If keeping the beat is the most important thing in the game, then you build the game around keeping the beat. There are many different ways to approach the problem, but if I were building such a system myself, I would start with a system to handle a data-driven beat (e.g. this level/song sets the beat to X, that level/song sets the beat to Y) and then build all of my visuals and gameplay on top of that. The key component to making this work would likely be an animation system that could scale animations faster or slower in order to match the timing of the music.

On the data side, this would mean all animations would be built so they could be sped up by dropping frames, or slowed down by holding certain frames for additional length. All animations would also need to be the same length (or a multiple of a standard length), so that I can ensure the animations will fit into a standard musical measure. If I wanted to have a variety of attack animations and hit reactions, I would probably also establish a set of rules that each attacking and hit reaction animation must always be the same number of frames. I could further standardize each attack and hit reaction active frame happening on the same frame each time.

The code side would then play my animations to those musical measures along the beat. It would do so by scaling the animations longer or shorter based on the beat. The system could add or cut animation frames so that each animation can play in sync with the music. Once I've got the animation system integrated with the beat-keeping system, I can then ensure each animation should start playing on the appropriate frame to keep the beat. As long as the animations are scaled to the musical measure and the music keeps the same beat for its entire duration, the animations should always sync to the beat of the music.

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It’s been a few days since the Dragon Age Veilguard gameplay video was released. I posted a challenge for aspiring developers to identify as many specific features and systems as they could spot. My expertise is in gameplay, so that’s where I will be focusing. Expertise on visuals like lighting, rendering, shaders, etc. should be directed elsewhere.

0:22 - In-Game Cinematic with moving cameras
0:30 - Seamless cinematic transfer to gameplay, quest tracking UI element, different walking speeds
0:36 - Interactable element with UI
0:43 - Camera movement - orbital motion, but likely not detachable
0:53 - Party member movement, including waiting for the player as part of an escort sequence
2:08 - Uninteractable NPC actors perform animations
2:13 - Scriptable terrain changes/destruction
2:18 - Scriptable interactions with multiple actors
2:29 - Uninterrupted conversations when transitioning from gameplay to in-game cinematic
2:39 - Context-specific traversal method with special traversal animation (balancing across a thin beam)
2:50 - Small sequence that is likely unloading the last area and loading in data for the next environment. Likely also locks players off from returning to the previous area.
3:22 - Conversation wheel with “personality” icons and paraphrased words
3:39 - Dynamic inventory in game cinematics, show player’s items
3:46 - Scripted Player equipment change during cinematic
4:04 - Quest variables (e.g. player background) result in different NPC response
4:27 - Combat UI including current target (four red dots), Combat log
4:30 - Player can jump
4:33 - UI Melee danger indicator for incoming attacks - silver for enemy attacking, gold for shortly impending damage
4:35 - Player can dash/dodge
4:39 - Event log - Items/Loot notification
4:42 - Shooting UI including hit/miss indicator (red reticle), time scaling, arrow charging (rounded purple bar above arrow count), arrow refill cooldown
5:03 - Some kind of special charge/jumping attack
5:09 - XP gain UI, Quest objective completion UI, Quest objective map indicator UI
5:12 - Auto sheath weapons
5:15 - Potion use/Health recovery
5:18 - Recover potions from the environment
5:40 - Quest objective indicator change on approach
5:49 - Ranged attack danger indicator
5:51 - Defensive action (player reflects damage back on ranged attacker)
6:06 - Enemies can be knocked off edges when fatal
6:10 - Destructible objects in combat, can be scripted
6:16 - Some kind of “special” dodge skill with VFX, likely a rogue class skill
6:51 - Second context-specific traversal method (sliding down a slope) also likely a second “can’t go back” type of lockoff
7:01 - Action/Command UI (party/self ability commands)
7:06 - Specific skill used, skill cooldown, enemy debuffed + UI (weakened), resource used (purple bar at bottom of screen)
7:07 - Quick use button mapping, likely for controller face buttons
7:09 - Resource bar refills on its own and on attack damage
10:47 - Different kinds of health bars (likely magical shield and armor)
11:59 - Boss UI with both magical shield and armor bars. Not sure what the number 4 there indicates
12:15 - Telegraphed danger zones projected onto the floor
12:22 - Quick recover timing event
14:45 - Conversation option for branching cinematic
14:51 - Follower approval UI event log
18:49 - Destructible object with health bar and UI highlighting

Each of these elements is something that would need to be designed and implemented by someone on the gameplay team working with UI, engineering, and art. See anything I missed? Which did you get?

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Looks like they released the Dragon Age: Veilguard gameplay reveal today. Aspiring developers, here’s a homework assignment. Treat this as a video of a vertical slice. Make a list of the individual features and systems you observe working from the video. I’ll work my own list and post it on Friday. If you’re feeling confident, tag me and we’ll compare lists!

If you need an idea for what such a list might look like, read my [Vertical Slice Glossary Entry].

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Got a burning question you want answered?

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