What streams are connected? Nidhogga multiplayer dueling game that thrives on bloody mayhem and TheSerene and the amazingly picturesque pedal-powered racer, Wheel world?
Well, both are developed by us at Indie Studio Messhof and, as explained by company co-founder and creative director Mark Esen, both are video games that he wanted to play but couldn't find anywhere else.
During a chat with the game developer earlier this year, Essen explained how the studio developed its supernatural stay (ancient bicycle souls are very real in this picturesque reality), and the problems that arose with the 2D Nidhogg arena exchange Wheel worldField
Open world development is a bumpy road
Essen explains that Messhoff was growing Wheel world Production has been slow over the years, and the title employed about ten people at its peak, although he notes that other employees came and went as needed. He says the turn from 2D to 3D wasn't exactly a “walk in the park”, and took longer than expected, not least because the team couldn't effectively assess how the macroplay elements were shaping up until they had shown off much of the game's space.
“We wanted this to truly be an open world that players could explore in any direction they wanted. This is a technically challenging genre where you won't get a feel for the macroplay until you've built quite a few things. We had a variety of strategies for editing things in rough broad strokes or editing localized areas at the same time,” says Esen.
“Triggering the average speed of a bike was something we tried to attack early on because it affected the distances between everything in the game, which also factored into the pacing. We used some tricks like spawning a bike feel faster using FOV (field of view) and camera angles. The KPH caliber has a multiplier, so it was still in the realm of how fast a real motorcycle can go.”
Essen says Meeshof spent an enormous amount of time altering the landscape to ensure that targets and teams appeared at the correct intervals. However, with so many moving parts, making even small changes became increasingly expensive. Spend too much time contributing to the Open World project and you can begin to unravel the very fabric of your game.
Discussing how Meschof sought to carefully guide players through their island kingdom, which can largely be explored at will (although it can present some challenges that players are not equipped for), Essen explains the core narrative, which requires players to experience bosses taking bikes to collect sacred bike parts—providing some semblance of structure without feeling on on the rails
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-wuwfgurqy
Additional bike parts can also be found throughout the landscape, forcing players to keep moving around in search of shiny new components that can be used to trick out their treasured two-wheeler for specific events.
“We've encouraged players to explore quickly, but Story Behats Beats Naturally directs you to easier farmland races first – where you might also face the first boss. Velo City is the toughest area, with tight turns, aggressive AI and heavy traffic, so we've locked it down with “bike snobs” who won't let you in until you've upgraded all five parts of the bikes.”
“We also left room for player strategy. For example, track BMX may be easier with a high-riding bike for sharp turns and quick acceleration, but you can also opt for a drift build that gives a boost on the slides or use a Cucaracha frame to jump the bumps. We made sure that the tracks vary in elevations, turns, turns, environments, and perform in construction.
Mescoff's ultimate goal was to create a unique and diverse open world that actually rewards exploration. “We wanted a big open world with cities, countryside and lots to explore. The style had to be achievable by a small art team and feel like a cohesive, believable place – not something that was thrown together from stock,” he adds.
“The game world is an alternate universe where life and death revolve around bicycles. Visual inspiration included old Tour de France posters and early 20th century posters, hand-drawn outlines and bold shapes. We also looked at comics, including Moibius, John Singer Sargent, David Hockney and pop art and, of course, and of course, like other games. Jet Set Radio. ”
It was a lofty goal considering the studio's art team fluctuated between two and three throughout production, but I think it's reasonable to say that Meeshof delivered on that promise. There's a lot of fun to be had on a haunted bike ride through breakneck races, but during my stay I didn't find anything beatable to just taking part in the attractions. Wheel World's Topaz pollutes the sky.