Dev Blog #10 – Onion Roster Design
[h2]Crying Powers![/h2]
When cut, onions release a chemical called lachymatory factor, which contains sulphur! If you’re like me, this makes me cry my eyes out to a gross extent – even after years of chopping. This was our first design touchstone when it came to designing the GladiEATers roster – crying.
[h2]Root Motiff[/h2]
We think the best roster designs are formed around a central image. For onions, we reinterpreted the Eye of Horus into a simplified crying eye. Blue is a colour that seemed to be associated with the eye in culture and jewllery, which made the blue tear association feel very natural.
[h2]Eyes on eyes (on eyes)[/h2]
Our Raw Onion GladiEATer starts the roster with the motiff strong. Being a bulb with eyes crying all around. It also sets the stage with the most simple cry inducing ability:
[h2]...What crying used to do[/h2]
Originally, crying made all your abilities target enemies and allies randomly. This was a natural first iteration of the mechanic, but after a few months of testing, we realised this wasn’t the sort of "wow that’s fun" randomness. Instead ,it was the type of randomness that either:
[h2]What crying does[/h2]
Instead, we saw crying as an opportunity to partly fix another problem. We were worried that some players would decide on 1 ability of the 3 a GladiEATer has to be the best and continue casting that on repeat - without getting to have a strategic decision every turn.
To prevent this, we changed the crying debuff to stop the player from casting the same ability twice. Now the player has the interesting situation where they are forced to change up their strategy, picking the best of now two of their abilities.
This felt like a step in the right direction. However, with so many tear inducing abilities and a relatively minor effect that does not stack - what gave players a reason to make a GladiEATer cry twice? Blocking more abilities felt too limiting for the enemy. So, what about an explosion. Everyone loves explosions.
Now, when a crying GladiEATer is made to cry again – the tear explodes - dealing significant damage.
Thematically, this could be interpreted as the GladiEATer having a tantrum, or getting so sad that they take damage. Poor things ☹
GladiEATers crying is represented by a tear drop under the GladiEATer’s eye, which we’ve set on every single sprite (even those with no eyes!). Additionally, the 2nd time a GladiEATer is made to cry, the tear explodes as the damage activates and the crying stops.
[h2]More Onions![/h2]
Diane’s onion creations involve chopped Raw Onion Slices. These hover around melancholically, with occasional woeful outbursts:
The Grilled Onion Slice has honed its tear powers, developing… arms! This groundbreaking adaptation allows it to hone its tears into targeted balls of sad power.
Regretful Vanquish has the Grilled Onion rubbing its eyes to form a massive scounrful tear. It is great for taking down high health enemies. Spreading Sulphide also synergises powerfully with abilities that target multiple enemies, such as Raw Onion Slice’s Projection or even Tomato Spit which Diane’s Tomato Slices have access too!
[h2]Too Sad, Too Furious[/h2]
Fried Onion Rings. They’re onions, they cry, and they’re fast. The Fried Onion Ring shaped like a literal tire and greased up by never ending tears, this sad speed demon only knows get fast or cry trying:
[h2]Diane's Design Link[/h2]
We linked Diane’s design to the onion’s by putting our augmented Eyes of Horus on her as a sleeve of tattoos. Diane’s ability of pushing her already low health (and therefore sad) GladiEATers made thematic sense with her crying creatures being sad to work for her. Finally, Diane makes other chefs cry due to her meanness, much like her onions.
[h2]Oni-off [/h2]
Saying goodbye always makes me sad ;( Thank you for reading a bit more about our crying onion buddies. There’s even more GladiEATers to talk about, perhaps even onion based GladiEATers yet to be announced??
Consider joining our Discord or leaving a comment – that would bring a tear to my eye.
When cut, onions release a chemical called lachymatory factor, which contains sulphur! If you’re like me, this makes me cry my eyes out to a gross extent – even after years of chopping. This was our first design touchstone when it came to designing the GladiEATers roster – crying.
[h2]Root Motiff[/h2]
We think the best roster designs are formed around a central image. For onions, we reinterpreted the Eye of Horus into a simplified crying eye. Blue is a colour that seemed to be associated with the eye in culture and jewllery, which made the blue tear association feel very natural.
