Exclusive Fuel Developer Diary – Part I

“... the word 'difficulty' means different things to different gamers”

Are you ready for some hot racing action? Both Firetoad Software and Dreamcatcher hope so and with the development of Fuel for both the PC and Xbox platforms, this title may just have the high-speed action gamers are craving.

But Fuel is not your typical turn around the track. Slated to release at the start of May, players will have the opportunity to go off road, use an ATV or personal watercraft and hustle their way to the finish line at top speed! There are 10 characters to choose from, course from around the globe and the choice of more than 35 vehicles.

There are no rules in this all out frantic race. This is a no-holds-barred, free-for-all, action-packed game, with one goal - get to the finish line first! …and scoring points along the way would help!

So, what does it take to pull together such a varied title? In this exclusive developer diary, we get a look into the making of this title.

The Art of Difficulty
By Arek Rezler

While everyone was busy with their tasks this month, one of my responsibilities was to make sure that the level of difficulty balancing was implemented into the game correctly. This process involved taking certain races within the game and moving them up or down the tournament structure or slightly modifying the level itself to accommodate the level of difficulty. These changes appear easy ... until implementation stage.

After receiving play-test notes from the team and comparing them to my own notes, I was faced with a dilemma. What I found was that the word “difficulty” means different things to different gamers. You see, over the course of game development, it is inevitable that the development team will become so familiarized with the control scheme and level layout of the game that they may no longer be able to offer a subjective view of what is and what isn't difficult.

Looking at myself, I realized that I too am cursed with this same type of biased opinion. Upon this realization, I decided to look at this plaguing issue from a different angle. Instead of asking what makes a level difficult, I asked myself what it is that I expected from the player at “X” stage of the game. To find out, I would throw levels at the player as they became familiar with various control functionality and gameplay mechanics that would require them to use their newly learned skills...if they so choose. The “Skill Based Difficulty System” was born at Firetoad.

Having already tweaked the earlier one third of Fuel using this new system with positive results, I am now confident that Fuel’s levels will cater to any gamer, of any skill.

- Arek Rezler

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