Presidential Bulletin #4
[h2]Intro[/h2]
Greetings, Runners!
The Open Beta is coming up, and the team is in their final push! Soon, we’ll tell you about the specific schedules - hang on there, Runner!
In this issue of the Presidential Bulletin, we’re telling a story about how Brazen Blaze came to be. Like all great ideas, it started with a few notes on a piece of paper - and so we want you to know how Brazen Blaze evolved to its current, FXXKING awesome state!
If you’re curious about the Brazen beginnings, or if you’re simply interested in how we built the game from the ground up, you’re in the right place.
[h2]Origin of Brazen Blaze[/h2]
Brazen Blaze began with a user-participation project called PROJECT: GATHERING.
In developing a new VR multiplayer game, we held planning meetings throughout MyDearest. From over 50 proposals, we narrowed it down to the final three. Among these, we let our users choose the game we would develop as the final decision-maker. Below are the three-game proposals that made the final cut.
[h3]CODE: BELL[/h3]
A VR 4vs1 survival game. A life-or-death scream-filled survival with friends.
[h3]CODE: CAMP[/h3]
A VR cooperative camping fantasy. A marshmallow party with friends, warmed by a dragon's breath.
[h3]CODE: GAUNTLET[/h3]
A VR 3vs3 team strategy battle. A flashy team battle with friends using superpowers.
As many of you may have guessed from the name and content, the project that received the most user support and was chosen for development was CODE: GAUNTLET.
Through various twists and turns, it has become what is now known as Brazen Blaze.
[h2]Prototype Ver.1 Development[/h2]
Once it was decided to develop CODE: GAUNTLET, a prototype was quickly created.
A prototype is a trial version designed to test the core systems of a game with the minimum necessary elements. In game development, prototypes are often used to test whether a game will be enjoyable. Because the purpose of a prototype is to test the "fun" aspect, its appearance tends to be quite simple. Initially, the characters were modeled as follows.
The initial concept of CODE: GAUNTLET was "a team battle where players use telekinesis to freely levitate and throw objects at each other." However, as the gameplay was tested with the prototype, several issues quickly became apparent:
Therefore, the decision was made to drastically change the direction while retaining only the concept of "a 3vs3 action game using gauntlets."
[h2]Prototype Ver.2 Development[/h2]
Based on the lessons learned from the old prototype, we proceeded with development following these guidelines:
[h3]Fast and Free Movement[/h3]
Using prototype ver.1 as a counterexample, high-speed movement using the gauntlet was implemented under the hypothesis that "good tempo in battles leads to fun."
Below is the initial boost dash implemented in prototype ver.2, from which you can see the prototype of the current boost dash.
[h3]Pursuing the fun of close-quarters melee combat[/h3]
Instead of throwing objects, we significantly shifted the combat mechanism towards direct attacks with the gauntlet. The idea was that, since it's VR, we wanted to move away from watching an opponent fall from a distance to defeating them up close! This design philosophy is why stuns can be achieved with long-range attacks, but kills can only be made through close combat. Below is what killing looked like in prototype ver.2.
[h3]Intuitive controls, taking advantage of VR[/h3]
As a result of trying various control methods in the old prototype, we concluded that VR games must have intuitive controls. You can't see your own hands when wearing VR gear, making complex controller operations unfeasible. Therefore, we decided to use only the grip and trigger for basic operations.
Punching, boost dashing, using the Main Weapon, using the Sub Weapon, activating skills, launching the Ultimate, climbing walls—all these actions are performed using just the grip and trigger, based on the design philosophy of creating actions that are intuitive and straightforward.
Below is the initial implementation of the Ultimate in the prototype ver.2. From this point, you can see that activating it involves pressing both fists together. (This would later become Skybolt’s Ultimate.)
With the core game system established, we were able to develop prototype ver.2 to a level where we all agreed it was "fun to play!"
