Created by

Mads CaspersenHans Petter Ellingsen

Kristian JespersenChristoffer Holmgård Pedersen

Jasper TheisenKenni Skafte Mortensen

What is Bongo Hero?

Fusion of two game genres!Rhythm

Time pressure puzzles

Rhythm puzzle game for consoles

Who plays Bongo Hero?

Parties

The casual gamer

Rhythm game fans

So what’s new?

The combination of puzzles and rhythms

Requires…Rhythm

Precision

Overview

Planning

The story so far…

Dr. Bongo is a high-energy physicist dedicated to bring back the groove to the world mon’

Using his scientific skills and his superintelligent monkeys he travels through time and intervenes at points of especially low groovyness

So let’s play already!

Demo:The level you’ll see takes place in the 80’s where Dr. Bongo has arrived to save the cocaine sniffing yuppies from the terrible fate of superficial elektropop

Dr. Bongo makes the yuppies dance to a new tune by drumming his bongos; the rhythms ultimately destroying the evil Wall Street Tower of Power

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Characteristics

RhythmsRepetitive…

…but that’s good in rhythm games

… and you choose which rhythm to play on the fly

Perfectionistic gameplay

Stressing

Time pressure

Immersion

PuzzlesOverview

Strategy

Easy to generate new levels – easy to hard

Outmersion

Core game mechanics

Correct rhythms yield points

Balancing points with time

Staying within acceptable intervals

Monitoring values under pressure

Movement between levels

Fun Factors

Frenzied gameplay under time pressure

Implicit yet complex puzzle solving

Rapid increase in skill while playing

Special controllers

Comic, cartoonish style

Development proces

Iterative development proces

Driven by playtestingInformal internal testing

Formalized playtests

Early stages of development

Focus on development of rhythm features

Interimistic GUI

Informal testing of rhythms and various keyboard mapping

Results:Mappings changed to KB areas rather than specific buttons

Rhythms adapted regularly

First version of graphics

First realization of actual in-game styleFirst implementation and choice of colour-coding of different KB zonesStill informal in-team testingResults:

KB zoning much better than single button mapping

Another crash…

Introduction of avatar

Coloured dots moved to bottom of screenFeedback on rhythm integratedAnimated avatar introducedInformal testing with non-team playersResults:

Feedback essentialNeed for ’current dot’ indicator

Puzzle implementation

’Current dot’ indicator added

Feedback meters added

Indicate different levels current values

Time indicator and formalized PT

Timer added for representing loosing condition (time up)

Meters in action – actual values removed

First formalized playtest (next slide)

First formalized PT - methods

Observation

Semistructured interviews

Questionnaires

First formalized PT - results

Concept solidYellow meter means optimal value is non-transparentDifficulties of levels very differentLimited visual bandwith; focus on bottom barMore visual and especially auditive feedback needed

More visual feedback…

NPC’s ad to narrative and vastly enhance game world

Dancing indicates level value and meter value

Redundant information highlights important values

Dr. Bongo indicates active level

Audio Feedback

Meter increase

Yellow zone

Red zone

Below green

Special controllers added

Gamecube DK bongo-controllers

Add immersion by mirroring virtual world in real world

Easier control

Playtest with bongo controllers

Significantly reduces control difficulty

Added immersion

… but still less than optimal mode of interaction – players want more bongo-feel

Future playtest interests

Tweaking of level values

Rhythm difficulties

Adding more feedback

Rewards and penalties

Visual and auditive style

Lose and win conditions

Level editor• Create your own beats

• Create the layout your self

• Choose between backgrounds

• Choose node graphics

• Exchange levels online

Multiplayer Mode

• Battle on the same level

• Affect the same meter

• First to reach his predefined state wins

Lessons learned from development proces

Rhythm game prototypes needs a high level of development before formalized playtesting is valuable

Rhytm/puzzle game balancing requires careful playtesting

Test/re-test effect is immense with rhythm games => you need many test subjects