It’s very easy to get carried away at this stage. We have so many ideas for this game. However we need to stick to the core features for the prototype. That way we can see quickly what works and what doesn't.
The fundamental mechanic. The prototype will need to include enough features to make the world difficult to survive in. Otherwise we simply won't have a survival game.
Another core part of the game. We will need to establish the most appropriate method of supporting multiplayer. Basically decide whether to host servers ourselves or distribute hosting to players.
Exploring the world and defending your town will require combat. We have thought of a few combat systems that could work. For the prototype we are going to stick to basic melee and ranged attacks, hack and slash style. Weapons and armour will effect damage and speed.
You need an opponent to have combat. I will need to program some basic AI for enemies in the game. Most likely a simple pathfinding script that makes enemies chase the closest player and launch an attack when in range. Complex AI scripts further down the line will be dependant on our decisions about the combat system after testing the prototype.
Once we have these features implemented we will have our first playable prototype 😃
Survival
The fundamental mechanic. The prototype will need to include enough features to make the world difficult to survive in. Otherwise we simply won't have a survival game.
- Food consumption - Players need to consume food or they will starve. While in the boundaries of a town they will not need food in their inventory, instead it will be consumed from the town’s supplies. When exploring outside of the town bounds they will need to take food to satisfy their hunger.
- Food production - Food can be gathered from wild sources or cultivated within the town by building farms.
- Resources (stone, wood, metal) - Gathered from locations throughout the world. Resources will allow players to improve their town with new buildings and defenses. Which will be key to survival. Better buildings will provide better weapons and better bonuses for the town.
Multiplayer compatibility
Another core part of the game. We will need to establish the most appropriate method of supporting multiplayer. Basically decide whether to host servers ourselves or distribute hosting to players.
Combat
Exploring the world and defending your town will require combat. We have thought of a few combat systems that could work. For the prototype we are going to stick to basic melee and ranged attacks, hack and slash style. Weapons and armour will effect damage and speed.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
You need an opponent to have combat. I will need to program some basic AI for enemies in the game. Most likely a simple pathfinding script that makes enemies chase the closest player and launch an attack when in range. Complex AI scripts further down the line will be dependant on our decisions about the combat system after testing the prototype.
Once we have these features implemented we will have our first playable prototype 😃