WIP Game
The current best contender is a game that can be describer like
spiritually a mixture of Nuclear Throne and Caves of Qud but more realisticly like Realm of the Mad God.
The gameplay is split into top-down shooter and world building like Act-Raiser
You create a mutant. You roll for Muscle, Reflex, Armor, Intel, Nerve, and Ego
Features
Character Creation
ARM INE???
Armor is the chance a bullet goes through, and there are differnt damage resistances
Reflex is speed for attack and movement abilities.
Muscle is the power of melee attacks and throws and inventory capacity.
Intel is the ability to gather and use pieces of information. like Qud these can be read but really are just items that unlock access. and also allow you to upgrade abilities.
Nerve allows you to use special abilities and Buffs, sometimes movement related, related to special items and character modifications.
Ego modifies influence on people in the world. through certain negotiations, you gain allies, pacify enemies, and get deals.
Mutations & Cybernetics
You add buffs that modify the game in many different ways.
Some are just an extra weapon or movement modifier, some are
Appearance
You can choose parts of your face and clothes and their colors, which could imply certain alliances.
Also the mutations influence aspects of your appearance.
Game play
Combat
You always like "shoot" a projectile, although melee its a large and short range projectile. You can dash and some items are abilites allow you to fly over water and other terrain, or dive and swim quickly.
Armor is the chance a bullet effect health, and there are different damage resistances
Reflex is speed for attack and movement abilities.
Muscle Determines accuracy with stronger weapons. (the power of ranged attacks depends on the weapon). Also determines throws and inventory capacity.
Ego You can engage in communication although its all unintelligible sounds and gestures, called signals. some signals are positive, and some you project strength, and intimidate.
Nerve In the world there is mutant powers, like fire breath, and acid/poison/slime/spider-web spit. There is rapid fungal and botanic growth.
There is psychic-abilities that are limited by a dust like gas that is inhaled. They control, electro-magnetic fields.
Intel There is cybernetics that allow you control robots and, and advanced weapons, and scanners.
These will be like systems and in the programming you are creating material that interacts with each other.
Overworlding
The over world is a navigable
inter connected web (Graph) of relationships.
nodes = factions edges = relationships (number)
... to be expanded on
AI
The NPC Ai is has a range of attributes
- cliquey - groups stay together, often around leader
- scared - stay behind objects form the player
- aggerssive - run toward player
- flank - keep distance, use projectiles
- flee - run off and then return (mixture of scared and flank)
often they are passive and curious.
Look
I would like this to be super stylized but it also need to "look good"
Im thinking cyber-paganism
that art style where they use the sun for the head of the thing.
Im thinking your characters will have lots of different heads
the bodies will be differnt robes, some armor
The hardest part of the animation is the legs.
https://www.slynyrd.com/blog/2025/3/24/pixelblog-55-top-down-character-animation