elements - dynamic soundtrack, adaptive animation, zero loading times. The game as a whole allows a satisfying run (ie a glorious death after having lots of fun) within 20 minutes, and completion within 2-3 hours, though actually reaching that stage will involve many attempts! We look forward to seeing what speedrunners can achieve.
Some people asked about progression across games. Jupiter Hell will not have a system like Binding of Isaac or Rogue Legacy, where you can carry over upgrades or get benefits for future plays. This is a conscious design choice to avoid what can feel like scumming across multiple games to get the optimal run. Every character is equally likely to die in Jupiter HellHowever we will have some tracking across games, such as multi-game achievements, story discoveries and potentially new character classes and starting position unlocks.
Of course a big part of the design will involve consulting with players. Alpha backers in particular will get a lot of opportunity to input into the content of the game, but if you want a significant voice into the design elements of the game then Inner Circle members (‘Supporter of Chaos' tier and above) will be in a very unique position to do that. They will get builds of the game from the end of the Kickstarter and access to internal design discussion forums.