Joey ZiolkowskiDec 19, 2022

HELLO, #gamedev Mastodon! I'm one of the designers over at @ToontownRewritten.

Leading up to Christmas, I'm celebrating the wintery weather with a Backstage Toontown look at the design & development of my FAVORITE minigame in all of #Toontown: Cold Caller Cubicles! See the replies for some details about the design process (assuming I can figure out how to properly format it here)!

first, how it started vs how it's going

Show threadJoey ZiolkowskiDec 19, 2022

We quickly realized that to make skating fun for this minigame, we had to live up to these expectations:

1. The controls need to be simple and intuitive enough for Toons to grasp them within 10 seconds.

2. Reaching top speed should be easy and satisfying - the skill should come from maintaining it.

3. Skating should be the primary focus of the game, rather than bogging it down with other actions to juggle.

Show threadJoey ZiolkowskiDec 19, 2022

In the end, we settled on the following rules for Ice Skating:

1. There are two states: Slipping and Skating. When the game begins, Toons are in the Slipping state until they pick up some speed.

Show threadJoey ZiolkowskiDec 19, 2022
2. Pressing the SKATE button (tied to the Toon's jump key) will switch them into the Skating state, and give them a temporary boost in the direction they were facing.
Show threadJoey ZiolkowskiDec 19, 2022
3. Holding the BACK button will put on a break that slows your Toon's skating speed. Toons have greater control over the direction they are facing at slower speeds.
Show threadJoey ZiolkowskiDec 19, 2022
4. If a Toon bumps into a Cog or breaks to a full stop, they will return to the Slipping state. If a Toon is ever back in the Slipping state, they can immediately use their skate boost again without waiting for the cooldown.
Show threadJoey Ziolkowski

It took a lot of hard work, but I love where we ended up. I have bias, of course, but I believe they're some of the most satisfying ice skating controls in any game I've played!

What Backstage #Toontown details about Cold Caller Cubicles would you all like to hear about next?

Dec 19, 2022 at 6:02amWeb
Show threadsol is sillyDec 19, 2022
@JoeyZio i'd love to hear more about the cutscene that plays as you enter the boiler battle! it's really visually impressive and i think it would be neat to see how it came together.
Show threadJoey ZiolkowskiDec 19, 2022
@sol_mp4 That's a great idea! I will add that to my TODO list. :D
Show threadHolocluck HenlyDec 19, 2022

@JoeyZio
ty for the fun breakdown.

I like the "leisurely skating w/my hands behind my back to the elevator" showmanship skating mode :) What triggers that? It doesn't always happen.

Show threadJoey ZiolkowskiDec 19, 2022

@Holocluck Yesss, I love that too! If you stop holding the "Forward" button and just let your Toon glide, they will put their hands behind their back.

Pro Tip: You can also preserve snowballs this way if you want to save them. Snowballs will only throw while actively skating, so if you are gliding past a Cog you won't throw one.