What does it mean to re-make a classic 80's game for modern times? Well, many things... Not just what platforms it needs to be on or how to revamp the art style, but also how to pinpoint what parts of the classic game are most iconic, and what new elements can be introduced to expand the classic experience. Exploring challenges and thought process behind Atari: Recharged series.
4. In this presentation
▶ Challenge 1 We didn’t know anything
▶ Challenge 2 SDK problem and running out of time
▶ Challenge 3 Dollar signs
▶ Challenge 4 Starting a NEW game
6. Getting our feet wet. We didn’t know anything.
▶ We had no prior experience
with these classic games
▶ We knew we had to break this
challenge into smaller
challenges or pillars
7. Getting our feet wet. We didn’t know anything.
First pillar
Artwork
8. Getting our feet wet. We didn’t know anything.
▶ Reusable code base for 4 games
▶ Had to work on all our supported
platforms
▶ Pull requests and code reviews
Second pillar
Development
9. Getting our feet wet. We didn’t know anything.
● Creating a sense of progression
in an arcade game
● Challenges with individual
leaderboards with a focus on
speedrunning
● Achievements with a nod to rock
stars
Third pillar
Game Design
17. Starting a NEW game
▶ We had to estimate a new game
▶ What the players were expecting of the
next Recharged title to be?
▶ Our challenge was clear - come up with
something new
18. First Pillar - Artwork
▶ What we like about the original
▶ The concept art that started it all
▶ Planetside levels - its own look for
beauty and for communication
26. Summary
▶ We didn’t know what we were doing at first
○ Breaking down a challenge into smaller chunks helps
▶ SDK issue that was out of our control
○ Keep an open and honest line of communication
▶ An iconic feature that doesn’t fit not necessarily needs to be cut
○ Think outside the box how you could use it to your advantage
▶ How doing the same thing for too long starts getting stale
○ Getting inspired by the original to try something new