The Tragedy of the SHL franchise
Since the first SHL game back in 2015, the only reason anyone had fun was because of three things:
- the character creator
- the super powers
- the map to play with others in
Now, SHL1 was simple as that was really all it attempted. In some ways this is the most successful game in the franchise for that fact - it sets out to do only a little, and succeeds. SHL2 was a success because it improved upon the ingredients above. The character creator allowed more customization, going from being able to make generic superheroes to (through what was originally a bug) almost any 4 limbed character imaginable. The super powers went from a dozen reskinned gear and free models to almost 30 hand-coded tools to use throughout a map that was almost 2x as large, however much easier to navigate due to embracing more fantastical building designs and color schemes.
Despite this improvement, these were arguably the only areas SHL2 succeeded. It added a base customization system that was the literal bare minimum. It added a quest system, but filled it with generic fetch quests that got boring after 5 minutes. It added a stamina system for super powers that took the fun act of flying and reduced it to the act of falling every 20 seconds when you ran out of energy.
Frankly, SHL2 succeeded in spite of my worst ideas. In SHL3 this style of development would finally get me in trouble. Like a blind surgeon, in my attempt to innovate on the SHL3 design I tore through each of the 3 key ingredients for what makes a SHL game fun. They were left in tatters, and replaced by mechanics that just weren’t fun enough to replace them such as a jobs system and a jailbreak inspired prison system, among others. In order to truly obliterate the pillars holding me up, I not only reduced customization in favor of more stylized presets, but I also decided to monetize it to make up for the underperforming SHL2 monetization (see bare minimum base customization system).
So yeah, SHL2 was a happy accident, and SHL3 was just an accident. And here I am, thinking I’m ready for SHL4. Before SHL4 can be the best SHL game ever, I need to learn how to make SHL games - and fast.
All Good Things Must Come to an End
In the past year, the published SHL franchise has begun losing momentum.
SHL2 has been in a steady decline for years since its 2017 release.
SHL3 however got a bit of CPR in March, as you can see with the numbers improving for the duration of April, however it wasn’t enough to save the game from its inevitable decline.
Frankly, at this rate of decline I’ll either have to get SHL4 perfect out of the box - which looking at my track record is highly unlikely - or I’ll be forced to get a full time job to make ends meet. And realistically, that means I won’t have much time to make SHL games anymore. At best, I may have 3-4 months left before that happens.
This grim future assumes this rate of decline continues indefinitely - what if we could fix that? Is there a way to be the hero that SHL3 needs?
At first, I was thinking I’d just recreate the character editor + use a bunch of analytics to patch the game back into functionality. However after going through the code and trying to reorganize it all, I realized how much of it would be easier to simply rewrite, rather than try to reintegrate. It’s like turning a chicken nugget back into a chicken - some messes are just too difficult to undo.
So, I decided to go all in.
Pausing SHL4
And that’s what I’m announcing today. SHL4 development is halted - kind of. In many ways it’s going to live on, but it won’t be the same SHL4.
Some of you may have guessed, but looking back - I think I was making SHL4 for me. The scope of it continued to grow and grow, because I loved the challenge. Making a map was boring, but making a tool that generates infinite maps was interesting. Recoding the same old super powers was boring, but coding a fully customizable power system was interesting. Coding character editors was boring, but handcrafting a UI library to do so was interesting. Character customization was boring, so what if I worked with a skilled artist to create a whole new type of avatar, and filled it with cool unnecessary features like inverse kinematics, cape physics, emotable faces, cage mesh clothes, hair physics - well, that sounds like an interesting challenge.
I wasn’t being strategic, I was being complacent - enabling my own desire to grow at all costs, to impress others, to validate my own skills as a developer, and to avoid the mundanity that accompanies actually releasing games.
But, if I failed as a game producer, I succeeded as a game developer. This last year of over 2000 hours of coding character editors, avatar movement systems, super powers, analytics. Making multiple smaller games on a minimal budget in very small timeframes taught me how to be scrappy, save every penny and spend on what matters to the final experience. A year of reading 5 different books on game programming and design, on constructing and researching design and analytics philosophies, on working with dozens of devs to help them improve their games. I’ve grown more in the last 365 days than in the last 5 years.
I hadn’t really realized that until I began remaking SHL3 from the ground up.
Saving SHL3
SHL3 is getting a redo, being rebuilt from the ground up and marketed as SHL3: Legends Reborn. As that can be a mouthful the game title might just be shortened to “Legends Reborn” on some icons and thumbnails.
Making a SHL game never felt so simple. In spending the last year trying to make complicated systems that allow for infinite character designs, infinite maps, and custom super powers, I massively increased my aptitude for creating character customization, expansive maps, and combat mechanics.
Or, put more succinctly:
But what does this mean? Basically, SHL3 is going to be returning to its roots, and establishing what made the previous SHL games work. It’s also going to be out faster than any SHL game ever before.
Unsure about that? I don’t blame you, but in only 2 weeks of development I have:
- translated the old archaic SHL3 data format into the more flexible SHL4 format.
- Recreated the suit building system
- Created a 600 acre island map that has 30% less parts than the current SHL3 map (and 60% less parts if I were to remake all the buildings from SHL3, rather than port some of the old ones over).
- Implemented the prototype SHL4 power system, as well as created a library to translate pre-existing SHL3 powers into this new system.
My goal is to have the game tested in the next 2-3 weeks, and to have it published to the live game another 2 weeks after that. I will then focus on the game until I have squeezed every bit of potential out of it. Once that has been done, then I will return to work on SHL4. Or not, lol, I might need a few months of break from superhero games - maybe I’ll give Nightships another shot.
