Boss: Feels great
Quick check
Hyper Shards' core loop is dodge, blast, collect, upgrade. Which new idea belongs in the MVP?
- A new alien type that fires bullets you must dodge
- A player chat room
- A story mode with 40 cutscenes
Show the answer
A new alien type that fires bullets you must dodge
A new alien makes the dodge and blast steps more interesting, so it improves the core loop. The other two are big features that do not touch the loop, so they go on the maybe-later list.
Licence check
Free plan: images may be used for personal, non-commercial projects only. Paid plans include commercial use.
Remy made great alien sprites on this free plan. Hyper Shards will be sold. What should the studio do?
- Use a plan or tool whose terms allow selling, and make the sprites under those terms
- Use the free sprites anyway, because nobody will notice
- Use them, and credit the tool in the game's menu
Show the answer
Use a plan or tool whose terms allow selling, and make the sprites under those terms
Selling a game is commercial use, which this free plan does not allow. A credit line does not change the terms. Whichever tool we use, we read its latest terms before AI art goes into a paid game.
Quick check
A tester says the big screen shake and flashing make them feel sick. The best fix is to remove all juice from Hyper Shards.
- True
- False
Show the answer
False
Juice is the extra feedback that makes hits feel great. Keep it, but add settings to reduce screen shake and flashing, so players who need it can turn it down and everyone else keeps the effects.
Player message
Love the music, but I never hear the beetle warning until Sprig is already getting hurt.
What should the team change first?
- Mix the music quieter than the effects, and add a warning you can see too
- Turn the music up so the game feels more exciting
- Remove the warning sound completely
Show the answer
Mix the music quieter than the effects, and add a warning you can see too
Music should sit underneath the effects so warnings cut through. A visual warning as well helps players who play with the sound off.
Tune it
1{2 "dashCooldown": 0.5,3 "dashBufferFrames": 0,4 "shipHitboxScale": 0.8,5 "sparksPerBoom": 406}
Hyper Shards players keep saying "I pressed dash and nothing happened!" when they press just before the dash recharges. Which single change helps most?
- Set dashBufferFrames to 6
- Set shipHitboxScale to 1.5
- Set sparksPerBoom to 400
Show the answer
Set dashBufferFrames to 6
An input buffer remembers early presses. At 0 frames, early presses are thrown away. With 6 frames, the game remembers the press and dashes the moment it is ready. Change that one number, then playtest.
Bug hunt
1function update(dt) { // dt: seconds since last frame2 ship.x += 5;3}
The ship flies twice as fast on a 120 Hz phone as on a 60 Hz laptop. Which line 2 makes it the same speed everywhere?
- ship.x += 300 * dt;
- ship.x += 10;
- ship.x += 5 / dt;
Show the answer
ship.x += 300 * dt;
5 pixels per frame depends on how many frames you get. 300 * dt means 300 pixels per second on any screen. At 60 FPS, dt is about 0.0167, so each frame still moves 5 pixels.
Quick check
In a playtest, a tester stares at Garden Defense wave 1 and never plants. What should the team do?
- Stay quiet and take notes, then make wave 1 show how to plant with a glowing spot and a pointing hand
- Explain it out loud, then add a page of instructions before the game starts
- Decide the tester is playing wrong and change nothing
Show the answer
Stay quiet and take notes, then make wave 1 show how to plant with a glowing spot and a pointing hand
During a test, watch quietly: getting stuck shows what to fix. The fix is to teach by doing, not with a wall of text that players skip.
Player message
When I keep firing, the game freezes for a split second about every 20 seconds, then carries on.
Which fix fits this report best?
- Object pooling: reuse bullets instead of making new ones
- Add more screen shake to each shot
- Make the ship's hitbox smaller
Show the answer
Object pooling: reuse bullets instead of making new ones
Making and throwing away bullets piles up junk, and the regular cleanup, called garbage collection, causes short freezes. Pooled bullets are reused, so there is far less to clean up.