[h2]Eyes on eyes (on eyes)[/h2]
Our Raw Onion GladiEATer starts the roster with the motiff strong. Being a bulb with eyes crying all around. It also sets the stage with the most simple cry inducing ability:
- Tear Up: - Enemy Cries. Being a weak, low time to cook, Raw creature, two of Raw Onion’s abilities are sacrificial/ make Raw Onion into more of a consumable, like the Raw Egg.
- Peel Feel: - Makes an ally’s next attack inflict crying. - But destroys the Onion in the process.
- Stembutt: - Deals a small amount of damage. - Takes a small amount of damage.
[h2]...What crying used to do[/h2]
Originally, crying made all your abilities target enemies and allies randomly. This was a natural first iteration of the mechanic, but after a few months of testing, we realised this wasn’t the sort of "wow that’s fun" randomness. Instead ,it was the type of randomness that either:
- Feels mediocre if a crying enemy hits another, less optimal, target on your team.
OR - Feels bad if it hits an equally optimal target on your team (you’d ask, what was the point of me making them cry). OR EVEN WORSE
- Feels terrible if your enemy casts an area of effect ability that targets your entire team - making your random targeting debuff completely irrelevant.
[h2]What crying does[/h2]
Instead, we saw crying as an opportunity to partly fix another problem. We were worried that some players would decide on 1 ability of the 3 a GladiEATer has to be the best and continue casting that on repeat - without getting to have a strategic decision every turn.
To prevent this, we changed the crying debuff to stop the player from casting the same ability twice. Now the player has the interesting situation where they are forced to change up their strategy, picking the best of now two of their abilities.
This felt like a step in the right direction. However, with so many tear inducing abilities and a relatively minor effect that does not stack - what gave players a reason to make a GladiEATer cry twice? Blocking more abilities felt too limiting for the enemy. So, what about an explosion. Everyone loves explosions.
Now, when a crying GladiEATer is made to cry again – the tear explodes - dealing significant damage.
Thematically, this could be interpreted as the GladiEATer having a tantrum, or getting so sad that they take damage. Poor things ☹
GladiEATers crying is represented by a tear drop under the GladiEATer’s eye, which we’ve set on every single sprite (even those with no eyes!). Additionally, the 2nd time a GladiEATer is made to cry, the tear explodes as the damage activates and the crying stops.[h2]More Onions![/h2]
Diane’s onion creations involve chopped Raw Onion Slices. These hover around melancholically, with occasional woeful outbursts:
- Projection: -Deal damage randomly, 3 times! [Nothing like taking your sadness out on someone random]
- Teary Gaze: -Enemy Cries.
- Peeling Bad: -Lose 25% Max Health. –Gain 25% Power. [Keeping in-line with the peeling punnage]
The Grilled Onion Slice has honed its tear powers, developing… arms! This groundbreaking adaptation allows it to hone its tears into targeted balls of sad power.
- Teary Touch: -Deal Damage and make an enemy cry [Not a tear Hadouken]
- Spreading Sulphide: -Ally’s next attack makes targets cry .
- Regretful Vanquish: -Charge Up. -Deal Damage equal to ½ of target’s missing health.
Regretful Vanquish has the Grilled Onion rubbing its eyes to form a massive scounrful tear. It is great for taking down high health enemies. Spreading Sulphide also synergises powerfully with abilities that target multiple enemies, such as Raw Onion Slice’s Projection or even Tomato Spit which Diane’s Tomato Slices have access too!
[h2]Too Sad, Too Furious[/h2]
Fried Onion Rings. They’re onions, they cry, and they’re fast. The Fried Onion Ring shaped like a literal tire and greased up by never ending tears, this sad speed demon only knows get fast or cry trying:
- Greasy Steer: -Deal damage and get faster.
- Battery Burnout: -Lose life and get faster.
- Tear Streaks: –Draw a tear line, [similar to how tire marks burn rubber on the ground] - Enemies that attack allies with this line begin to cry.
[h2]Diane's Design Link[/h2]
We linked Diane’s design to the onion’s by putting our augmented Eyes of Horus on her as a sleeve of tattoos. Diane’s ability of pushing her already low health (and therefore sad) GladiEATers made thematic sense with her crying creatures being sad to work for her. Finally, Diane makes other chefs cry due to her meanness, much like her onions.
[h2]Oni-off [/h2]
Saying goodbye always makes me sad ;( Thank you for reading a bit more about our crying onion buddies. There’s even more GladiEATers to talk about, perhaps even onion based GladiEATers yet to be announced??
Consider joining our Discord or leaving a comment – that would bring a tear to my eye.