[h2]From “CODE: GAUNTLET” to “Brazen Blaze”[/h2]
Although the prototype ver.2 was fun to play, the entire team felt that the game still lacked a certain flavor as a game; it was missing a defining theme.
After much discussion, the theme that emerged was "Defy the Rules, Unchain Yourself"
While playing the new prototype, the dev team particularly enjoyed actions prohibited in real life, such as "destroying the stage" and "taunting stunned opponents." The idea was to embrace these as the core of the game's enjoyment - and, by extension - what makes it unique.
The concept of "Finishers" was also derived from this idea. Actions such as punching an opponent to oblivion, shooting guns recklessly, or slicing in two with a single stroke have a certain allure that everyone has wanted to try at least once. These actions were incorporated as "Finishers".
Below is the first implementation of the Finisher in Prototype Ver. 2. (This would later become Riot's Finisher.)
Based on the theme "Defy the Rules, Unchain Yourself", the characters, setting of the world, and even the title were decided in turn. Combining all these elements together resulted in the creation of "Brazen Blaze" as everyone knows it today.
[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
Today, we talked about the origins of Brazen Blaze. It started with the user-participation project PROJECT: GATHERING, and evolved from CODE: GAUNTLET's concept of "a team battle where players use telekinesis to levitate and throw objects at each other" to the current theme of "Defy the Rules, Unchain Yourself".
If the origins of Brazen Blaze have piqued your interest, we’d love for you to join our upcoming Open Beta test. We would also be delighted to hear your thoughts on the newsletter and the game on Discord!
For those who haven't joined our Discord yet, here is the link: https://discord.com/invite/ESX8fJSdxy
‘Til the next issue of the Presidential Bulletin, Runners!
[h2]Defy the Rules, Unchain Yourself![/h2]
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/ESX8fJSdxy
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brazenblaze
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrazenBlazeVR
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BrazenBlazeVR/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/brazenblazevr
Greetings, Runners!
The Open Beta is coming up, and the team is in their final push! Soon, we’ll tell you about the specific schedules - hang on there, Runner!
In this issue of the Presidential Bulletin, we’re telling a story about how Brazen Blaze came to be. Like all great ideas, it started with a few notes on a piece of paper - and so we want you to know how Brazen Blaze evolved to its current, FXXKING awesome state!
If you’re curious about the Brazen beginnings, or if you’re simply interested in how we built the game from the ground up, you’re in the right place.
[h2]Origin of Brazen Blaze[/h2]
Brazen Blaze began with a user-participation project called PROJECT: GATHERING.
In developing a new VR multiplayer game, we held planning meetings throughout MyDearest. From over 50 proposals, we narrowed it down to the final three. Among these, we let our users choose the game we would develop as the final decision-maker. Below are the three-game proposals that made the final cut.
[h3]CODE: BELL[/h3]
A VR 4vs1 survival game. A life-or-death scream-filled survival with friends.
[h3]CODE: CAMP[/h3]
A VR cooperative camping fantasy. A marshmallow party with friends, warmed by a dragon's breath.
[h3]CODE: GAUNTLET[/h3]
A VR 3vs3 team strategy battle. A flashy team battle with friends using superpowers.
As many of you may have guessed from the name and content, the project that received the most user support and was chosen for development was CODE: GAUNTLET.
Through various twists and turns, it has become what is now known as Brazen Blaze.
[h2]Prototype Ver.1 Development[/h2]
Once it was decided to develop CODE: GAUNTLET, a prototype was quickly created.
A prototype is a trial version designed to test the core systems of a game with the minimum necessary elements. In game development, prototypes are often used to test whether a game will be enjoyable. Because the purpose of a prototype is to test the "fun" aspect, its appearance tends to be quite simple. Initially, the characters were modeled as follows.
The initial concept of CODE: GAUNTLET was "a team battle where players use telekinesis to freely levitate and throw objects at each other." However, as the gameplay was tested with the prototype, several issues quickly became apparent:
- It was difficult to defeat opponents by throwing objects at them.
