Overview

Dual Cast was developed as a proposal for a final-year project. Although it was not selected for development, it remains an interesting exploration of unconventional controls. The concept is an arena fighter in which players can perform multiple actions simultaneously, creating a fast-paced and expressive gameplay experience.

Role and Team

I developed the concept independently and received valuable feedback from my colleagues and professors at Brassart. A presentation document, a one page document and graphics were produced.

Goals

The project aimed to encourage creativity and dexterity through an unconventional control scheme. It was primarily intended for players who do not usually play fighting games, while still providing enough depth for experienced players of the genre. Because the final-year project lasted 1.5 years and required 3D assets, I focused on keeping the concept as concise and achievable as possible.

Design

The core mechanic of Dual Cast allows players to use both joysticks to control their character’s offense and defense simultaneously by tracing patterns. These patterns can also be combined to create stronger attacks.

Process

For this concept, I compiled and organized ideas in Obsidian and studied references from a wide range of fighting game genres. I also researched unconventional control schemes in other genres. After each presentation, I used iteration and feedback to refine the concept, ensuring that each version was more focused on its core idea and central promise.

Key Decisions

After several presentations, I significantly reduced the number of mechanics and patterns I had initially imagined. The combination of unconventional controls and a large number of mechanics risked overwhelming players who were unfamiliar with fighting games. Focusing on the core idea ultimately made the concept clearer and more approachable.

Challenges

The main challenge was scoping Dual Cast to fit the workload expected of a final-year project. Many ideas emerged during the concept phase, but several were too ambitious for the available time and resources. Through research and iteration, I refined the concept into a more realistic and focused project.

Result

After the selection process at Brassart, the project was not selected because its core mechanics were already too defined for the scope of the final-year project. It also needed a stronger hook to differentiate it from other fighting games in the genre.

Reflection

Although the project was not entirely successful, it taught me how to develop concepts around their scope and requirements. I also learned that I had not communicated its promise and mechanics clearly enough. I would be interested in revisiting the concept in the future and addressing the issues revealed during its development.