Nostalgic Game Design Focus - SpeedBall 2 - Brutal Deluxe

Source

When the 'ball' itself is made from a steel alloy you know that things are going to get rather rough in this Cyberpunk-meets-Rugby game classic from 'The Bitmap Brothers'.

'SpeedBall 2 - Brutal Deluxe' has you managing a new team, 'Brutal Deluxe', on its journey of conquest up the extreme sporting ranks.

---

Welcome. This is 'Nostalgic Game Design Focus' a series where I get to think back and comment upon games that I had played when I was much younger - mostly from a game-design perspective.

---

Title: SpeedBall 2 - Brutal Deluxe

Publishers: Image Works

Developer: The Bitmap Brothers

Designer: Eric Matthews

Artist: Daniel Malone

Composer: 'Nation 12'

Released: 1990

---

Of the Atari games that I persisted in playing throughout the 90s, 'SpeedBall 2 - Brutal Deluxe' was one of those games that not only helped to define that experience - but it stood up to the test of time quite well, with future remakes of the game borrowing heavily from this game's style choices.

Source

---

Premise of the Game

The year is 2105, 10 years following the events of 'Speedball' when violence and corruption forced the game underground.

It remained underground for 5 years until 2100, when efforts to repopularize the game resulted in a the organization of the more refined but still extreme sport - 'Speedball 2'.

In 2105, a new team emerges - 'Brutal Deluxe'.

The narrative of the game centers around this team - and you're manager (and potentially every player - just like in many sport games).

Source

Game Modes

When one loads the game one can play single player or two player game.

In Single Player one gets to choose between different match configurations:

Knockout - This mode starts you off against the weakest team 'Revolver' in a knock-out ladder process that culminates with a match against the toughest team in the game 'Super Nashwan'. Prior to each match one can build one's teams stats, trade star players and shift team configuration. This is the most straightforward yet challenging match configuration which might explain why I tended to favour it (and have my butt mostly handed to me by 'Super Nashwan').

Source

League - In playing in this mode it is the points that one accumulates throughout multiple matches that counts, rather than needing to win every game. Ending up top of 2nd division (or alternatively ending second 'and' winning the resulting playoffs game) gets the team promoted to 1st division - where the teams are a lot harder.

Cup - Playing in this mode involves a more elaborate ladder and contest in pursuit of the cup trophy. More money is in this kind of game (as one might expect) - which is just as well as one will need to get good on stats pretty early on.

Practice - There is also a fourth mode which allows players to simply get in a quick game of Speedball without concerning themselves with building the team. 'Practice' is that mode.

Source

In two-player mode, as the name suggests, first two players take it in turns to build their teams accordingly, and then they go head-to-head in game.

I do not personally remember many two-player games but I imagine that such might have been down to the whole pre-building teams thing before play. Some people just want to switch-on-and-go.

To pause briefly to consider what might have been, I'd have considered a quick side-by-side display with money levels (which is helpful for formalizing handicap matches in the event of a power or skill imbalance) - and a means of allocating such to faceless groups and players. Just select the positions that one wants to invest in and invest away. That'll make the pre-game more fun in a 2-player context.

The Pre-Game Phase

Before every encounter a player has several options open to them. The most important of these are the 'Trade Players' section and the 'Gym' section.

Source

Gym - While I really like playing the actual games, I truly found it rewarding to get into the 'Gym' pre-match to train the players up. I guess that a part of me really likes to micromanage.

When one enters the gym one sees an impressive suit of Speedball 2 gear on the right and you get to spend the Team's hard-earned cash upon upgrades.

Perhaps it was due to the nature of my earliest gaming experiences, but I absolutely adored that this game went into such detail as to provide a whole array of stats that one could invest in.

As one would click upon a particular stat, the corresponding piece of gear would highlight golden on screen. That, along with the high pitched 'chink' noises as each attribute rose meant that it felt great to upgrade.

