Hi all,
It’s once again time for our biweekly dev log. In this episode, we are going to delve into the design behind our latest core gameplay feature we've been working on - ‘Kick the can’.

Before we move on to the main course, we want to share a little appetizer with all of you manic monsters and witty runts:
You can test the new ‘kick the can’ game mode tomorrow Friday, December 8th, 2023, when we release our upcoming playtest patch. Join us on Discord, test the game with us, and let us know what you think.

Now, it's time for the main course. The inspiration for TagTime, as the name implies, draws heavily from the game of tag. Tag comes in many variations, with 'Kick the can' being one of them. And 'Kick the can' has its own subset of variations. We’ll just cover the basics before we move on to our version of the game.

Stolen - and slightly edited - from Wikipedia
One person or a team of people is designated as "it" and a can or similar object is placed in an open space: the middle of a backyard or a green for example. The other players run off and hide while "it" covers their eyes and counts to a previously decided number, thus giving the other players time to escape. "It" then tries to find and tag each of the players. Any player who is tagged (caught and touched) is sent to the holding pen (jail) which is simply a designated area for all the captured players to congregate. Any player who has not been caught can "kick the can" or "tip the can." If they can do this without being caught, then all of the captured players are set free.

Our current implementation of tag in TagTime is a much more basic form of the game. Once a runt is tagged, they are eliminated and can only assist their teammates by spectating and informing them of the monsters’ movements.

We can't help but feel that while the game is enjoyable, it lacks depth. The elusive "just one more game" feeling that we constantly strive to evoke isn’t quite there, especially after playing a few rounds.
Back to the drawing board...

We initially introduced the ghost/spectate mechanic, believing that providing opportunities for eliminated players to assist their teammates would keep them engaged and involved in the game. However, the reality is that the sense of team spirit, a fundamental aspect of cooperative play, is lacking. Once eliminated, players are often ready to move on to a new game in TagTime. It's common in TagTime for a player - as a runt - to be eliminated early in the game. Waiting for 2+ minutes before rejoining the action becomes tedious. Such negative feelings are contagious and should be avoided at all costs.

To tackle this issue, we opted to experiment with a revival mechanic similar to that in 'Kick the can'. We repurposed our spawn area as a holding pen, essentially a graveyard, where tombstones of the eliminated runts are erected and removed when the runt is revived.

To maintain simplicity, we decided to implement revival in a manner akin to hoisting flags on the map. Instead of kicking a can, as a living runt, all you need to do is stand in close proximity to the graveyard for a while, filling up the revival gauge. Once completely filled, the fallen runts are revived at their spawn points, evenly distributed around the graveyard.

During our testing of the revive mechanic, we discovered that the motivation to assist teammates was amplified by the knowledge that your own gameplay was at risk. With the possibility of revival, there's a heightened eagerness to aid teammates, knowing you can swiftly return to the action.

We strongly believe that the revival mechanic should be a cornerstone of our core gameplay. Will its implementation alone make TagTime a highly replayable, endlessly enjoyable multiplayer game? Not entirely, but it exemplifies our continuous efforts to enhance TagTime across all aspects.

Tomorrow Friday (8th December 2023), we'll be patching our playtest build for all of you to try out. We eagerly await your thoughts on Discord, Itch, or any platform convenient for you.

Happy hunting!