Developer Interview: Hunt: Showdown
Recently, I had the privilege of having an interview with the team behind Hunt: Showdown about their latest update Tide of Shadows; aside from bringing new features — such as a new shooting range — it brought with it Rotjaw: the first Wild Target Boss of the game!
Although I highly doubt the game needs any introduction, for those who might not know, Hunt: Showdown is a first-person PvPvE title set in the year 1895 where players take on the role of hunters and are tasked with hunting down bounties. These come in the form of nightmarish monsters, much like the Rotjaw herself, who is a terrifying female alligator!
Introduction. Tell me about yourself/the team!
My name is Arfhis. I'm a solo game developer that dropped out of uni, quit his job in a country where the only way to survive was by becoming a doctor or engineer, and instead decided to make a game.
What inspired the design (gameplay- and visual-wise) for Rotjaw?
The concept is something we've wanted to do for a while, as the game is based in the swamps of Louisiana, and gators are natural inhabitants of the environment. We knew that having something lurking in the depths would serve as an essential element for the dark, gritty setting, and gators just naturally lend themselves to that. To make the concept come to life gameplay and narrative-wise, we researched gators and how they're depicted, both in fiction and in real life. Historically speaking, we also researched how people interacted with gators in the 1800s, and those findings inspired visual and gameplay design.
What are some of the obstacles faced when creating a boss in a PvPvE title?
The first step in coming up with Rotjaw was figuring out what would bring an alligator back to the bayou after the mass exodus of gators at the start of the Louisiana Incident. From there, things got even more exciting as the narrative team got to discuss cosmological rules, physics, and some of the most secret elements within Hunt's lore. The final step was to give her a story beyond "big, scary monster," creating a legacy that honours the work put in by every team that touched her scales.
A lot of inspiration came from research on alligators in general, for example, how they navigate and thrive in their habitats and what kind of myths people formed about them. We then distorted that natural history to fit the supernatural realism of Hunt.
What new mechanics does Rotjaw bring to the table?
Since Hunt is a game with both AI monsters and other players, it's important to consider how new gameplay elements interact with both the PvE and PvP sides of our design. Boss Targets are essential objective gatekeepers that players need to kill and banish to extract the Bounty Tokens from the map and receive their rewards.
This puts them in a special spot when it comes to how we approach the AI design process: on [the] one hand, they must be exciting and challenging, bringing something fresh into the fights, like how they deal damage or different ways they navigate their lair. On the other hand, they cannot be too challenging, as players need to feel that they have a fair chance to engage and kill the Boss Target before other players show up.
If [they take] too long to kill, players might be too afraid to start the fight, fearing they'll get interrupted by an enemy team. If they are too easy, it can add to the frustration of other teams if they [are] unlucky enough to spawn too far away from the Boss Target without a chance to find it before the others [do]. Ideally, a new Boss Target should pose a similar challenge to the existing ones. If [one] feels a lot tougher than the others, players might gravitate towards the other one instead whenever there are two Boss Targets in the current mission.
What new mechanics does Rotjaw bring to the table?
Mechanics-wise, she is partially entrapped by a cage. When damaged, the cage discharges bolts of electricity. If the lightning hits, it drains [the] Hunter's stamina, putting them in more danger during the fight. She can attack either from under the water or from the surface with a short build-up charge on the surface at full speed, taking out anyone unfortunate enough to be in her path.
Another new thing about Rotjaw is that players can track her down by looking for traces around the map; they have a unique Darksight effect, so players can find them easily. Once found, players can then interact with a trace; this will then point smoke in the direction where Rotjaw can be found, and players can use as many as they need to find her. They'll need to keep their wits about them as other Hunters can also see if a trace has been interacted with and possibly trail you.
How did the original design for Rotjaw change throughout development?
There were a few different initial designs for Rotjaw. Earlier on, we experimented with acid instead of electricity; however, in the end, we felt that it was too close to other damage types like fire and poison. When we went back to the drawing board, we ultimately settled on the concept of electricity, as it felt dynamic and fresh while also offering the opportunity for the new damage type.
What are the upcoming plans for Hunt: Showdown post-Rotjaw?
Rotjaw and the Thundershower will continue to be in the game post-Tide of Shadows for the time being, and there will be continued in-game events throughout the year.
Once again, thank you so much to Crytek for the opportunity! If you’d like to check out the game, you can find the Steam page here! And if you’d like to keep tabs on the dev team, you can follow their X right here or check out their Twitch channel here!
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