Since the dawn of video games, we’ve had to settle for whatever controllers and controller layouts developers and publishers gave us. Though some games featured customizable controls, most did not. The idea of controllers or control inputs for those with limited motor functions wasn’t even an afterthought.
Things are different now. Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One allow users to completely remap their controllers’ buttons. Taking things further is the Xbox Adaptive Controller and Logitech’s Adaptive Gaming Kit, which makes gaming even more accessible. Going into the next console generation, it’s safe to assume we’ll see further improvements and developments with accessible gaming.
One title that takes this mantra to heart is HyperDot. Developed by Charles McGregor, HyperDot is a minimalist arcade-style game that allows users to play with almost any controller on the market. It even supports the aforementioned Xbox Adaptive Controller.
I had the chance to chat with Charles to learn more about HyperDot. We discuss the game’s genesis, its minimalist design, and its support for a wide variety of controllers.
What is HyperDot all about?
HyperDot is an action arcade game where you dodge everything. You play as a circle and all you have to do is avoid these shapes that come in from around an arena. There are modifiers that change the way you play. You can have players grow twice as big or move twice as fast. You can change the arena itself and turn it dark so you can’t see everything around you. There’s a single-player and a multiplayer mode in addition to a level editor where you can make your own levels.
What’s in the single-player?
There are over 100 single-player levels where you’re either trying to survive for a certain amount of time or collect a certain amount of tokens. It’s a lot of small scenario-based gameplay.
What about multiplayer?
In that one, you’re trying to outlast your friends. You’re trying to survive the longest and see who can collect the most tokens. There’s another variant that’s sort of like King of the Hill where you want to stay in an area for as long as possible. You can also change all the modifiers and customize them however you want.
What was the original inspiration for HyperDot? How did it all begin?
I had a class in school that had nothing to do with video games. We had to do a research topic on a topic of our choice but we couldn’t use power points. I kind of like power points but I was like, okay, I’ll make a game instead. The topic I chose was anti-piracy techniques in video games. That would bring up DRM and other things. Like Earthbound and how they made a separate copy to trick pirates.
Originally, the game looked more or less like it does now, only the dot was the video game and the enemies were the pirates coming to steal it. It was reaching. I really wanted to make a game at that point. From there, after I did that presentation, I brought it to a local event here in Minnesota. My friends (and myself) were super jazzed on working on it. Eventually, it all went away from that piracy stuff and it is what it is now.
Did you have any programming knowledge before you started making HyperDot?
I’ve been making games ever since I was 11 years old. My dad is a computer scientist and he sat me down and taught me how to program. I also had an interest in art and music so video games were just the greatest melding of all those things in addition to having the interactive portion of it.
I’ve loved video games since I was three. So yeah, I’ve been making games and experimenting but this is like the biggest game I’ve ever made. This is the second fully released game I’ve ever done that was just me on my own.
What was the name of your first game?
It was Glitch in the System. That one was similar to Geometry Wars where you run around as a person shooting enemies and such. It was available on the App Store and Google Play but it’s no longer up there. The only place where you can find it now is on the Windows Store.
What games would you compare HyperDot to?
People compare it to Geometry Wars when they’re in passive mode and not shooting at others. There’s N++ in terms of visual style. Then there’s Super Hexagon in terms of how the game flows where people just want to play one more.
How are you making this game inclusive to a wider audience with its controls?
When I was originally making the game I had two different pillars. There was minimalism and there was flexibility. For flexibility, I wanted people to customize the modifiers however they wanted. You can have ice mode where you can’t stop moving, or have it so players move twice as fast. You can do all of these different modifiers and things.
Since HyperDot is available on Steam, I wanted it to support a wide range of controllers. If you have a Nintendo Switch Pro controller, the game will change the icons and it’ll update things and work with no problems. The same is true for mouse and keyboard or an Xbox controller. Because the mechanics of HyperDot are so minimalist, I was able to support a lot of controllers and input options.
I added eye-tracking support, which was more of an offshoot thing that my friend thought would be funny if I included. It wasn’t until I did that where I started to realize this could be more inclusive in terms of if the person has no motor control. They could play HyperDot with just their eyes.
Was it challenging getting HyperDot to work with so many different types of controller inputs?
From a technical level, it wasn’t super challenging. I’m using Unity and there’s an asset on the asset store called Rewired. I can shout praises about Rewired for days. What it does is help manage and translate a lot of controller inputs. It will know if a user is playing with an Xbox One, a PS4, or a Switch controller. It’ll even support flight sticks. It does that as well as a multitude of other things.
But from a technical side, it was more of a design thing where I had to figure out how to have it so the menus work with vastly different controllers and inputs. Like, if you’re using a mouse vs using a controller vs. using touch, just making sure everything from a design standpoint worked well and felt natural so that you could use it in a wide variety of inputs.
How have those who’ve played and tested HyperDot reacted? What do they think of it?
It depends on the mode they played. If they played multiplayer it definitely becomes a super fun party game to them. They see it in that kind of light. Multiplayer is totally a party mode type of thing where you can have fun and go crazy with the modifiers and things like that. There’s like a random mode where it’ll choose random modifiers every time you reset. It’s a lot of fun that way.
For single-player, a lot of people like that it’s super easy to get into because all you have to do is dodge. A lot of people enjoyed that it is super challenging even though it’s minimal.
Lastly, what do you want people to take away from HyperDot after playing it?
I hope they find enjoyment in some aspect of the game whether it be multiplayer, single-player, or if they want to create their own levels. That’s part of the reason I really enjoyed working with a variety of people to help make it so more folks can actually enjoy it. At the end of the day, I want people to enjoy themselves. If they come away with overcoming a hard single-player level or they like gaming together at a party and playing multiplayer. That is also great.
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