"Fearless feathered soldiers handling machine guns": DUCKSIDE dev on ducks, gameplay, and more

DUCKSIDE is a unique title that will delight DayZ or Rust veterans but give them the waddling feet of a duck. You get to play as a "fearless feathered soldier" tackling PvP, PvE, base building, and crafting. The game was cheekily announced on April 1, and initial playtests have seen positive responses from a large number of participants.

In the first week of June 2024, I got into a conversation with tinyBuild, the devs behind DUCKSIDE. We discussed the choice of an unusual protagonist, the importance of flying in-game, the developmental journey, and more.

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DUCKSIDE dev on gameplay, development, and more

DUCKSIDE gameplay (Image via tinyBuild)

Q: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Can you please introduce DUCKSIDE to the readers?

tinyBuild: DUCKSIDE is a multiplayer survival shooter game inspired by early Rust, where ducks fight for survival against “human” NPCs and other player-controlled ducks.

It has what we refer to as “honest PVP” in a survival setting. Players have the freedom to play solo or group up, use any items or loot that they can find in order to build or raid bases, explore, and survive as long as possible.

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Q: What would you note as the major features of DUCKSIDE that players will surely love? What do you feel sets apart this game from other survival co-op titles in the market?

tinyBuild: The flying aspect creates a whole new area for skill-based gameplay. Players move faster across the map by flying instead of running, and they are shifting away from the traditional hiding behind covers and corners.

It introduces a new risk where there might always be somebody above you. In addition, ducks, as the main protagonists, are a lot of fun to play and a lot of fun to watch!

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Q: Why ducks as the player character? Any inspiration from Untitled Goose Game? Will we see similar antics?

tinyBuild: While Untitled Goose Game is a great game, we did not take any inspiration from it. Ducks are generally perceived as these cute, fun, little aquatic birds we often see around our cities. They might seem harmless, but they are still wild animals.

DUCKSIDE gameplay (Image via tinyBuild)

We took this opportunity to portray them as fearless feathered soldiers handling machine guns, ready to take over the world and fight against whoever stands in their way.

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Q: How is flying incorporated within the overall gameplay?

tinyBuild: Flying is the preferable means of travel and traversing the map. Even though it is faster than walking or running, flying exposes players to possible threats, coming from both NPCs and other ducks.

This makes the airborne fights dynamic, action-packed, and full of surprises, offering, we think, a small glimpse into how fighter jet pilots must feel.

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Q: What has the development journey been like? Any particular incident that you would like to share with readers?

tinyBuild: After we shipped our latest title in 2023, we were in deep R&D for our next game. After many prototypes were playtested, we considered borrowing the engine from DEADISE and introducing a flying character, where players would control a duck.

DUCKSIDE gameplay (Image via tinyBuild)

The biggest challenge here was shifting the team from Unity to Unreal Engine, and then moving to Unreal Engine 5. There was a lot of work to do in a short time frame, we succeeded and that’s how DUCKSIDE appeared.

We owe a lot of gratitude to the engine for helping the game look and feel as good as it does at such an early point in its development process.

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Q: Announcing on April 1 got many to think that the game was a prank. Was that decision intentional?

tinyBuild: Announcing the game on April 1 was an intentional decision and sparked a lot of conversation, speculation, and curiosity. We took advantage of what might have seemed like an April Fools Joke to draw attention to DUCKSIDE's possible existence.

Our first three-weeks playtest started soon after the announcement, and players could see and play DUCKSIDE after a lot of accusations of it “definitely being a prank” and were able to see for themselves that it was in fact real.

DUCKSIDE gameplay (Image via tinyBuild)

We amassed more than 150k playtest signups and had an average of 700-1000 CCU. Now we are looking forward to seeing players join the flock during our next playtest on June 6.

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Q: The May beta was quite a success with a large number of players waddling in. What was the most common feedback? Were there any complaints?

tinyBuild: The most common positive feedback centered around flying being a lot of fun and adding a unique layer of gameplay to the game. Typically in survival games, players only need to watch their surroundings, with no threat from above. In DUCKSIDE, however, players must be vigilant in all directions, including above, as threats can come from any angle.

The most common negative feedback was the lack of late-game content, which was expected, especially this early in the development process. The game has only been in development for a short time. Our focus is on developing game systems that create more emergent gameplay situations.

DUCKSIDE gameplay (Image via tinyBuild)

This approach broadens the variety of gameplay situations, offering more variability and fun moments for players that will keep the game fresh and the player engaged for longer.

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Q: When is the team aiming for the eventual release of DUCKSIDE? Is there another beta planned for anytime soon?

tinyBuild: The next Open Beta will start on June 6 on Steam. Players can experience our latest quality-of-life improvements and new building mechanics. We’ll also be releasing a major update on June 10 to keep the beta fresh.

We have not decided on a release date yet. However, stay tuned, as news will come soon!