DevBlog #3

Introduction:

Welcome to the third DevBlog of A Maze-ing runner! It has been a while since #2, (we're trying to find a time-frame that best suits our development speed). This iteration has been in the theme of a world map/HUB (and its editor) and other gameplay mechanics which for now we'll keep a secret.

To menu or not to menu:

To start with a controversial topic. Do you need a main menu (every time) when you enter the game? Look for instance at Helldivers. After their intro scene, you are directly sent to a HUB which serves as a place to manage your character's progression and start a session. It allows you as player to instantly "get into the action" and has a playful way to access progression related features.

We are thinking of going a similar route. However, on your first startup you may want to change your resolution, tweak controls, etc. So we will let you do that after Save-game creation.

What is the HUB:

That is the question. There are two main routes to take:

1. A central HUB that focuses only on character progression systems with a portal to the "world map(s)"

2. A merge between the HUB and world map which contains all content of the Branch*

A central HUB would mean that as a player your routine of navigating to a specific progression system will be familiar, new area's open up as you progress through the game, so you get a sense of ownership of the HUB. The "world map" (or more accurately different floors of the tower) will be travelled to by a teleporter or elevator, and from there on you select your stage. This means the two areas have their distinct purpose.

Alternatively, The HUB is part of a Branch. Each branch has one "world map/HUB combo" which contains all progression systems together with the stages. This means that the HUB can change themes, while the other option will be more settled in a certain style, with new rooms opening with a possible new theme (and possible refurnishing of existing ones). In addition, the configuration of each map will likely be different per Branch, to keep things fresh. But overall navigation through such maps may not feel as familiar as the other option, and you won't get that sense of ownership, since each Branch has a new map.

Below some example gifs of an ingame view of a possible HUB where the stage selection area would be separate from the HUB:

and a possible HUB layout where the HUB and stage selection area are together, seen via the HUB Map editor:

The power of a map editor:

The benefit of setting up the map editor with the previously mentioned refactoring, is that the hub map editor was relatively easy to implement. While it is not planned that you as player will have access to the hub editor, it does allow us to quickly prototype and test different configurations of the hub to see what works and what doesn't.

Thanks

Well that is it for this DevBlog. We hope you enjoyed this update! Which camp do you belong to: To menu/Not to menu? And would you prefer the HUB and tower map (selecting stages) to be merged, or separated? Thanks for visiting and (if you haven't already) consider to wishlist our game to receive update notifications and try out our demo.

See you out there runners!

• A Branch is how we intend to split our content, each branch has their own theme and content.