Source

The stats are themselves are also worth considering from a game design perspective.

Aggression - Raising this stat increased the odds of a computer-controlled somebody on your team (you could only control one at a time) attacking somebody on the opposite end of the team, whether via sliding tackles or, less often (since you'd normally be in control), simple hand clobbering.

Attack: - Raising this stat increased the odds of a tackle or clobber knocking over the opponent.

Defence: - Raising this stat improves that character's odds of resisting getting knocked over by a tackle or clobbering.

Speed: - Raising this stat increases that character's movement on the playing field. Really useful for collecting power-ups and money and.... everything.

Source

Stamina: I always thought that raising this stat would improve a player's health and how much punishment it would take to take him or her out. However it appears that this actually concerns the odds of that character becoming weaker in stats as a game wears on. I have also heard that it increases the duration of some power-ups.

Throwing: - The higher the stat the further one can throw the ball. I am not sure if it also improves throwing accuracy but I'd be surprised if it didn't.

Power: - Raising this stat results in a greater ammount of pain inflicted upon opposing players when successfully tackling or clobbering them.

Intelligence: - Raising this stat increased the odds of a computer-controlled somebody on your team deliberately choosing to take certain actions to the advantage of the team - such as picking up useful items, making use of points modifiers (opposing team mostly), bonus points, etc.

Source

---

One problem that this design could potentially have produced is an extreme case of min-maxing on the part of players. Where a player gets particular stats (like attack and power) and sink all their points into them while neglecting others (such as aggression and intelligence) because they are more useful to NPCs anyway - and many players just want to rock when they are rocking.

The Bitmap Brothers had a great solution to this, limiting the 'maximum' level of any given stat on the basis of the minimum stat across the field of the team's stats collectively. So if the lowest stat your substitute in the team is 100 then your maximum stat is around 130.

Its a really smart bit of game design that still allows for plenty of customization. You can still max out the defence and stamina stats of your Goalie and defence (since your goalie 'is' gonna take a beating if you're not dominating), and ensuring that your forwards have the speed, attack and power they need to steam forwards - and maybe collect much-needed money on the field. That is just the tip of the iceberg. This is half the strategy.

Source

On the left hand side of the panel on the left side of the 'Gym' screen would be three buttons:

'I' - to select an individual team member.

'G' - to select a group within the team (Defence, Midfield, Forwards, Substitutes).

'T' - to select the entire Team.

Through these a player could choose to boost particular parts of a team. Which is essential for smart up-grading. Its nice to boost a substitute but its not a bad idea for the characters out from the start to get more love and attention than the backbenchers.

I really like how 'The Bitmap Brothers' designed this pre-match part of the game to provide a lot of the customization that one could desire - if one is bothered to delve into such. I still feel that it would have been beneficial to have included some generic shortcuts like 'smarts' (aggression and intelligence), 'offensive' (power and attack), 'defensive' (defence and stamina) and 'reflexes' (throw and speed) to help speed up this phase.

Source

Trading Players:

Before most matches the player would be prompted to there being players available on the market.

These would involve star players from other teams offering their services for a price (listed right above their names with their preferred position on-field).

In the early game they are a fairly good way of getting a player on who is more powerful than your team can be at that time - but there are only a couple of star players that are actually better than your team members 'can' be once fully upgraded. Plus buying such a player takes money away from developing the whole team.

Again, here one can pause to appreciate the choices provided to the player - the option that will prove beneficial short-term but may be harmful long-term, or the more patient grind of the normal upgrade process.

Considering that any team of 12 characters includes three reserve spots, one could compromise and have any eventual inferior 'star' player on the benches. Lots of options and that what fascinates me about the pre-game phase.

That being said, the game would have been better had more star players been included as options.

Source

---

In 'SpeedBall 2' - each Match consists of two 'halves' each lasting 90 seconds.

During this period each team seeks to demolish the other - and gain points.

