Rust Dev's New Arcade Tennis Game Looks Like All Kinds of Fun

One week to the day after Rust developer Facepunch Studios announced twin-stick shooter Riftlight, the studio has revealed another new prototype, and this one is very different. From designer Ian James comes Deuce (name subject to change), a game described as "tennis crossed with Street Fighter."

The arcade-style tennis game focuses on unique characters and courts, which you can see in the GIF above and the prototype video here. James said he created the prototype because he enjoys arcade-style games with strong local multiplayer modes, and because he was tired of playing FIFA during his lunch breaks.

The current build of Deuce has a functional tennis system in place and some placeholder special moves. The game is also going to have online and local multiplayer modes. One issue James is facing includes how and when to trigger special abilities, but he says he is tinkering with how to best implement these features "all the time."

He says he has also faced challenges involving how to make a convincing animation system and creating better ball physics. James explained that instead of using the Unity game engine's own physics system, he coded his own method that lets him have greater control over the ball, allowing him to influence backspin, topspin, and curves (for special moves like you see in the video).

James has created four special moves so far for Deuce. These are listed below.

• Ice -- Freezes opponent when they return the ball
• Tornado -- Sends ball flying in random direction
• Teleport -- Switches the ball position mid-flight
• Fireball -- Pretty much self-explanatory

Regarding characters, James says Deuce will offer a "large roster," and said each would have their own move set. Some characters will be nimble, but won't be able to hit scorching shots, while others will be less agile, but can rip the ball down the line or into the court with power.

These characters also won't look like typical tennis players; don't expect to see the standard white attire of Wimbledon, James says. "We want to build a selection of characters that could star in their own games in the future or perhaps play different sports," he said.

In terms of locations, James said that like Street Fighter, every character will have their own matching location. He said he's also considering having elements in the court that come into play during matches.

Based on the video and images for Deuce so far, it looks like the game is coming along nicely. Still, James didn't say when he's targeting to release the game or what platforms it might come to. He plans to write weekly blog posts with progress reports, which you can access on the Facepunch website.

When Facepunch announced Riftlight last week, the developer was immediately criticized for starting work on a new game before Rust--available as an in-development game through Steam Early Access--was even finished. Facepunch has since responded, saying it is not uncommon for developers--big and small--to work on multiple games at once. He also said that work being done on Facepunch prototypes does not affect development on Rust.