Outback Breakout - Deep Dive

Topics Covered

Concept development
Building of game world and vision
Developing an aesthetic
Blend of genres

Project Goals

Contribute to an under-saturated market for Australian-themed titles
Implement a unique blend of genres which enhance the experience
Gain experience working in a large, multi-disciplinary team
Improve my level design skills

Concept Development

The initial concept for our Australian-themed horde shooter was an isometric strategy game, where the player controlled multiple units to fend off Australian wildlife trying to break into the objective. Pictured right is an early mockup concept featuring different unit types fending off an enlarged spider. Also shown are collectible resources and sentry turrets.

We scrapped the fortifcation concepts (i.e. turrets and traps) early into development to avoid overscoping. Instead, the player must use the pub's existing defenses to keep the emus out. They will attempt to knock down the windows to break in, which can be repaired or rebuilt while not under attack.

The game was initially going to be split into phases, giving the player dedicated periods of downtime to prepare for enemy attacks. The planned phases were:

Gather: Player gathers ammunition and resources to be used in the latter two phases.
Fortify: Resources used to build defenses, for example: barriers, sentry turrets and traps.
Defend: Ammunition and Fortifications used to fend off enemies attempting to break in and destroy the keg.

However, we found it too restricting to force players to perform specific actions within a rigid timeframe. To address this, the gather and fortify phases were combined, allowing the player to decide how to utilise the preparation time:

1. Prepare: Combination of 'Gather' and 'Fortify' phases as described above.

2. Defend: As mentioned above.

While the player was much less constrained, the preparation and horde-shooting elements were not particularly exciting when experienced separately. We removed the phase system to have the gameplay loops occurring simultaneously, which added an element of chaos to the game. However, the need to constantly leave the pub to retreive ammunition was proving to be tedious.

To replace the need to scavenge for ammunition outside the pub, we proposed adding NPC patrons who would periodically demand beer in exchange for ammunition. For each patron, the player must go to the keg to retreive a beer before bringing it over to them. A 'mood meter' gauges how a patron will react to the player's service:

If served while their mood meter was above 50%, the patron gives ammunition to the player
If served thereafter (indicated by the bar turning red), they will not provide anything.
If the mood meter reaches zero, they will vandalise the bar before leaving. A new patron replaces them after a while

This was a drastic improvement to the game's immersiveness and its Quality-of-Life.

The pub feels much more 'alive' with NPC patrons that wander around and ask for service
The patrons are near the other points of interest, but they only give ammunition when served in a timely fashion - reducing the distance required to retreive ammunition but also the time window.

World-Building & Narrative

Outback Breakout is set in an Apocalyptic Australia. The government's legion of roboitc security-and-surveillance emu-drones have malfunctioned, and are now attacking everyone on sight. The government fails to bring the situation under control, proving to be so spectacularly unreliable that Australia fractured into its 500-plus council states, giving way to the formation of the aristocratic governing entity known as The Council, comprised of a dozen of the most hardworking Aussie citizens chosen by the masses. The Council does a better - but still insufficient - job of quelling the emus. This is where the main character Dazza comes in. He's set on earning the council's favour by putting these emus in their place.

Dazza's motivations lie with aiding the Australian people and lowering the price of beer - the latter requires him to get a seat on the The Council. To do this, he requires a plethora of accreditations (licenses, induction cards, etc.). In pursuit of this goal he travels from place to place, aiding the common folk by wiping out the local emu outbreaks, usually while providing a service (i.e. serving beer). In exchange, Dazza receives these accreditations while building his reputation as a hero of the common folk. Surely such a portfolio would get the attention of the council?

Game Vision

Additional levels would follow the same core loop (player fends off emus while performing a task or service), with each level introducing its own unique twist on the game's mechanics. For example, a level could have the player operating a hardware store checkout instead of serving beer. Specific items are fetched from the shelves and handed to the customers, and the emus attempt to break in and destroy a generator that keeps the place running.

Developing an Aesthetic

Outback Breakout's visuals are semi-realistic, drawing inspiration from realistic environments and structures while deliberately avoiding strenuous highpoly detail - world objects are only ever viewed from a bird's-eye view, and this additionally reduced the artists' workloads while keeping performance high.

The premise of the game revolves around Australian culture and stereotypes, our portrayal of which is lighthearted, comedic and not to be taken too seriously. Outback Breakout unoffensively pokes fun at Australian stereotypes - such as the beer-loving tradie archetype that Dazza embodies - and the misconception that all our wildlife is hell-bent on killing us.