Defense derby is forthcoming real time strategy Protection mobile game by RisingWingsan independent studio of the South Korean game company CraftonInc. Currently open for advance registration, players would love to get more information on how the game will be released and how different it will be from games in the genre. We at GamingonPhone felt the same way and interviewed about the game with Sinchan Park, Production Director for Defense derby at RisingWingswho shared some interesting insights about the upcoming game.
How long did it take to develop Defense Derby from initial concept to final product?
Defense Derby has been in development for about two years. The initial prototype build was released in May 2021 and we will be doing a soft launch in July.
The schedule is as follows:
- May 2021: Initial prototype developed
- August 2021: Developed alpha test build and continued with user test
- September 2022: Developed beta test build and continued with user test
- April 2023: Early access test build developed and user test continued
- July 2023: Soft launch
What inspired the game’s concept and gameplay mechanics?
In PvP games, you meet different players and everyone plays based on the same set of rules. I think the fun of this type of game comes from the fact that you can experience a different story and different game scenarios every time you play. There is a certain level of stress that comes with losing in PvP games, and if that stress is too great, it becomes difficult to enjoy the game. In cases where the reason for the loss comes from your own lack of skill, the stress can double.
In the case of our previous title Castle Burn, we chose to have users compete against each other with fine controls, so not many users were able to experience the fun that the developers hoped to convey. Personally, I thought this part could be improved. Defense Derby tried to ease the burden felt by players by introducing mind games based on bidding and 4 player PvP battles instead of putting the focus on the game controls. Our goal is to bring the fun of PvP gaming to more users through this kind of effort.
What makes Defense Derby different from other games in the genre?
At its core, Defense Derby has the rules of the defense genre. The biggest differentiating point from other strategy tower defense games is the intelligence system. Players can disrupt other players’ strategies by scouting units through bidding, and can also come up with their own unit strategy. It’s fun to see how the battle changes depending on the players bidding strategy.
Defense Derby is a 4-player PvP fighting game based on real-time bidding. The player who survives the monster hordes and has the last castle saved wins the match. It is a game with a mixture of defense, strategy and battle royale. In a previous survey, users who participated in the early access test responded that the unique fun element of Defense Derby is “scouting system”, in which you have to read the opponent’s strategy and win with bold moves.
What is the approach to player progression and rewards in Defense Derby?
Defense Derby has a Guardian level that can be seen as an index of the user’s growth. Guardian level can be increased by acquiring units or through EXP gained from leveling up. To provide players with a goal to encourage them to level up as a guardian, we provide a step-by-step growth system called Guardian’s Journey.
Depending on progress within the Guardian’s Journey, users can acquire units as well as various growth items and rewards. The game also provides various growth rewards through guided missions as well as store events where everyone can acquire Legendary units for free.
What challenges did you encounter during the development process and how did you overcome them?
We aimed to bring the fun of PvP games to players who find PvP games difficult. To ease the burden on players, we designed the game to exclude any complex rules from the initial stages of development. We designed the game so that players can easily get used to it without a burdensome learning process. Therefore, we made a game where players can enjoy the game based on the synergy of attributes and compiled the options with only essential elements.
We felt that our intentions were reflected in the game, such as the level of difficulty when initially learning the game, as well as the fun factors. However, we started thinking about “How can we make it so that users can play the game for a longer period of time in a more enjoyable way?” We made several attempts to give the player more options instead of creates more unit stats.
In the beginning, we developed a more casual PvP game where players would scout a certain card and attach it to their deck, and you would win or lose depending on the type of synergy you achieved. After that, we focused more on adding depth to the game through unit attributes. Since the game itself is random, we keep trying new things for game balance.
How do you ensure a fair and balanced multiplayer experience considering the different skill levels and strategies of players?
In Defense Derby, users must create their own personal deck and compete with others, which can lead to a difference in skill between users. So when we started designing Defense Derby, we put more focus on games of luck and mind than on the skill difference between users. To reduce the skill level gap, we introduced the scouting system. Through the intelligence system, instead of using the controls, players can use their chips as well as their opponent’s chips to engage in mind games.
In an effort to ensure fair play, we have put a lot of care into matchmaking and making sure that players of similar skill levels can enjoy the PvP mode. We also provide Friendly Derby, where all users use equal deck stats to battle against each other, as well as a mode where all users use the same deck to engage in battle. We will continuously strive to provide a fair competitive environment for our users.
Can you share some information about the game’s monetization strategy?
Defense Derby aims to be a light casual PvP game. So instead of forcing users to pay, we created a monetization structure where players can enjoy the game even with a small amount of money. The core of the monetization structure is not just getting items by paying money. Our structure is more like a Battle Pass format, so once players get an item through payment, the value of that item gets bigger the more you play. This is the direction we are aiming for.
In addition, growth through in-app purchases can help achieve victory. But the core of Defense Derby, and the most important aspect of victory, is intelligence, which is accomplished through intense mental play with other players.
Are there plans for a subscription based model like a battle pass?
We plan to introduce a monetization model based on multiple forms of subscription formats. We will also continue to evolve the format of the monetization model with various rewards and other efforts.
That’s it for our Defense Derby interview! Do you feel we have missed any query in this defense derby interview?? Let us know in the comments section below!
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