- The act of throwing objects at targets that were far away made it hard to feel a sense of having taken them down.
- The necessity to hold an object to attack slowed down the tempo of the battles.
Therefore, the decision was made to drastically change the direction while retaining only the concept of "a 3vs3 action game using gauntlets."
[h2]Prototype Ver.2 Development[/h2]
Based on the lessons learned from the old prototype, we proceeded with development following these guidelines:
- Fast and free movement
- Pursuing the fun of close-quarters melee combat
- Intuitive controls, taking advantage of VR
[h3]Fast and Free Movement[/h3]
Using prototype ver.1 as a counterexample, high-speed movement using the gauntlet was implemented under the hypothesis that "good tempo in battles leads to fun."
Below is the initial boost dash implemented in prototype ver.2, from which you can see the prototype of the current boost dash.
[h3]Pursuing the fun of close-quarters melee combat[/h3]
Instead of throwing objects, we significantly shifted the combat mechanism towards direct attacks with the gauntlet. The idea was that, since it's VR, we wanted to move away from watching an opponent fall from a distance to defeating them up close! This design philosophy is why stuns can be achieved with long-range attacks, but kills can only be made through close combat. Below is what killing looked like in prototype ver.2.
[h3]Intuitive controls, taking advantage of VR[/h3]
As a result of trying various control methods in the old prototype, we concluded that VR games must have intuitive controls. You can't see your own hands when wearing VR gear, making complex controller operations unfeasible. Therefore, we decided to use only the grip and trigger for basic operations.
Punching, boost dashing, using the Main Weapon, using the Sub Weapon, activating skills, launching the Ultimate, climbing walls—all these actions are performed using just the grip and trigger, based on the design philosophy of creating actions that are intuitive and straightforward.
Below is the initial implementation of the Ultimate in the prototype ver.2. From this point, you can see that activating it involves pressing both fists together. (This would later become Skybolt’s Ultimate.)
With the core game system established, we were able to develop prototype ver.2 to a level where we all agreed it was "fun to play!"
[h2]From “CODE: GAUNTLET” to “Brazen Blaze”[/h2]
Although the prototype ver.2 was fun to play, the entire team felt that the game still lacked a certain flavor as a game; it was missing a defining theme.
After much discussion, the theme that emerged was "Defy the Rules, Unchain Yourself"
While playing the new prototype, the dev team particularly enjoyed actions prohibited in real life, such as "destroying the stage" and "taunting stunned opponents." The idea was to embrace these as the core of the game's enjoyment - and, by extension - what makes it unique.
The concept of "Finishers" was also derived from this idea. Actions such as punching an opponent to oblivion, shooting guns recklessly, or slicing in two with a single stroke have a certain allure that everyone has wanted to try at least once. These actions were incorporated as "Finishers".
Below is the first implementation of the Finisher in Prototype Ver. 2. (This would later become Riot's Finisher.)
Based on the theme "Defy the Rules, Unchain Yourself", the characters, setting of the world, and even the title were decided in turn. Combining all these elements together resulted in the creation of "Brazen Blaze" as everyone knows it today.
[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
Today, we talked about the origins of Brazen Blaze. It started with the user-participation project PROJECT: GATHERING, and evolved from CODE: GAUNTLET's concept of "a team battle where players use telekinesis to levitate and throw objects at each other" to the current theme of "Defy the Rules, Unchain Yourself".
If the origins of Brazen Blaze have piqued your interest, we’d love for you to join our upcoming Open Beta test. We would also be delighted to hear your thoughts on the newsletter and the game on Discord!
For those who haven't joined our Discord yet, here is the link: https://discord.com/invite/ESX8fJSdxy
‘Til the next issue of the Presidential Bulletin, Runners!
[h2]Defy the Rules, Unchain Yourself![/h2]
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/ESX8fJSdxy
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brazenblaze
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrazenBlazeVR
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BrazenBlazeVR/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/brazenblazevr