NAILING THINGS DOWN
Like all of the games I come up with and want to make (very few of which even see as much as a keystroke of development), I’ve been thinking about this game pretty much non-stop for a couple of weeks. I’ve got a ton of ideas for the game–some to do with how to ‘stay true’ to the genre, some to do with how to deviate to add something original and worthwhile.
A few things I know for sure:
- I’m doing this one right. No half-assed hacking just to get shit done. I’m going to need a proper outline and game design doc, and I’m going to have to establish a normal routine so the project doesn’t rust and atrophy. Regular refactoring as well. I can’t have the tangled messes I’ve let happen in other projects.
- Grid-Based movement with some kind of turn-based play (this could be either semi-turn-based or full-out ‘wait for player action’).
- Nice 3D graphics. I really want to take full advantage of Unity’s new PBR and Lighting to make something that really looks great, and as I’ve said, I just got my hands on some really top-notch assets.
I’m tempted to add more in the above list, but, to stay on the safe side, I’ll make a second list of potential features currently under consideration:
- Multiple Levels/Areas–I think it would be more fun to have the player have the opportunity to spelunk in a cave system, bushwhack in a jungle, pillage in a crypt as well as crawl in the good ol’ dungeon.
- Open-world–I know what you’re thinking. How is this possible in a Dungeon Crawler? Seriously, have a look at The Quest. It integrates dungeon crawling and open-worldedness perfectly. A part of this is having towns that can be visited where quests can be undertaken and loot can be bought and sold (a feature missing from many dungeon crawlers).
- Complex character development–If any of you have read my earlier journals and are familiar with the last game I completed, Pixel Zombie Shooter, then you’ll know I’m keen on upgrades. I’d like to have a nice multi-branched skill tree for my players to fill up as they adventure.
- Questing–I briefly touched on this in number 2, but I’d really like to have some non-linear questing in this one as well. I think it would offer a lot of opportunity to develop lore and give me a chance to do some good storytelling.
- Procedural Generation–Yeah, I know. Buzz word. But seriously, I really want to get into this. I’ve already got some ideas for randomized weapon implementations like those found in Diablo, as well as for infinite guild quests and random dungeon areas. On that note, I’m not sure if I’d be interested in all hostile areas (dungeons, forests, etc.) being procedural, or just special ‘grinding/looting’ areas.