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GDC 2022 Session Viewer

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Designing Bosses For 'Sackboy: A Big Adventure'

Ramon Huiskamp  (Indie Game Developer, Roofkat)

Location: Room 209, South Hall

Date: Friday, March 25

Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass - Get your pass now!

Topic: Design

Format: Session

Viewing Experience: In-Person

Vault Recording: Video

Audience Level: Yes

Boss fights have been a prominent part of games for years, but examples of how one is created are scarce. In this talk Ramon will share how he designed and prototyped boss battles for Sackboy: A Big Adventure. He will talk about the process leading up to the "Vexed Mamapede" fight, showing a number of early iterations and prototypes that did not make it into the final game while elaborating on both design decisions made and lessons learned during development.
All of this will be in the context of a AAA game with mainstream appeal. After the talk, Ramon will be available to answer further questions.

Takeaway

Attendees will gain an honest look at the boss creation process in Sackboy: A Big Adventure. They will not only hear about successful prototypes, but also failed ones, the design decisions that led to them and the lessons learned that followed.

Intended Audience

The talk will be accessible for developers with limited industry experience, while going in-depth enough to be interesting for industry veterans. It will be especially interesting for those curious about boss design and prototyping processes.