Designing Arcade Runner Moments
Disco Is Dead! combines arcade runner gameplay with comic book style narrative cutscenes. After beginning development on both the arcade runner and cutscenes, we stumbled upon a unique design problem: these two modes felt very separate and we were worried that they would not feel cohesive to players. It may seem that the narrative is an afterthought to tie the gameplay together, so we want to alleviate this so it becomes apparent that players can see that narrative is at the heart of Disco Is Dead!.
Cutscenes
Arcade Runner
Although the arcade gameplay is coming along nicely and is testing very positively among players, beyond the disco setting and zombie enemies, it didn’t feel like the buddy cop narrative was being conveyed through gameplay itself, which is something we are striving to achieve. We don’t want all the narrative elements to be explained through cutscenes, which some players may find boring. We also really want to convey the cooperative nature of the game, as a reflection of the special relationship between the two main characters, Reggie and Kenny.
In order to solve this issue we decided to break up the arcade runner action with narrative “moments” within each level. Each level would have two or three of these brief, interactive cut-in sequences that could impact the narrative in some way. As level designer, it was my job to work with the narrative team to determine the best direction for each moment.
We brainstormed quick actions that could take place in each level of our game: an alleyway, warehouse and disco club. These “moments” were to be designed that they were quick, interactive and impacted the narrative in some way. We discovered that these moments quickly evolved into minigames, which introduced a new way for players to interact with the controller. This was a great development, since some players felt that after a while, constantly slapping zombies in the arcade runner became a bit monotonous. As it stands, these moments are integrated into the level to break up the flow in between waves of enemies.
Players also expressed desire for power-ups within the game which would add an extra dynamic to our game, and make it more interesting to play in general. After struggling with ways to incorporate power-ups into the game, it made sense to reward players with power-ups after a successful moment has been completed.
Some moments also add a competitive element to the game – something we’ve wished to add in to counter the cooperative nature of the game, as well as relate back to the traditional buddy cop model, where the two cops aren’t always on the same page.
Overall, these narrative moments solved a bunch of design challenges!
Integrates story back into the arcade runner
Incorporates power-ups into gameplay
Breaks up the waves of enemies
Created new ways for players to interact with the controllers
Added a competitive element to the game
Visually, moments are linked to objects that will scroll down the lane and can be slapped by either player when it enters the slap zone to be interacted with. When hit, the moment will have cut-in panels that fly onto the screen, similar to the cutscenes, but quicker and more interactive.
Since our current focus is on level two (the disco club), we refined and implemented two moments to break up the three waves of enemies within the level. These moments are: a zombie ball enemy that is introduced, and a drinking contest where players slap the controllers as fast as they can to see who can drink more. The winner is awarded a power-up for the upcoming wave.
The first moment, the zombie ball, introduces a new enemy that when defeated can be rolled backwards to crush any upcoming zombies in this lane. Since this was such a huge enemy it felt appropriate to introduce it during one of the moments so players could fully understand its significance. It also alludes to, and teaches the player, the necessary skills to be able to defeat the mini boss of level 2: the Disconomicon. Following the moment, it recurs as a regular enemy spawning at regular intervals. Introducing this enemy as a moment allows the player with enough time to understand how to defeat it.
The second moment, the drinking game, pits Reggie and Kenny against each other to see who can drink the most. Players really seem to enjoy this section of the game – since they can just go crazy and smack the controller as fast as they can, and are rewarded with a power-up for winning … and bragging rights. We will strive to have more moments like these in the future levels to bring the competitive spirit to our cooperative game.
