MDP
Maddogs
Maddogs
Development Blog of Maddogs
This project has been so much fun to work on. I have been able to express and show my creative skills in design, art, statistics and systems design, including the narrative and business elements of taking a game to market. The journey has included a steep learning curve as well. Many design aspects of a Game Design Document were development elements that had rarely crossed my mind. This Game Design Document has shown me all the factors that need to be considered when designing and then pitching a game. The experience of creating this document has provided me with invaluable skills towards my future career in the industry. I am pleased with this piece of work and can only hope that at some point in my life, it might be produced.
Maddogs is a new take on the 'Boomer Shooter' and 'Hack&Slash' genres. Instead of the player's primary weapon being a firearm, it is an axe. Instead of a traditional heavy metal soundtrack, an acoustic classical one. The Maddog is not an unstoppable killer, but a diseased warrior, ready to die. Enemies are not 2D sprites, made up of low-resolution graphics. Instead, they are part of a highly detailed 3D world, that pays homage to the genre's origins. Maddogs is an emotional rollercoaster, where the faceless protagonist doesn't say a word. It is a story of impossible odds, certain death, and a glimmer of hope.
Artistic Direction
With unique techniques of visual direction, inspired from multiple genres and games, I have come up with a completely unique take on the traditional retro style. I wanted to do this because of the repetition of this genre. Nearly every game in the Boomer Shooter genre utilizes nearly identical sound design, art style, mechanics, script and setting. It is time for this to change, and bring the genre into a new phase of artistic innovation, not stagnation. The art style was something pictured in my mind long before its inception onto paper. Once written, it made more sense to me than ever before. It uses pessimism, de-saturation, a touch of realism and a new setting of dark humour. If you look on the Steam page for this genre, you will see none of these things. They are all colourfully retro, focus exclusively on guns, and 9/10 times - the setting will be in Hell. I saw a gap in the market and have gone for it.
Combat Mechanics
Many different systems have been utilized in the past when designing a melee combat system. Games such as Mount&Blade, Pirates Vikings and Knights, and For Honor, have used the tried and tested “Tri-directional” attack and defence system, which is simple and easy for the player to learn. It also has the benefit of having identical attack and defence systems. This system appears in mostly third-person games. For Honor uses incredible animations to make these simple controls appear far more flamboyant and skilful than actually they are. M&B takes the more simplistic direction and looks very basic and rigid, which detracts from the immersion of the player, but requires less animation. On the flipside you have: Mordau, Chivalry, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. These are first-person games, and include much more technically complicated systems, designed to have a vast skill ceiling for players to reach. This is the stark difference between first and third-person games in the Hack&Slash genre. My goal for the combat in in Maddogs, is to have a perfect blend of the two systems. Somthing I think I have done.
The Experience
Maddogs is a game best played with limited respawn points. The purpose of the game is immersion. One way this is achieved in Maddogs is with a unique death system. Another method is the Act structure. With only four acts, the normal difficulty relies exclusively on these checkpoints for respawns. Meaning the death of the player has punishing consequences. Maddogs encourages speedrunning, a method of improving both replayability and the attractiveness of Maddogs for this audience. Maddogs blends multiple genres, refines each of their components, and exploits their ease of compatibility. After playing Maddogs, there will be millions of other games the players might be inspired to play. But none of them will scratch the same itch as Maddogs, and Maddogs will take back.