Firstly, thanks to everyone for the support!
So far, we’re tracking well on Steam Greenlight. If you haven’t voted yet, you can help us get this game in your hands faster by going here and voting yes!
Secondly, we’ve received a lot of questions on social media and Steam Greenlight about how the game is played and what’s going on in the announce trailer, so read on for the breakdown:
Core
At its core, Icon: Disc Jam is about scrambling to catch and throw a fast moving disc. The sooner you aim and throw it after catching it, the faster the disc will travel. Points are primarily scored by getting the disc past the goal line.
Upon entering an end zone, the pylons on either side of the court take aim and fire their railguns, obliterating the disc and ending the point. The center end zone is worth five points while the end zones in the corners are worth three.
Characters
The Icon in Icon: Disc Jam is all about the characters. All games under the Icon umbrella will share the same character roster; Disc Jam being the first of the series. At launch, players will be able to choose from a wide array of zany characters. Additionally, players will be able to choose from different cosmetic variants (skins) of that character. In the trailer (and the above GIF) what you’re seeing is a turntable of a single character and his accompanying “Barbarian” skin.
Deflection
Deflection is an important mechanic in Icon: Disc Jam. There are two ways that the disc can be deflected.
The first is by hitting the ‘Throw/Deflect’ button before the disc reaches you. Your character stops in place and braces for impact with the disc. If timed correctly, your character deflects the disc up into the air instead of catching it. A poorly timed block will result in less predictable deflections.
The second way that the disc can be deflected is if it reaches your character while you are facing away from it. Instead of catching the disc, it knocks your character to the ground. If the disc lands on the court, the opposing team is awarded two points, a likely scenario if playing Singles. If playing Doubles, your teammate has an opportunity to recover the disc.
Power Throws
While in the air after a deflection, the disc’s landing point is depicted by a white indicator on the ground. Moving your character to the center of the indicator initiates a charge-up that, if completed before the disc lands, powers up your next throw and gives the disc devastating movement, speed, or impact.
Talk With Us!
Keep in mind that this game is still very early in development. These are the base mechanics and gameplay that we will be building on during the weeks and months ahead. All gameplay and art is subject to change, and we’re very excited to start engaging the community about all of it as we move forward.
We have a thread going on over in the Unreal Engine forums here. Stop by and ask us questions, share your cool ideas, or just chat! We’d love to hear from you.