The team with the highest number of points at the end of the game wins.

But don't think that its necessarily a civil affair. Oh no. No indeed.

Characters are going to be sliding left and right - or worse.

Source

There exist several ways to gain points on the Scoreboard:

Scoring Goals (10 points) - You know how it is. One team is on one side and the opponent's goal is on the other side. If you get your steel ball past or through the goalkeeper - you score!

Strike Bounce Pod in the middle of the field (2 points) - You can choose to throw the ball at the bounce pod (or is it a pillar? Hard to tell in a top-down view game) for a couple of safe points. If you're lucky and dead-on you can even get away with repeating it, however there is a good chance that you'll either get tackled or the throw won't be quite right and will bounce elsewhere.

Source

Strike the Star Panels on the side of the field. (2 points each) - To the left side of the opponent's goal is an array of 5 star shaped wall panels. Hitting any one of these lights the star in your team colour and provides points. If you manage to light all five of them then those points become 'safe' and you can begin the process again. However, opposing players can also throw the ball at your stars, deactivating them and reducing your points.

Injure Opponents (10 points) - Yes in this game you actually score points for laying your opponents down with injury! No players taking a fall pretending they're injured (unless they do so out of the terror of actually getting injured i.e.).

Points Multiplier - Toward the middle of the pitch, on either side is a loop-to-loop section of wall. Throwing the ball along the wall into this will take the ball for a loop - and will modify the points gained from that point onward. One light means x 1.5 while two lights means a x 2.0 points multiplier. Similarly as with the Stars Panels, the teams can counter each others' rewards. The process itself does not score points - but it remains an important element to gaining points.

---

Source

Power-Ups

A whole lot could be said about power-ups and its best just to go over a few of them.

Throughout the game one will find various icons strewn about the pitch.

Why? I don't know.

I like to think that some heavily-invested betters/ supporters are lobbing these things over the safety rails and so they end up on the ground - and that this is perfectly permissible behavior.

Another theory is that some of these power-ups are randomly generated by the game organizers to spice up the game, with some powers directly interacting with players' Speedball suits for all kinds of entertaining results.

Source

Want to freeze an opposing team in place or knock them all down (perhaps with a taser jolt)? There are icons for those things. Want to move faster or heal up? That too. Boosts to various abilities - represented by the appropriate body part's gear? Also!

And money too. Its the main source of income in the game - to run around collecting coins to spend for the next matches.

Power balls are always available - at the side of the pitch - superheating the ball (I am guessing that there are special hand holds for safe (and skillful) carrying) proving too hot to handle or catch when lobbed.

This for the most part adds to the game - and adds to the thrills both of play and to simply watch.

Source

In Conclusion

'SpeedBall 2 - Brutal Deluxe' is not a perfect game but it is certainly a great game and a gem that I'd been lucky enough to play. In truth I am surprised that nobody has sought to create a Speedball league in real life. While it needn't be as 'injurious' as that depicted in the game, I would certainly like to munch on some popcorn watching a match or three.

Oh yes- back to the game. If you like the idea of a contact sport with a little brutality mixed in then this is totally worth playing. Writing about this has revived an itch for me.

---

Here follows a couple of videos (of shorter length) of the game on Amiga (yeah - it pains me but they are goo videos of the type that I was seeking :cP). You may find the music during the first one to be worth the listen to, it certainly takes 'me' back a couple of decades.

As for the second video. Well this player is wiping the floor with a team that more often than not used to wipe the floor with my guys. ;c)

Which is fine. I think that I've grown more strategic - although I fear that it may take me a while to get my game reflexes back. :cP

---

Nostalgia is always good! I hope that you enjoyed the trip down memory lane. :c) Do you have any comments or feedback? Do get in on the discussion down below!

Also, if you found this post interesting and would like to share this with your followers and friends then a resteem is always appreciated.

Sincerely,

Previous Post: The Path of Least Resistance - Nature's Way