Week 4: Diving Into Chaos

Hello, how's it going? We’re back with another update after receiving some insightful feedback on our recent demo! This week has been all about listening, reflecting, and adjusting the direction of Double Dare Derby to deliver a stronger, more focused experience. Let’s break it down.

Game Design Presentation for Industry Guests 💻

On Wednesday, June 4th, 2025, we had the opportunity to present our core mechanics and controls to a panel of industry guests, as well as professors, TAs, and peers. Our 5-minute demo highlighted player interactions, such as hitting, whipping, and blocking, and gave a snapshot of our vision for Double Dare Derby.

The feedback session that followed give us a clearer understanding of how to refine our mechanics for a more enjoyable experience. Here are some of key changes we made to address the feedback.

Movement Needs to Feel More Like Skating

One aspect that was brought up consistently was that the current movement felt more like just running, not skating. Being able to stop completely meant losing all your momentum. We adjusted this so that players can slide across the arena  smoothly and constantly move forward.

From 2v2 to Free-for-All

At first, we were hesitant to change this core part of the game experience, but after much discussion and debate, we decided to pivot in this new direction. A FFA game encouraged more chaos between players and opens rooms for interesting temporary alliances. We adjusted a few mechanics to fit this gameplay style, such as changing the whip functionality to boost other player or adjusting the hoops mechanic to a new type of reward. Some prototyping will be needed to see how the game balances out.

Level Design 🏢

The skating park felt a bit small for our rodent gangs so we expanded it to a busy street inspired by major crossways like the Shibuya Crossing. In the beginning, players spawn within each road and race towards the crown in the middle. From there, whoever has the crown can collect jewels that appear randomly throughout the map.

Week 4 Progress (6/4 - 6/11)
✔️New Free-For-All Approach
✔️️Camera and Movement Adjustments
✔️️Completed First Playable Level