So, the core gameplay was starting to take shape. It had turned into a brand-new sport, with all sorts of elements mixed in. What kind of trial and error led you there?
Konishi:
The controls for movement were starting to feel satisfying, and with tackles and quick turns, matches became more engaging. We then started thinking about how to give players more movement options. But that didn't mean any old moves would work. This game features unique analogue controls, where players spin the in-game wheels using mouse controls, linking their physical movements to their in-game actions. We saw this analogue feel as a key element to enhance their sense of immersion in the gameplay. To give in-game movements that analogue feel, we defined two conditions that needed to be met. First, movements had to be something that could be done in real life without feeling unnatural. Second, the player's mouse movements had to correspond clearly to their in-game actions.
Hamaue:
In wheelchair basketball, there’s a technique called tilting, where one wheel is lifted off the ground. We realised that this would work well in the game and meet our conditions, since lifting one of the Joy-Con 2 controllers could correspond to that action. That’s how we ended up implementing it in the game. That said, we also wanted to add something more dynamic.
Konishi:
We looked into real-world movements and considered implementing techniques like a wheelie, where the front wheels stay lifted while moving, and a 180-degree turn. But those ended up conflicting with other controls and didn’t quite deliver the analogue feel we were aiming for. Then we came across a BMX technique called a bunny hop, where the rider first lifts the front wheel, then the rear, to hop. We thought that maybe a wheelchair could hop too, if you tilted to the left and then to the right in quick succession. So we tried drafting a spec for it, but...
Hamaue:
We couldn't find any reference material showing someone actually performing a bunny hop-like movement in a wheelchair, so we had trouble picturing what kind of arm movement would make the controls feel convincing. We also wanted the movements to feel natural, so we were cautious about implementing actions that don't exist in real life.
Konishi:
So I decided to give it a go myself. I got into a wheelchair and did my best attempt at a bunny hop. By quickly tilting left and right, I managed to lift off the ground by about 2 millimeters. (Laughs) I documented it on video and showed it to Hamaue-san to convince him.
Konishi:
Next, we tried removing the walls and added a rule where going out of bounds was penalised by losing possession of the ball. But that led to players focusing too much on pushing opponents out of the court. That shifted the core of the gameplay, which wasn’t what we wanted, so we scrapped that idea too.
Hamaue:
Then we tried adding gravel around the court.
Konishi:
Right. If a player left the court and entered the gravel area, they'd slow down, but wouldn’t drop the ball. That helped keep the significance of tackling to steal the ball. There are real-life street basketball courts with gravel around the edges, so we thought it wouldn’t look out of place. But then it turned out to be unfriendly to beginners. Beginners would often head straight for the goal, fail to turn after shooting, and end up hurtling right out of the court. They’d shoot and then immediately plunge into the gravel. Since they'd slowed down, they couldn’t get out quickly, even though the match was still going on. That frustrated players, so we ended up ditching the gravel idea as well.
I see. So the stylish dunk shots, one of the game’s defining features, wouldn’t have been possible without the halfpipe concept.
Konishi:
Exactly. The second challenge, which I briefly mentioned earlier when talking about the gravel outside the court, was that players couldn’t immediately return to the centre of the court after taking a shot. But once we'd added the halfpipe under the basket, even if a player kept moving straight after taking a shot, they could ride up the slope and come back down, making it much easier to return to the centre of the court.
Ikejiri:
In this game, the match doesn't stop when points are scored. In most sports, the match halts and resets after one side scores. But in this title, the game carries on without interruption. That means even if the other team scores, you can grab the ball right away and launch a fast break toward their basket. Because the action keeps going, players feel a sense of urgency that makes them want to shout, “Get back on defence!”.
If there were only one type of character, player skill would more directly determine the outcome of a game. But having characters with different abilities creates opportunities for trial and error and strategic thinking, such as “This team had several Centers, but that team had more Forwards”, or “Maybe next time we should try a different combination”. We thought it would allow matches to unfold in a variety of different ways depending on the players' ideas.
Hamaue:
When the team was playing the game during development, there was a time when many of us preferred using the Guard character, who has a smaller physique and can turn quickly. But when we had one large-bodied Center among many Guards, that player could really shine, using their extra weight and height to grab the ball more easily. The well-balanced Forward type could also adapt to the opposition's mix of characters to help steer the game according to the situation.
Konishi:
Team composition and strategy can dramatically change how a game unfolds, so I encourage players to experiment and find a play style that suits them best.
So it’s not purely about skill – team composition, strategy, and character synergy all play a role in how matches unfold. How did the designs for the three character types come together?
Ikejiri:
We wanted to make sure players could easily tell which character types were on the court during a match, even from a distance. Since players make vigorous upper body movements to control their wheels during matches, it was difficult to distinguish between character types from afar. Plus, while the three character types have different acceleration and turning abilities, they all share the same top speed. That’s why we didn’t want to oversimplify them as “light and fast” or “heavy and slow”. For example, the large and heavy Center can reach the same top speed as the small and light Guard by propelling the wheels with strong, burly arms. We carefully considered how each character should move and look on the court to make them visually convincing.
In the end, we incorporated design elements from real-life sports wheelchairs to help express those differences in ability. Each type of sports wheelchair is tailored to the specific needs of its sport. For the physically strong Center, we added features inspired by wheelchair rugby, such as a metal bumper on the front. The well-balanced Forward draws from wheelchair basketball, while the agile Guard uses design elements from wheelchair motocross. By incorporating features from various sports, we were able to distinguish the characters clearly and make their roles easy to recognise.
Chiedi allo sviluppatore, parte 20: Drag x Drive – Capitolo 2