Can KahyaoÄŸlu
- Game Designer
- Game Developer
- Level Designer
Gökçe Göbüt
- 3D Artist (Main City)
- Level Designer (Main City Layout)
- 2D Artist
Mesut Mustafa Yıldırım
- Audio Designer
Atilla Kalyoncu
- 3D Artist (Ducks)
Lalehan KahyaoÄŸlu
- 3D Artist (Slums and Misc Assets)
Design Overview
The difference of this project from my other works is that this was the first video game I have made with a team who never made game assets before. Thus my job, besides design and developing, was to simultaneously learn and teach the pipelines of each program to the team. This was a great opportunity for me to show my teamwork skills.
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Intro Level
Since this is a funny but frustrating game by its nature, it needed a story that players could ease up on the hard stuff. Therefore we made an intro level that explains the story, the tasks and set a mood for the game.
It was also a great place for us to fill with jokes.
(In the skype call, wife duck actually "talks" while the tasks are shown.)
A Chill Start
After the entry level, the game starts from the school.
The player has to collect the ducklings who are scattered in the yard.
This is where the players learn* to use the simple mechanic of the game:
Calling your kids for them to follow you with E or Q**
*There is also a tutorial screen in the first level that shows the controls.
**There is no difference between the calls besides the roleplay aspect.
Buy Party Supplies
Main reason to navigate the level is to find the stores and getting the party supplies, before heading home. Game is a walking simulator so we put lots of jokes, graffiti etc. to entertain the player (and ourselves).
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What failed?: Navigation wasn't supposed to be the main challenge, but without a map, players were easily lost and could not focused on the kids from time to time.
Restless Ducklings
The ducklings are easily distracted. Depending on their personality, they stop following the dad and go to the attraction point. Goth and punk kids ditches you to hangout with bad boys while nerdy or geek kids run to the arcade store etc.
You just have to call them either lovingly or angrily.
Hazards Await
There are couple of hazards that could kill the ducklings such as: cars, barrels, elephants, aliens as well as drain grates (with an exception of Bobby because he is too thicc for the drain holes.)
Its Not The End
Well, it kinda is, but not for the player!
There are two Adoption Automat™ that the players can use to "bring back" the ducklings.
There is no use limit, except the players conscience.
This also was not in the game until my first playtest with a demo map where I realized that the game was impossible to win.
This idea made the game actually winnable and introduced another level of humor.
Track Your Kids
With "tab" players can look at the current status of their kids, as well as their progress for the tasks. Color coding makes it easy to see the situation only with a glimpse.
The reasons to their passing are also in this interface.
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What failed?: Even with the arrows on their heads, it was pretty easy to lose the kids, never to find them. Thus many players let the kids die on purpose, so that it would be easy to collect them after doing all the tasks in the city.
Writing what kind of distraction the ducklings currently at, could make this an option that only the heartless players would choose.
