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Roguelite Turn-based Strategy
Ongoing
High Concept
Game Designer
Project Manager
Sound Designer
UI/UX Designer
October 2023 - June 2024
CUT OFF was born during the summer of 2022. It started off as a personal documentation project, with the potential to become one of my options for the later concept proposal contest for the graduation project, which it won along with three others.
It is without a doubt the direct child of what I had imagined for Company of Heroes 3 before its annoucement, my Tabletop RPG France 1940 and my years of studying the Battle of France.
You can follow its progression on: @Cut_Off_Road_To_Dunkirk
Tactical Approach
16 students, 6 months, 1 project. Having been informed of the difficulties faced by previous year groups, I tried to come with an clear and concise vision of the final product's scope, drawing up this early plan for the 6 months production cycle we had ahead of us.
Phase 3:
Content
Phase 2:
Prototyping
Phase 1:
Pré-production
Phase 4:
Post-Launch
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
Jira Overview
As part of risk management CUT OFF and its layered conception was meant to allow for the removal of features if need be and as one might expect, it did. Nevertheless, those had a minimum impact on production as a whole, the main drive being to expect potential cuts ahead of time in order to be able to bounce back quickly.
The everyday task management was done through Jira while Miro was used as a versatile design and reference workspace. After some test I went for 2 weeks sprints as it offered the most flexible approach and allowed me to allocate tasks without pushing too mush in the micro managing direction.
Regarding the other departments (Concept Art Team & 3D Team) they had their own way of tracking their work with their own designated lead. After established our assets needs I consulted with them throughout production, maintaining communication to assess overall progress. I can say that collaborating with them all throughout production has been one of the most enriching experience of my life.
Artistic Direction
When I closed my eyes to envision Cut Off my mind drifted towards a game scenery close to the texture of an Oil painting.
Years of admiring historical illustrations, convinced me it would be a great opportunity to make it into one of the game's charm.
Especially considering the Battle of France's colorful palette and the underlying goal of "having an oil painting at every screenshot".
I shared this vision with our Tech and Concept Artists and with one of the first concept, there it was.
Concepts
Following this intention our CA team set off to establish the definitive palette and texture.
The tones of each faction allowed for a thematic contrast with warm colors for the environment as well as the French units while the German feature cold ones, fitting for an invader.
To this was later added the various illustrations that completed the CUT OFF fresco, one that our 3D Team would later use as reference for their work.
See more : ArtStation - TOPDOG
Fire & Maneuver
As for the combat our main inspirations were drawn from series such as XCOM for its use of cover and turn structure or Company of Heroes, for how it handles squads and unit mechanics.
As such the micro loop revolves around the use Combat and Movement actions, accompanied by a puzzle-like approach when it comes to the unit dynamic.
That dynamic relies on a basic triangle: the Infantry are versatile and maneuverable scouts , the Machine Gun is able lock on large areas and the Mortar can oust the enemy from their position with indirect fire.
Early on I was commited to a no random factor, at least when it came to hitting targets. With this stance I wanted to make sure the gameplay results would fit the player's actions and planning.
In its debut at the concept stage the gamespace was also food for thoughts, would it be a squared grid-based one or a free one? In the end the grid was picked as the option with the fewest question marks and the easiest to balance out later on. However I still wanted to avoid the ristrictions is can bring, aiming for a middleground.
As for the combat ressources the guideline was to keep the numbers simple, to ease the players' cognitive load. Their balancing underwent regular adjustements. First issued through internal notes but then supported by the results of playtests sessions during Phase 3.
These feedbacks allowed us to identify the immediate needs in terms of values and mechanical changes, the most notable of them being the introduction of the ammo count/reload of the mortar. All in order to ensure a good level of polish and a fair experience.
Armored Pivot
The "AT Loop", as we called it, was the addition of the Tank and the Anti-Tank Gun to the list of Units. It also meant the introduction of our Armor System.
Its purpose? Offer a more in depth combat resolution and incite players to further master their placement on the grid.
Its logic? To penetrate the Penetration Value must be equal or superior to the Armor Value it is facing. In the case of the latter the difference will be added to the damage dealt.
Why? To create a clear distinction between what is armored and what isn't, highlighting a parallel armor "mini-game". Rewarding good placement by adding a damage bonus rather than relying on what could have been resistances.
Front
Rear
Side
Side
Interface of War
As a tactical CUT OFF's UI would be one major undertaking. One finding its roots as early as the Jury proposition where a mockup was scrapped serving as the foundation we could build upon. Removing and adding elements
Throughout there was one underlying objective: to avoiding the slowness that can plague turn by turn games. That is why the emphasis was put on providing quick access to units through multiple panels.
It is by following this principle that we made an attempt to put the abilities tab directly on the units themselves to reduce the travel time of the mouse in-between actions. Something ultimately revised as it didn't fit our camera but one way of expressing this quest for smoothness.
Combat UI Evolution
In terms of aesthetics, the black Ink/Paint theme was inspired by Frostpunk, with the goal of bringing the UI element out against the game's colorful visuals with the intention to give it an "typewriter atmosphere". Cards were also meant to be a part of the theme but after several drafts it was cut from the layout for more ergonomy.
Nevertheless the cards remained a reference point when it came to style and palett research and a guide for an iconography that was submitted to external feedbacks and contests in order to select to the most intuitive form.
