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UX Case Study · Solo Combat Feel
Dharma of the Fallen
A solo combat-feel sprint: design and iterate readable signifiers for the chakram, enemy threats, and player damage—scoped to what one month could ship and teach.
4Weeks in Production
1Designer
3Combat Systems
1Vertical Slice
01
Constraints
What bounded the month—team size, time, and what “done” had to mean for combat feel.
02
Pitch for Those Constraints
The creative frame that made the scope playable: fantasy, core loop, and what players should feel in the first minute.
03
Chakram Mechanic
Throw, recall, and hit feedback—the primary verb and how players learn it without a tutorial dump.
Playtesting feedback
How I incorporated feedback
04
Enemies
Threat readability—wind-ups, telegraphs, and how encounters pressure the chakram loop.
Signifiers & gameplay videos
Playtesting feedback
How I incorporated feedback
05
Player Damage
Taking hits—signifiers for damage states, i-frames or recovery, and whether failure reads as fair.