But, when this is over there will be no more debates about which is the best SHL game, it will be SHL3.
Map 2.0
So, why remake the SHL3 map? Frankly two reasons - the old one doesn’t look like any city anyone’s ever lived in, being so artificially jammed together on such a small plot of land. And secondly, it’s also quite laggy, being composed of over 30k parts compared to SHL2s 12k. This means some mobile players just can’t play.
Well, in exchange for a slightly longer initial loading time, this new map is not only a mere 20k parts (of which 7k are from recycled unoptimized SHL3 map assets, which I will replace over time), but it also will be streaming enabled - meaning you really only have to load in the nearby map to begin playing.
The heart of the map is a dense urban environment, taking inspiration from Trenton, NYC, Seattle, Indianapolis, and Roblox’s own San Mateo! It’s a very car centric city, for better and for worse - actually I’m gonna level with you it’s all worse, cars make cities awful. Most of my life in NYC has become people honking at eachother. I hate cars now. Because of that you’ll be able to destroy all of these cars, in fact most of the props of the smaller meshes lining the streets can be flung / destroyed by powerful attack moves.
Because of all of this first-hand experience within these cities, I can comfortably say this is the first SHL game which actually feels like it takes place in a city. Because of the massive increase in number of buildings, apartments now exist within multiple different buildings based on their price level as well as cost of living in that area of town.
Despite much of the surrounding map being new, most of the buildings with interiors are composed of pieces of the former map. Some buildings were ported entirely, others were given a facelift. For example, here’s a close up of the remixed entrance for the Hero HQ. Technically the bones are the same, but it’s a much different experience.
Outside the city is much more reminiscent of Indiana with a dash of Utah, a vast valley with buildings spread out and mountains looming in the distance. It’s currently a bit sparse, with most gameplay happening at key locations, rather than being spread across it. Over time I hope to add more of these fun unique locations that wouldn’t work in a dense city - for example I’ve already added a volcano 
and a train depot 
- though neither of them are scripted yet, and might not be for the initial release. For now they serve more as unique locations to RP, with potential to become fun places for future action.
Powers 2.0
Where before powers in SHL3 had a single move you could do, now each power will be its own moveset, a moveset that can when relevant be layered with other compatible powers. The key to make this possible while not overwhelming users with a bunch of buttons is context based actions - and that’s where finite state machines come in.
This is a finite state machine, and it’s the heart of SHL3s powers.
If you’re a game programmer, read the free book this diagram came from.
For example, if you have a bo-staff and jump while running, ideally your character will use that bo-staff like a vaulting pole, allowing you to jump higher and farther. Alternatively a person with katanas who jumps off a ledge can drag their swords against the wall behind them to slow their descent. If you have lightning powers, and are fighting someone, it would use a taser punch when they’re close, and a lightning arc strike when they’re far away.
What’s awesome about this, is that it also allows some modularity in power functionality, as I can just hook up new moves to states. For example, swinging a sword is a fairly contained move, so if you’re flying then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to equip both! Flying doesn’t involve hands - well probably - honestly I can’t fly, but in SHL3 it won’t.
So yeah, I’m going to retranslate all of the SHL3 abilities with this in mind, allowing you to get a next level - and hopefully natural feeling - super power experience.
Character Customization 2.0
Customization in SHL3 feels limiting, so we’re going to take the customization assets we have and make the most of them. We’re also going to make everything free - but don’t worry if you paid money to purchase ones currently, your support for the game will not go unrewarded, and at the bare minimum the amount you spent in in-game currency will be refunded. Long term I think it’d be great to provide flair, maybe even unique item textures for people who lost items as well. For now though, the goal is to make customization fun, and for that I need access to the entire library of options.
You’ll be able to apply outfits on a more precise level, where in the past you could only do limb specific such as “Right arm”, now you’ll be able to specify which region, such as “Upper Left Arm”, or “Left Hand”, etc. To accompany this new age of region specific customization I’ll be flooding the tool with recycled and purchased meshes to provide more dynamic options, similar to how SHL2 amped up customization with accessories.
Power customization will be allowed to some extent, with certain items allowing you to change your weapon mesh, weapon / projectile colors, etc.
Miscellaneous improvements
UI improvements and additions:
- Minimap
- Enabling Roblox Native Emote UI
- Enabling VC once it’s out
- Redoing all existing UI
- Removing the player database and replacing it with a player profile system triggerable when you meet a player / chat with them.
- Filterable server lists to eventually become a custom server mechanic.
Long Term Roadmap
At this time, I don’t have an explicit roadmap because I want to release this new version of the game and then do a ton of analytics on it. From there I’ll build out each of the core pillars above as needed. Some ideas I am interested in as potential directions include:
- Creating a bunch of defined multi-server round based games you can join similar to GTA, with some frontrunners including a Battle Royale mode, a Tournament mode, a Team Deathmatch mode, Hide & Seek, Boss Battles, etc.
- Creating permanent server configuration modes such as a Cops & Robbers mode, a 1 Death = Banned from Server mode, a post-apoc/halloween/christmas/cyberpunk map reskin mode, etc.
- Adding in a progression system for powers similar to what was planned in SHL4, with upgradeable traits and abilities
- A customizable vehicle system, as well as vehicles with offensive capabilities.
- In game team mechanics & custom super team & clan creation
- Custom superhero bases done right, and done really extra
Conclusion
I’m excited to work on SHL3 - something I’m not sure I would have thought I’d say again. It feels like I’m making up for past mistakes, and tbh it feels good to have a game with a defined scope and measured expectations. I look forward to not just getting to use what I’ve learned in SHL4, but to release what I’ve made, and I hope y’all like it!
Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter in the SHL franchise
-CJ