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Early Access Launch trailer

Project Details

Position:                          Economy and Content Design
Time frame:                   September 2022 - July 2023
Development Time:    Ongoing
Team size:                       ± 30
Short brief:                      "An ARPG with a unique skill modification system''
Website:                          Link
Software:                        Unreal Engine 5 with in-house extensions
                                            Dungeon Builder extension

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Description

Superfuse is an Action RPG with a unique thematic in comic book superheroes. The main unique selling point is the Fuse system, where players can loot items to modify base skills for unique effects, such as homing projectiles, arcing fireballs, elemental damage changes and much more.

My tasks on this title while working at Stitch Heads Entertainment include:
- Economic System design, implementation and balancing
- Loot System chance balancing and implementation
- System design (crafting, fuse progression)
- Ability and talent tree balancing & implementation
- Unique item design and implementation

Some gameplay with heavily modified Meteor and Comet skills

Responsibilities

- Economic System design, implementation and balancing
Finding ways for players to spend looted credits. This included respeccing sinks, balancing vendor costs and proposing endgame Solar Map costs as a credit sink

- Loot System chance balancing and implementation
Balancing and tweaking the loot system so that it feels gradually rewarding and like an ongoing hunt to find worthwhile items. Inspired mostly by Diablo II, this involved many chance calculations, item and stat distributions, and testing using a custom made Monte Carlo tool.

- System design (crafting, fuse progression)
Early in development, I was tasked with fleshing out a possible crafting system involving re-rolling item stats.
Additionally, after various tests it was found we needed a clearer, more systematic approach to power increase for skills in the fuse system. This is how we eventually landed on the balancing tools of level gated skill levels and fuse capacity cost.

- Ability and talent tree balancing & implementation
Adding various stat progression talents. The conditional talents were found to be more interesting (stacking, triggering above/below HP threshold, active only if enemy has a de-buff, etc) so we banked mostly on those. I have done various passes on the ability damage and energy cost progression.

- Unique item design and implementation
Making unique items based on superhero tropes, giving stats within the game's systems to fulfil the fantasy and make them worthwhile items to farm.

Fuses and talent tree customization.

An example of various items, including a unique helmet with a set (instead of randomized) statlist to be rolled within.

Takeaways

- The importance of setting clear guidelines and formats for QA to test balancing and generate useable date
- Using a Monte Carlo tool to generate many chance related results and balance according to a goal
- Implementation of ARPG abilities, talents and items
- Creating interesting economic options using taps, sinks and converters in a new ARPG IP

An early review by IGN.