Week 9: What Would You Risk for 300 Points?

Welcome back! This week, we reworked how the crown system functions to create more tension, movement, and player interaction. Based on feedback from Hilltop Studio and in preparation for our upcoming Ubisoft playtest, we focused on one key question: How do we make holding the crown feel earned and worth fighting for?

The Weight of the Crown👑

During playtests, we noticed a consistent issue: once a player grabbed the crown, it became too difficult for others to steal it. This led to long stretches where one player passively racked up points without much interaction, which reduced overall player engagement and excitement.

To address this, we introduced a 15 second crown hold timer. As long as the player holds the crown without losing it, the progress bar fills up. When it reaches 15 seconds, the player receives a 300-point bonus. After a 5 second cooldown, the crown will respawn at one of several pedestals strategically placed far from both the current leader and the previous crown holder.

This design encourages constant movement and active competition by preventing players from simply camping with the crown. It motivates players to collect gems and strategically contest the crown’s new spawn points, fostering more dynamic, high-energy chases. To further balance the mechanic, the crown holder's skating speed is halved. This intentional slowdown makes it easier for opponents to close in and attempt a steal, ensuring frequent player interactions and keeping the gameplay fresh and intense. If you successfully attack another player, you earn 50 points for the hit and an additional 20 points if you steal the crown.

Stay in the Chase🏴

To keep everyone engaged and informed, we added on-screen banners that announce when the crown is grabbed and by who. Players can now also see outlines of opponents through buildings, making it easier to track and strategize during hectic moments. Similar announcements were added for other key game events to maintain clarity without overwhelming the UI. These features ensure players are always in the loop, even in the heat of the action.

New Power-ups 🧲

This week we introduced two new power-ups for more gameplay variety:

• Oil Slick: Players can drop this to leave a slippery hazard behind. Any player skating over it slows down and it disappears after 5 seconds, perfect for disrupting chases or protecting your lead.
• Gem Magnet: For 5 seconds, this power-up pulls gems within a 6-unit radius toward the player, helping those behind catch up or boost their score quickly

Map + Movement Upgrades 🗺️

To accommodate the faster speeds from last week, we expanded the upper level of the map to give players more room to move and plan. This makes vertical routes more viable for escapes and build-up.

We also tuned the movement and camera to feel tighter and more comfortable:

• Increased the turning radius for smoother skating
• Boosted ramp speed to maintain flow and momentum over vertical sections
• Lowered camera sensitivity to reduce motion sickness

Time's Up! ⏰

When only 20 seconds remain, a banner appears to alert players that the match is nearing its end. If you're holding the crown when time runs out, you still earn the full 300-point bonus, rewarding last-minute comebacks and clutch plays. To give the ending more polish and payoff, we replaced the abrupt match cutoff with a smooth "Time's Up" transition. This leads into a new results screen that highlights detailed stats like crown hold duration, gems collected, power-ups used, and even number of jumps. These insights not only reinforce player accomplishments but also encourages players to  jump back in for a rematch.

Week 9 Progress (7/9 - 7/16)
✔️Temporary Crown
✔️️2 New Power-ups
✔️️Gameplay Stats