Designing a New Sub-Style

Introduction

For over a 12 months, I have been the lead designer and producer for a small indie sport referred to as Go! Save the Queen! That is my first sport, and together with a small crew of different college students at Indiana College Bloomington, we hope to launch it in Spring 2024 as a part of our senior capstone. Initially, this sport was designed and pitched as a real-time technique sport in which you’d escort completely different queens by ranges and defend them from a military of bugs searching for to cease the ants from discovering a brand new queen; you possibly can nonetheless watch the unique pitch right here (1:52:10 – 2:10:30 particularly) when you’re curious.

Nevertheless, quickly after this pitch, and with enter from the judges, we determined to pivot in the direction of a tower protection sport. However tower protection video games are often static, not very reaction-heavy, and primarily based on lengthy or medium-term technique; in the meantime, the DNA of Go! Save the Queen! It’s constructed on short-term technique, fixed threats, no relaxation, fast response instances, repeated makes an attempt, and a continually shifting degree, so how would this work? On this weblog, I’ll stroll by my design course of on Go! Save the Queen! In hopes that it could actually assist others in the same state of affairs to the one I used to be in.

A have a look at Go! Save The Queen!

 Earlier than going into specifics, let me go into extra element about Go! Save The Queen! And what we’re aiming for to assist in giving you an concept of what’s completely different. Go! Save the Queen! is what we’re dubbing as an “Escort Tower Protection” sport, the place it’s your job to attract strains of ants, which act as your towers, to defend your queen from the hordes of enemies coming in as they transfer all through the extent. Essentially the most vital change from conventional tower protection is how ranges work. In contrast to a typical tower protection sport the place enemies transfer from their spawn to the purpose on a set path, Go! Save The Queen! Has the spawns and purpose continually switching from place to position. Not solely this, however how the purpose strikes by the extent constantly adjustments; it could actually pace up, cease, go to areas the place common enemies or towers can’t attain, and far more. Another issues in regards to the sport embody aiming for a good however difficult sport and a lighthearted tone.

Inspirations

One of many first steps for Go! Save the Queen! Was determining what different video games had already executed, V.S. what we would want to determine on our personal.

Crops V.S. Zombies & Tower Protection

When it comes to DNA, we determined early on that Crops V.S. Zombies was the closest to Go! Save the Queen. In contrast to most Tower Protection video games, Crops V.S. Zombies is much less strategy-based and extra reaction-based than different tower protection video games, even whether it is nonetheless far off from our sport, which is on a far excessive. P.V.Z doesn’t have upgrades like commonplace tower protection video games; ranges are only some minutes lengthy versus the for much longer ranges of a standard tower protection sport, and it has the identical lighthearted tone we’re going for. It doesn’t have the whole lot we’re going for, although; ranges in P.V.Z. are tremendous easy in comparison with the massive ranges of Go! Save The Queen! And the sport may be very simple compared (though P.V.Z 2 may be very difficult). Regardless of the distinction, now we have been in a position to make use of many parts from Crops V.S. Zombies to assist design our sport. For instance, the guidebook (W.I.P) now we have, which particulars the whole lot within the sport, is closely primarily based on the Almanac from Crops V.S. Zombies, and the sport’s meta development is sort of the identical, with the participant getting new ants and seeing new enemies continually.

Cuphead & “Laborious However Truthful Gameplay”

One other sport we took inspiration from was Cuphead. Cuphead may be very quick, however it masks that with difficult however truthful gameplay that can have you ever making an attempt and making an attempt over once more. That is the place the extent size and essential degree design philosophy come from. Ranges in our sport are solely about 3 minutes to assist stop gamers from getting caught for too lengthy; concurrently, ranges require the participant to study what to do and what to not do. Most ranges would require the participant to play repeatedly till they end it. It’s essential to verify gamers aren’t dying as a result of unfair causes like unhealthy enemy placement or unfair queen pathing however to stuff that may be simply remembered, discovered, and handled the primary time in the event that they react accurately. Total, this philosophy helps the sport lots since we’re a small crew, solely have one designer, and making a degree requires much more than your common tower protection sport; it helps give the sport extra size.

Bullet Hells & Enemy Spawning

The final inspiration I needed to speak about is Bullet Hells. As I mentioned earlier than, in contrast to conventional tower protection, enemies don’t come from one location however as an alternative from across the degree in the direction of the queen. That is impressed by bullet hells, the place issues collapse in from round, and it’s your job to take care of them. Now, I’ll get extra into designing enemy spawns a bit later, however general, Bullet Hells give a system that works for enemy spawning,

Placing the whole lot collectively

After the crew found out how the sport would look with this new course, it was time to assemble the whole lot. On this part, I’ll undergo what is exclusive to our sport and the concerns I needed to make the expertise as greatest as potential.

Programs

When it got here to methods, fortunately, solely a bit of needed to change from a standard tower protection by way of core methods; the concept of inserting towers and having them assault routinely labored effectively. In the meantime, the numerous addition to enemies was cooldowns to their assaults, since as soon as they bought to the queen, they’d assault it as an alternative of attending to their vacation spot and disappearing like a standard tower protection sport. Additionally they wanted to have extra superior motion AI to trace the queen. One other of probably the most vital adjustments is what the towers and enemies give attention to; whilst you have your commonplace stuff like major attackers, explosive customers, standing impact givers, and many others, this sport has many enemies and towers centered on disruption in comparison with regular.

