Development Process

One of the most pressing issues we faced early in development was one of gameplay balance. Very often in our playtest sessions, matches would stretch into the fifteen-minute mark with no significant gains being made by either team. As a result, we had to examine the nature of the rules in order to address this recurring stalemate dilemma. We implemented various tweaks and additions to the game in order to rectify this. The first was applying a movement speed penalty to players that were carrying two gems. This reinforced the team aspect of the game, by encouraging players without this penalty to defend those who did. In addition, we implemented a stage mechanic wherein the lava levels rise and fall to cover certain portions of the map. This element requires players to be aware of the environment and plan their traversal accordingly. With these elements combined, the game's skill ceiling was raised considerably, to the point that matches would only become close when both teams were equally skilled at the game. As a result, teams that are able to grasp the nuances of the gameplay systems will triumph over those who don't, ensuring a fair and engaging gameplay experience.