Hello everyone! Hunter Bridges here. I’m one of the co-founders of Evening Star and both Game Director and Technical Director for Penny’s big breakaway.
Penny’s big breakaway is our team’s first 3D game coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, and we built it using our in-house 3D engine Star Engine. Building a 3D game engine from scratch is hard work, but that’s not a problem for us. Evening Star’s philosophy is that our creativity is uniquely stimulated by forging our own paths with technology.
Today I want to dive into our design motivations, how they impact the camera system and control scheme, and the performance we’ve been able to unlock with the Xbox Series X|S.
Thro’ Yo’ Yo-Yo!
When we first started Evening Star, we really wanted to make a full 3D game. We wanted to create a game concept with our own characters and our own world, all powered by our proprietary Star Engine!
While we invested time in our engine, we started developing concepts for 3D games. One person’s idea one day would inspire another person’s idea the next day. Our team came up with an idea to use a yo-yo, which quickly caught on.
Using this concept, our game designer Esteban Fajardo created a series of sketches representing different “verbs” that our character could perform.
We felt like we were on the trail. Even in this basic form, the figure and the yo-yo were dynamic and exciting! Some of these actions even made it into the final game: Throwing, Sleeping, Driving, and Swinging were all present from this early stage.
The team also wanted to create a diverse cast of characters, and we wanted them to live in a fantastical environment. Combined with the yo-yo mechanics, this resulted in fluid action in a unique world.
Give the whole thing the right “spin”.
Once we decided on our core concept, we tackled it from all angles. We asked ourselves: What do we like about our favorite 3D platformers? What elements do we have to contend with? What new things could we bring with us?
Our team uncovered a common point of contention: the camera. In most 3D platform games, the player is often responsible for controlling the camera. We are adding new mechanics based on yo-yo movements. We wanted the player to focus on controlling this rather than constantly paying attention to the position and direction of the camera.
We chose a “fixed” camera that is not controlled by the player. The player never has to think about the camera, but it always shows him what he needs to see and where he needs to go. This decision had a huge impact on our gameplay and level design.
Push when you jump
In addition to the camera, we examined control schemes for movement and yo-yo actions. It was also at this time that the character designs began to take shape. We created Penny and turned her regular yo-yo into her trusty companion… aptly named Yo-Yo!
A key design pillar was “expression.” We wanted to give the player the greatest opportunity to move Penny and control Yo-Yo’s abilities and reward his skill. The ideal is that everyone can create their own “style” from Penny’s strong core moveset.
Quick access to Penny’s yo-yo movements in all directions was essential for expressive movements. Assigning the right thumbstick was the clear answer.
Because the right stick has become so crucial, we also wanted the player to be able to play without ever having to take their thumb off it. This lent itself to a “bumper-jumper” control scheme, where the jumping action is mapped to the left or right bumper.
We tried a control scheme with just analog sticks and bumpers. We immediately noticed that the empty face buttons felt unnatural. We also felt that players might not adopt an unconventional control scheme. We met in the middle and assigned the face buttons in a more traditional way – A button for jumping, X button for throwing, and B button for riding.
The result is a control scheme that will feel familiar to newbies, but at the same time offers a level of motion control and flexibility that we think is unique!
Penny takes the stage on Xbox
When it comes to cameras and controls, responsiveness is key. It’s crucial that the player’s movements feel fast and satisfying.
Xbox Series X|S can blast 120 frames per second! But that means our game has to run fast enough to keep up.
Thanks to the power of this Xbox Series X|S, Penny’s big breakaway can run at full resolution 120 Hz! On the Series X we support 4K (3840×2160) and on the Series S we support 1440p (2560×1440). In addition, by using the new GameInput API, the receipt of input from the gamepad is closely synchronized with the high frame rate, minimizing the player’s input lag.
Take a bow, Penny!
When you take a new 3D platformer, give it an expressive control scheme, and run it at a buttery smooth 120Hz, the result is a thrilling action gaming experience like no other!
But don’t just believe me, you have to try Penny’s big breakaway for yourself. Penny and Yo-Yo make their debut on Xbox earlier this year!
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