Thumper – Timeline

Library

04.2009

18.08.2009

  • driving along a track
    • grid based
  • “arrows” to turn 90 degrees
  • “space” to thump / pick up objects / hit notes
  • health
    • increasing by hitting notes
    • decreasing over time
  • death by
    • falling down
    • no health
  • no sound!
  • levels as txt-files

24.08.2009

  • sound!
  • controller! (dpad)
    • “rb” to pick up / hit notes
    • “lb” to jump
  • added pick up objects / notes
  • level / sound experiments
    • explorable structures
  • general level settings as yaml-file

20.09.2009

  • first textures!
  • experiments with different field behaviour
    • slow down, auto-turn, etc.
    • boarders!
    • more sounds / notes
  • new controlls
    • “lb” and “rb” to change track
    • “y” to jump
  • more level / sound experiments
  • extended yaml-settings

20.12.2009

  • graphics and vfx
    • textures and backgrounds!
    • the beetle!
    • vfx for hitting a note
  • advanced sounds / samples structure
    • more sounds / notes
  • new controlls
    • “x” to jump
  • two streamlined levels
    • tutorial and advanced
    • linear
    • rhythm by turning
  • new level file structure
    • data instead of txt
    • samples as yaml

10.2009

10.07.2010

  • no health
  • no manual turning (auto)
  • one line (no tracks)
    • increasing / decreasing height
  • advanced graphics and vfx
    • beetle / clouds / etc.!
  • three streamlined levels

01.01.2011

  • title screen!
  • no level selection
    • one playthrough!
  • new level / sound structure
    • sequencer / looping!
      • streak / intensity / etc.
      • “shooting” by hitting the right notes
      • boss fight!
  • graphics and vfx
    • bending!
    • objects flying by
    • animations
    • light effects, etc.
  • new controlls
    • analogue stick to stear
    • “a” to thump
    • “x” to jump
    • “b” to make a wawe

Marc Flury leaves Harmonix, moves to South Korea

08.2011

09.2012

Founding Drool LLC

08.2013

Thumper Debut Trailer (due for release in 2014)

11.2013

05.03.2014

  • proper game menu
    • splash & title screen!
    • loading!
    • ingame menu
  • graphics and vfx
    • no visible grid!
    • faster!
    • flyby effects and objects (animated)
  • level / song segments & elements
    • normal track
      • curves!
    • broad “highways”
      • free stearing (left & right)
      • collect & avoid objects
    • sequencer / looping / shooting
  • tutorial / instructions
  • (immadiately) dying by
    • hitting obstacles
    • not turning in curves
    • jumping over the border
  • restart from the beginning
  • new controlls
    • “x” to jump
    • hold “a” to fly (short)
    • “left/right” to stear (on road)
    • “left/right” and “a” to turn
  • new level file structure (objlib)

04.2014

Brians List
these are the problems, roughly in order, I think should be solved:

  • Finish new decorator interactions
    • complete all bounce interactions
    • bumper interaction
    • blubber monster throws you in reverse for a sequin
    • maybe a similar guy that just slows you down
    • a guy that causes you to go dangerously fast for a sequin length
    • christmas tree monster sits on your head and blocks your view for a sequin
    • big christmas tree monster sits on your head and you can’t thump for a sequin
    • spiders, spikes, turns, scraping for too long, others cause you to lose your weapon, or kill you if unarmed
    • a guy that steals your coins
    • jump in the tube to enter a warp sequin and then exit back to level
    • bird delivers weapon you catch in your pinchers
    • extra life power up
  • coins collected represented somehow at some point in time
  • special grind thumps are Enabled Disabled based on whether you are in thump grind state
  • special pound thumps are Enabled Disabled based on whether you are in thump flying state
    • (side note) I think pounding or grind-thumping a normal thump should give you the normal effect, and we should make these moves only special when we want them to be?
  • jump into hole- warp world. And get launched back to where you left off
  • zillapede boss battle. We should make the zillapede into a clear ‘progress meter’ somehow. Its clear how many weapon hits you need to kill it
  • I think the boss battle should be timed this can be represented as the boss and gate slowly getting closer to you, there is a clear approaching boundary line that once you cross it, the closed gate and zilla flies towards you and kills you
  • when you kill the zillapede gate explodes and you fly through you are given a score tally- explains number of thumps + multiplier thumps, adds them, and sends you to the next level

23.10.2014

  • new menu!
    • options, etc.
  • restructuring
    • select where to start
      • tutorial or level only
    • lives (99)
    • increasing / decreasing “armor”
      • collect wings
    • restart from last segment
  • level / song segments
    • smoother transition
    • segments improved
  • new elements / controlls
    • “up” (wings up) & hit note to jump / douple jump / triple jump
    • pound to shoot
    • grind

11.2014 – 02.2015

  • refining graphics & vfx
  • refining sfx
  • refining level structure
    • preparatory rhythm before each thump
    • new objects / new flow
  • experimenting with lives
    • no lives / 9 lives / etc.

03.2015

Brian Gibson leaves Harmonix
Signing co-marketing deal with Sony

06.2015

12.2015

First VR Prototypes

11.10.2016

Release Steam & PS4 & Playstation VR

  • proper game!
  • final aesthetics & sounds!
  • score system
    • for each level segment
    • leaderboards
  • refined level structure
    • boss for each level
    • no preparatory rhythm before each thump
  • no lives
  • no bugs (except main character)

18.10.2016

11. – 12.2016

Steam Updates

  • Vive & Oculus support
  • Play+ mode
  • improvements & fixes
    • quick restart
    • restart from checkpoint
    • thumb relief

now!