Hello, everyone. It's Kou from Flyhigh Works.
Today, we are presenting 「SUPER METBOY！」, which has been positively received and is currently available on Nintendo Switch and STEAM！
In issue#9, Asaba Aki, Lead Game Designer from Rebuild Games, will talk in-depth about the "Stress of Game Design Planning" related to the SUPER METBOY!！
■ Playing with Custom Chips
Custom Chips are an accumulation of items with 4 parameters: ATK, HP, GOLD, and Cost. Players can use a set of up to 5 chips within the total cost used. METBOY can be customized to the Player's taste/liking by using a combination of chips for their set.
■ Custom Chips and Gacha Game
The Custom Chip System resembles the「Gacha」system found in mobile games.
Payment for standard resources to obtain a rare random item by collecting 5 highly rare chips is one of SUPER METBOY!'s motivation cycles.
■ Auto-Set Chips
This is the real issue at hand.
There is no chip auto-set on the SUPER METBOY! Chip Customs screen.
Auto-set is a function that is automatically set with one button.
Gacha games in recent years have naturally integrated this specification.
It's unclear while playing that auto-set is wanted or experienced. So, why not include it if there is a demand for auto-set?
"I don't want to play with auto-set" was my final decision.
■"What I want you play" and "What I don't want you play"
Creating custom chip sets can be a bit troublesome, but it's personally fun experiencing trial and error.
This is because SUPER METBOY! is an action game, but custom chip combinations can be challenging with action pending the situation. Hence, the aim was to complement the Player's technique.
If there was auto-set in this case, the experience of the Player's efforts to overcome challenges would be weakened.
The most important thing when I create a game is 「Did the Player have the hands-on experience that the development intentionally aimed for? 」.
So I emphasize what I want to play and mute what I don't want to play.
For example, gacha games have unwanted cards that can be selected, combined, sold, or discarded. That is "Something I don't want to play."
In SUPER METBOY!, an "automatic" cost reduction bonus occurs if the same chip is acquired.
There is also a cost-enhancing component, which is automatically dealt with, so the Player doesn't have to.
If extra Stress was applied to what we were not originally aiming for, then there would be anxiety from the deviation of what we originally wanted to play.
In regards to custom chips, it was essential for Players to have the freedom to rearrange and set their own custom chips set, which eliminated Stress as much as possible.
■ Placement of Stress in Game Design
We think the game is how appropriately the Player deals with the Stress.
Intense Stress and axis exist in the game, which multiplies the strength and the time axis tuning within the game.
If there is no stress in the game, it is dull/boring, but it can be exhausting to play if it is intense.
My theory is that a designer should emphasize what they want Players to play the most, and noise like Stress should be eliminated.
This also connects to issue #8, which discussed reducing load times.
For example, the Stress of an intense axis, the intensity of the Stress would make the game challenging in this case, but several hit games are tough in this world.
Intense Stress = Not Bad. What's important is how Stress is presented to the Player (like dealing with super spicy curry, right?).
A few more words from the developer
Lead Game Designer Asaba Aki
In this issue, we touched on the thought process of game-making content.
I'm still not used to writing, so I apologize if this content is not appealing.
I'm unsure if "what I want to play" may feel like a developer's one-sided imposition.
I believe whatever the developer wants or intends to do is fine.
I think it's about what to do next, based on the reactions after questions are asked in this world.