Week 1: Unleashing Rebel Spirit!

Hello readers! We are a group of nine students working together on a game called Double Dare Derby. This is our first of many devlogs where we hope to share information about the decisions that will bring our game to life. 

Double Dare Derby started off with an idea from Kris for a "2 player split-screen racing platformer where players roller skate through urban terrain and sabotage each other to be the first to cross the finish line".  When our professors asked us, "How will you stand out from Tony Hawk or Jet Set Radio?" we honed in on the idea of high-speed, combat-fueled racing. This led us to emphasize the "rivalry" aspect with an adrenaline meter that builds from the heat of the competition.

During our Sheridan College game jam, we implemented basic movement using Xbox controllers and Kenney's Mini Skate assets. Players can skate forward with B-button strides while steering with the left joystick, and hop over obstacles with the A-button. We had a great time watching our skater go up a ramp to the amazing music composed by Griffin (and encountered some chaotic bugs).

Following the game jam, we changed our design from 1v1 to 2v2 gameplay, drawing inspiration from feedback we received and from the sport itself. Our new approach introduces team roles and player interactions inspired by real roller derby mechanics.

• Jammers: Agile skaters who score points by completing laps
• Blockers: Players who defend and disrupt the opponent jammer
• Whipping: Momentum-building pushes where players propel off other players

This change incorporates more strategic team play into the high-speed skating chaos!

Art Direction 🛼

Rustwheel Ridge,  a junkyard-alleyway derby rink is the setting for our game. Here, rival gangs battle each other in a game of Double Dare Derby. 

We wanted to craft a vibrant style that can reflect roller derby's punk-energy and our game's fun, competitive experience. This includes characters with attitudes, a graffiti-tagged urban playground and comic-style motion effects that sting. Originally, we envisioned human skaters with realistic physics, until our professor challenged us to think differently. If we could abstract our characters, then there would be no more painstaking limb/prop interactions to worry about (e.g. a perfect rail-grind). Instead we can prioritize snappy, exaggerated motions that feel right, even if they break physics. As a result, we are focusing on stylized animal or anthropomorphic designs to be our delinquent skaters. In particular, animals that fit the vermin archetype.

Week 1 Progress (5/14 - 5/21)
✔️Game Jam Build
✔️First Soundtrack
✔️2v2 Design