

Then we have another kind of item, our “rings”, which are probably natural for a Dark Souls player to quickly grasp. You can equip a limited number of these, and they give various small boosts to the base character controller. These are generally acquired through exploring the side story, and meant as rewards for players who delve the deepest into the lives and troubles of the NPCs. Our last style of item is made up of collectibles which can be combined for potion or buff items, or be traded barter-style with NPCs this last mechanic serves as a jump-off point for breaking the ice with several of the NPC storylines. “Feature creep”, or the tendency to constantly be “+1’ing” new content into the development is something we really have to wary of. There is this constant drive to add all of these new features to pad out the fullness of the experience, but as a small team with limited time resources, it is a real enemy past a certain point.

Well-meaning fans often request new features to be added in, and it is easy for us to get swept away in their positive energy, too.
#HAZELNUT BASTILLE DEMO DOWNLOAD SERIES#
It is a tough line to walk, wanting the experience to be as rich as possible, but also manageable in scale to realize.ĮM: From a challenge and experience standpoint, what makes for the best, most satisfying boss battles? Conversely, what kinds of boss battles do you find repellent?ĭV: With level design in general, it is good to look at it as a series of lessons, quizzes, and tests players don’t realize they are taking. #Hazelnut bastille demo discussion series You introduce a new concept in a safe environment where the players can focus on it, and are forced to integrate it into their minds in order to advance. Later on, after an interlude, you remind them of it. A bit later still, you see if they remember it, even under stress.Ī good boss battle fits into this paradigm. Everything the player needs to know to defeat the boss, they picked up elsewhere in the level or quest, but now they need to do that same stuff with skill and ease.

This is the base minimum of what you need.
