A game project (especially when "indie") rarely stays the same from beginning to end. This talk will highlight how the design and the scope of FATAL ERROR evolved in time, following the feedback we gathered during events or through Early Access, but also because of external forces, like the situation of the Steam marketplace. The process and the reasoning behind big and small changes will be detailed with the help of drawing, sketches, bits of code, and screenshots.

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The evolution in the design of
FATAL ERROR
CIRO CONTINISIO - TINY COLOSSUS
ENNIO PIROLO - TEAM ERROR

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Who we are
Ciro
@ccontinisio
Ennio
@SantEnnio
Joakim
@ojabim

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“PROJECT REPOSITORY”
Oct 2013

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Where it all began...
FATAL ERROR was born in Oct 2013.
A prototype meant to be shown at GamesWeek Milan alongside
UFHO2. We had just 2 weeks to make it
Three basic needs:
● Established genre > easy to understand controls
● Multiplayer (better if 4 players)
● Quick matches (around 3 minutes)

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First prototype
Game:
● Dual-stick shooter
● Physics-based
Character:
● Cube robot
● Wheel below
● Ranged weapon
● Melee weapon

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First prototype
Blocky aesthetics > Pixel art textures and particles

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Something unique
Same screen multiplayer > Shared information
Can we hide something from some of the players?
We can hide the input on the controller!

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Teleport mechanic
1. Players enter a black hole, disappears
2. Chooses an exit with one of the 4 coloured buttons (XYAB)
3. Comes out of that exit as a compacted robot
4. Many compacted robots, only the player knows which one he is
Hidden information!
5. Surprise attack!

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GAMESWEEK MILAN
Nov 2013

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Huge stop in 2014
Mostly because I had to finish and launch UFHO2 once and for all

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SVILUPPARTY
May 2014

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2014 WENT BY...

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ON GREENLIGHT
February 2015

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GREENLIT!
April 2015

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EXPLAINING CONTROLS
AND MECHANICS

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4-player tutorial
● Moving
● Aiming
● Shooting
● Using the sword
● Using the Transport System (stealth)
● Taking the Battery (Gem)
How much can we fit in one fourth of the screen?

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GAMELAB BARCELONA
June 2015

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ON STEAM EARLY ACCESS
13 July 2015

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Trello Design Board
bit.ly/FE_Development

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Design Document
bit.ly/FE_DesignDoc

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EVOLUTION OF THE CHARACTERS

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Issues with the robots
● VERY blocky (“The washing machine”)
● Difficult to tell apart from each other
● Can’t tell where are they facing (useful when defending)
● They were just plain ugly

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STAGE CREATION PROCESS

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OTHER STEALTH MECHANICS

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

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AI in FATAL ERROR: why?
● Market needs
a. What if a player buys the game AND he’s alone?
b. What if a player gets addicted and wants to improve?
● Players need to play the game alone TOO

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AI in FATAL ERROR: Requirements (1/2)
So...
● We need players moved by computer (BOTS)
● Bots should behave like a human player
a. Take the battery to the base to score points
b. Use the stealth mechanics
c. Search and kill others who are taking the battery home
d. And many more behaviours...
● Bots should be more or less good based on a difficulty setting

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AI in FATAL ERROR: Requirements (2/2)
And...
● The system should be modular
a. New game mode?
b. New stealth mechanic?
● Never throw away anything! The system should be reusable
a. After FATAL ERROR?
b. For another game genre?

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AI in FATAL ERROR: The structure (1/3)

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AI in FATAL ERROR: The structure (2/3)
ABehaviour PseudoCode
...
Update(){
newBehaviour=null
FOREACH connectedBehaviour AS beh
IF beh.mustBeActivated() THEN
newBehaviour = beh
CONTINUE
END IF
IF newBehaviour!=null THEN
this.OnUpdate()
ELSE
this.deactivate()
RETURN newBehaviour
}

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AI in FATAL ERROR: The structure (3/3)
Bot PseudoCode
...
Update(){
CurrentBehaviour = CurrentBehaviour.Update()
PassBehaviourInput()
}
…
PassBehaviourInput(){
GameManager MovePlayer ID by moveVector
GameManager ModAimOfPlayer ID by aimVector
}

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AI in FATAL ERROR: Examples (1/3)
Find The Battery
MustBeActivated:
is there a battery in the
scene?
Target:
followPath to the
battery
Enemy in sight:
aim and shoot!
Enemy not in sight:
ignore

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AI in FATAL ERROR: Examples (2/3)
Some seconds later..
Green Bot has taken
the battery
Take Battery to Base
Kill the Enemy with
the Battery

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AI in FATAL ERROR: Examples (3/3)
Team Play
Support Mate With Battery
MustBeActivated: my team
mate has taken the battery?
Target: choose a position in the
middle of the path of the nearest
enemy to my team mate

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GAMESWEEK MADRID
October 2015

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FULL LAUNCH

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A better title: Word research
Sly
Coward
Backstab
Fraud
Con
Ruse
Device
Camouflage
Circuit
Shroud
Gambit
Veil
Imposture
Impostor
Cloak
Hide
Stealth
Forgery
Bait
Ploy
Decoy
Sneak
Dazzle
Incognito
Bewilder
Confound
Quartet
Quadrant
Alloy
Mimicry
Pseudo -
Sham
Counterfeit
Saber
Edge
Dagger
Machination
Fabrication
Deceit
Mislead
Ensnare
Entangle
Sting
Faker
Hinder
Fail
Foil
Lure
Circumvent
Sidestep
Bunch
Batch
- Ware
Pack
Squad
Corps

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A better title: Possible candidates
Rogue Robots
Slybots
Quadcon
Scambots
Roguebots
Camoflak
Artifice
Rogue Quartet
Sneaky Backstab
Cloakwork
Doublecross
Stratagem
Six-Faced
Quadruploy
Tetraveil

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CIRO CONTINISIO @ccontinisio
ENNIO PIROLO @SantEnnio

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