For my 2D game project I have decided to create a round-based survival game where the player controls a wizard who has to beat increasingly difficult waves of zombie gargoyles. The player will have spells which they can cast to attack and kill the enemies. These will be cast using a resource, such as mana or energy, which can be restored by the player through collectibles which enemies drop randomly. There will be no direct win condition for the game – instead the plan is to survive until you can’t survive anymore.
For the map I want to create a playable area which is larger than the camera area so the player can move around in the world. While the player is moving the camera should follow. I believe this is more suitable for the type of game I’m making as enemies will be spawning in throughout the game and we can use areas outside of the current camera’s bounds to hide the spawning from the player. Also, since the player will have limited resources to cast spells there will be a lot of movement required to avoid enemies while resources regenerate. A larger playable area helps to give the player more freedom to do this.
For the gameplay itself I want survival to be the main aim. The difficulty of the game must increase the longer the player survives which is why I have chosen to make the game round-based. I would also like to include some upgrade systems where the player can spend points gained from levelling up to increase their power or attributes. This system should have a good amount of equally valid options, each of which should lead to a viable and rewarding playstyle. This will make the game more varied and encourage replaying using different methods.
Although I would love to implement some kind of online leaderboard for the game, I feel this is beyond the necessary scope of the project. However, it could be something fun to add at a later date when all main gameplay systems are in place.