When it comes to ants, 4 of the 12 have methods to mess with enemies ultimately, whereas 5 of 16 enemies have methods to disrupt the ants attacking them. The principle cause for that is because of the degree design. With how huge the degrees are, it’s important to make ants that permit the participant to control the enemies in helpful methods. For instance, some ants push enemies again, doubtlessly into issues that would kill them, like water, or some ants block paths and drive enemies to go round. In the meantime, enemies that disrupt ants have been made to forestall boring methods. For instance, I introduced up ants that block paths; if that they had no option to be handled, then most enemies can be simple to take care of; simply block all their paths. To take care of this, the termite enemy can eat by them, or the cricket enemy can lure them away (not pictured).

Ranges

The most important hurdle to recover from was the best way to make an unimaginable degree; we spent round three months in early 2023 making an attempt to determine this out. There are a lot of issues to remember when designing a degree for Go! Save The Queen! There are three essential components to making a degree: boxing it out, establishing the queen path, and establishing the enemy spawns.

Stage Boxing

Whereas that is the best of the three, it may be very time-consuming. You begin from nothing, and it’s your job to determine what areas of curiosity you’ll have in it, all whereas holding in thoughts the place enemies will spawn, how they are going to transfer by it, and the way the queen will transfer by it. Due to this, it may be very time-consuming, even whether it is simply greyboxing.

Queen Pathing

In contrast to common tower protection video games, the place pathing is a straightforward “cease the enemy earlier than they get from their spawn to the purpose,” our sport’s pathing is predicated on an animal or an object; for this instance, let’s use the Corgi Queen. As a result of the trail is predicated on a corgi, it should be designed as if a corgi is transferring by the extent. This corgi isn’t good; it’s only a corgi dwelling and doing what it could do: enjoying, consuming, smelling, exploring, and many others. Due to this, pathing isn’t simply establishing a bunch of waypoints. It’s additionally a narrative: what’s the corgi doing in any respect these factors? Why does the corgi go on such an odd path to the tip as an alternative of straight there? Does it make sense within the degree? You even have to contemplate stuff like Does it pace up? Cease? And so forth. Regardless of how laborious it would sound, I discover this the best and quickest half because you often provide you with the story through the gray boxing them.

Spawning Enemies

 There are two essential elements to contemplate when spawning enemies: the variety of enemies coming in and the time to get to the queen.

1. The variety of enemies is straightforward: the extra you spawn, the extra time you might want to give the participant to reply. In a regular tower protection sport, this doesn’t matter since your protection continually builds up, however in Go! Save the Queen! Your queen can transfer away out of your protection, forcing you to construct up some place else the place you don’t have already got one thing.
2. Time to get to the queen is strictly what it seems like; how lengthy does it take for the enemy to get to the queen from its spawn level?

Appears easy, proper? These are the primary elements; all of the subfactors should even be thought of.

1. Are items already within the space?
1. If this isn’t the primary time a participant goes by the identical a part of the extent, then you possibly can spawn extra enemies and transfer them nearer since there are already defenses laid out.

1. What does the extent across the queen seem like?
1. Is there a wall that the enemies might want to go round? Is it simple for the participant to dam the trail? Will enemies be funneled right into a closed house? Is the queen going to be in an unreachable location for many enemies? All of those decide the place and what number of enemies you possibly can spawn; if the reply is sure, spawn extra; if the reply is not any, spawn much less.
2. What kind of enemies are you spawning?
1. Sure enemies are proof against various things. For instance, enemies that hover or fly ignore most map collisions, that means they will go nearly wherever and want extra time to be handled since you possibly can’t merely block them.
3. How far into the extent is it?
1. Gamers want the possibility to heat up like some other tower protection sport. You may’t simply throw the whole lot at them 1 second into the extent.
4. What’s the queen doing?
1. The course the queen goes determines how shut and which enemies you must spawn for a good problem. The fundamental concept is that if the queen is transferring in a single course for a big period of time, the quick enemies ought to spawn behind it, whereas gradual enemies ought to spawn forward, so the participant has ample time for each.
5. Ought to the assault be concentrated or vast?
1. Must you spawn the enemies in a tiny location and have the participant give attention to one place? Or ought to the spawns be in a broader space in order that they’re extra separate and drive the participant to divide their consideration?
6. Is the participant’s consideration divided?
1. Is the participant wanting in 1 course? 2? Throughout? The extra instructions the participant has to take care of, the less enemies you possibly can spawn general.

         

All these elements go into only one enemy spawn; multiply that by the 80 common enemy spawn areas (not counting duplicates), and also you get the workload for establishing the spawns in 1 degree.

Conclusion

Designing a brand new sub-genre could be extremely laborious; it’s no simple process, however I hope that doesn’t cease individuals from making an attempt. I, for one, had, and nonetheless am having, quite a lot of enjoyable making this sport, and I feel it’s extremely rewarding. If I needed to give one piece of recommendation for somebody going into the unknown, I’d say, “Borrow what has already been executed and spend your time making the brand new concept you could have as nice as it may be.”

Thanks to everybody who learn right through. This ended up for much longer than I anticipated.

If you need to, Go! Save the Queen! Does have some socials if you wish to know extra: Twitter/X Youtube and so do I if you wish to speak: Twitter/X E mail.