HyperStars
ROLES: Combat Designer & Character Designer
PLATFORM: PC | Engine: Unity | Team Size: 8
GENRE: Fighting, Action, Arcade
HyperStars is a 2D fighting game with a unique tug of war health mechanic and 3 button attack layout. With a focus on mobility and positioning, players are thrust into intense and hype 1v1 battles with unique characters set in a sci-fi world inspired by Y2K character designs.
RESPONSIBILITIES
On HyperStars, I was the team’s combat designer and character artist. My responsibilities included:
Combat Design
Led the game’s prototyping phase, figuring out ways to create finite state machine systems and movement controls based on our needs.
Led in designing the game’s core combat system and the ability design of the game’s two starting characters.
Working alongside our team’s programmers to build our state machine and attack data system.
Writing documentation for our shared healthbar mechanic and core combat mechanics.
Tuning and designing attack hitboxes and knockback arcs.
Collaborating closely with SFX and VFX artists to create satisfying and clear audio-visual feedback.
Character Artist
Animated the attacks for both Lisa & BLUK.
Sketched character design concepts and attack keyframes for early combat prototyping.
Collaborated with the team’s narrative designer in fleshing out character background to help inform attack animation and visual design decisions.
COMBAT DESIGN PROCESS
We anchored our combat pillars on stylish player expression and easy to learn combat mechanics. This posed challenges when it comes to balancing and designing each of our character’s moveset. Especially when it came to designing expressive combos while only having 3 attack inputs and 1 special attack button.
To tackle these design constraints, I approached designing combo routes and attack keyframes through 2 major steps, each with its questions and tasks to fulfill.
NAILING DOWN THE ARCHETYPE
This step involves a lot of sketching moves prior to prototyping them and playing existing fighting games like Guilty Gear: Strive, Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike and Skullgirls to help me find ways combos can be expressed with regards to character archetype.
I ask myself:
What attacks can the player perform with respect to the character archetype?
How has this character archetype been explored in past fighting games?
What type of player will enjoy playing this character?
PROTOTYPE & PLAYTEST
Implement animations and create hitbox shapes in engine.
Tune attack frame data, hitbox shapes and knockback arcs.
Discuss and playtest moves and combos with players.
Iterate based on feedback and with respect to the character’s design direction.
Lisa performing a dragon punch to an air combo.
Early sketches exploring potential attack animations.
BLUK’s kit revolves around spawning pillars to create combo opportunity
Tuning attack data in engine. (Right: Damage and knockback data, Bottom Left: Animation Frames, Bottom Right: Attack Data List)
STATE MACHINE & TOOLS
As the team’s combat designer, I collaborated closely with our programmers to help build our state machine and attack data system. This tool would allow us to edit attack parameters for prototyping and balancing while in game.
Throughout production, this system allowed us to iterate quickly and test new combos that we want to make!
Our attack information system includes:
Knockback and pushback vectors.
Hitstun, damage and hit stop duration.
Wall Bounce & Ground Bounce trigger.
Assigning attack animation cancels.
VFX screenshake variables and hit SFX type assignment.
Hitbox organization and assignment.
CHARACTER DESIGN
HyperStars aims to have exciting and unique characters that attract various playstyles and personalities.
When concepting characters we as a team always ask ourselves:
“what type of player will enjoy learning and playing this character?”
Currently, HyperStars is scoped for 4 unique characters by Summer next year, with each having their unique personalities and special abilities.
