This blog was originally posted on the HAL Laboratory blog, a link to the original is here and at the end of the translation. Translation was provided by special guest CraigedyCraig, you can follow him here. Please enjoy this translation but do not repost it in full without both of our permissions.
Congrats! – Part Time UFO Releases on Nintendo Switch Vol. 1
Part Time UFO director Teruhiko Suzuki here.
3 years ago Part Time UFO was released as a smart phone app, but now it’s become a deluxe version you can play through (or perhaps work through) on Nintendo Switch! It will be published by Nintendo from October 28th.
From the impressions and positive feedback we got from those who played the previous version (huge thanks!) we’ve added stages and ways to play.
There’s a little something we’ve prepared that will surprise the people who played the mobile version when they notice. This time the UFO has been given a name. And that name is “Jobski”!
In Japanese, “suki” is to like something, so its really a name that sounds like someone who loves their job, right? Jobski himself has taken a liking to it too. It’s a good name to remember.
So with all that said, this time I’d like to talk about the plan for the playing of Part Time UFO. Let’s get into the so called game design.
While there seems to be a common logic in game design, in reality there are a multitude of different approaches. A developer’s world view becomes apparent in game design.
With the game design of Part Time UFO we removed various things I considered I wasn’t great at. So for example things like “victory or defeat” or “time limits”, things that you need to deal with seriously in the real world.
In Part Time UFO, although the timer starts when the work starts, after it reaches zero you can still work at your own pace.
You may think it’s a bit of an odd rule but if you make a game that’s focusing on chasing time limits and managing quotas, I thought that the player couldn’t try out different approaches to a level that the developer hadn’t even considered.
There isn’t only one path to success so I think it’s good that each player finds their own methods. This line of thought runs throughout the whole game.
Now with the Nintendo Switch version of Part Time UFO, two players can play at the same time. At the start of development, I considered competing for things like score or how much you contributed when you were working together.
However, I couldn’t come up with an easy way to evaluate things like a UFO piling up packages really high or a UFO that tosses the cargo in a truck carelessly. We had a lot of trial an error. The programmers made a loose scoring system where the the two UFO compete for hearts – expressions of gratitude from the clients for your work.
After a bit of testing, I think the conclusion is that in its current form, rather than competing, the two UFO work cooperatively. Jobs that are difficult by yourself will go far more smoothly if you tackle them together. If this game had been designed by someone else, they might have settled on a more competitive kind of game. This is where you the developer’s worldview comes out rather than logic alone.
We stopped the competitive work and replaced it (well, not really replaced) by making it so you could give a thumbs up by pressing the R button mid game. I wouldn’t really say it’s a stand out feature, but praise is important. When playing together, you can praise as much as you like.
…on a different note, if you press the L button, something different will happen depending on your costume.
For example, if you’re wearing the deliveryman’s hat that looks like it’s from a home delivery service and you press the L button, you’ll see the button from a home intercom system appear out thin air and hear the bell ring. Again, this isn’t a mind blowing feature but it doesn’t do any harm so press it as many times as you like.
©2020 HAL Laboratory, Inc. / Nintendo
…uh, if this is all you hear you might think it’s a bit of a bit of a lightweight game, but don’t worry. HAL Laboratory game design means having high goals to make something players can really sink their teeth into.
Each stage has 3 hidden medals, a “hard mode” where new packages appear, 48 different “Feats of Glory”, an endless “Tower of Infinity” mode where you need to build as high as possible, an adventure in the mysterious ruins of Treasure Island, enjoy the deep gameplay on offer! It’s a game that you can have fun with in both a casual and hardcore way.
If this sounds like something you’re interested in, absolutely give it a try.
Source: https://www.hallab.co.jp/blog/detail/2141/
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