hive sphere (the design so far)

7/27/2019 Hive Sphere (the design so far)

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Shortened Game Design Document(Beta stages - Pre-Balancing)


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Contents

Game Summary.1-5Story.1

Controls1Main Game Mechanics2-5

Game Progression(The Scenes)..6-11Main Menu Scene.6

Intro Scene6

Focal Gameflow7

Enemy Evolution Scene....7-8

Player Upgrade Scene8

Upgrades and Attack Wave Mechanics8-11

The Bugs.12-14Scout Bug..12

Bumble Bug...12

Wasp..13

Dragon Bug13

Elemental Hive...14

Hornet.14

Note: all screen layouts are subject to change and some of the mechanics

mentioned have not yet been added to the game. Yellow highlighted text indicates

aspects that have not yet been added to the game. Sound effects and a new selection

of audio tracks also need to be added.


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Game Summary

Story

Earth is under attack from Ugly Oppressive Elemental Insectiod Aliens (or Vowels). The militarysnormal weaponry is completely ineffective against the constantly shifting elements of the Vowel

Swarm. From the few insects that have been killed, scientists have been able to create a new prototypeweapon they have named the Elemental Interceptor (or EI).

The EI is able to produce the same elemental energies as the Vowels and it is hoped that attacking the

insects with elements that do not correspond to their own will vanquish them. The plan is to teleport theEI into the invading forces main Hivesphere and take down the constantly evolving enemy forces to

give Earths military as much time as possible to prepare elemental weapons to counter the invasion.

Your mission is to pilot the EI and survive the oncoming waves of Vowels from inside their main

Hivesphere for as long as possible. For every insect taken down more people will want to invest in the

EI protocol and credits will be earned for you to spend on the upgrades you desire.

Fear not solider as the EI is a drone craft so you will pilot the ship from a console at a safe distance.Just survive for as long as you can! Good luck!

Controls

Control Action

Left Key / A Rotates the EI to the left.

Right Key / D Rotates the EI to the right.

Up Key / W Rotates the EI upwards.

Down Key / S Rotates the EI downwards.

Mouse The mouse controls the targeting crosshair.

Scroll Middle Mouse Button Roll up and down to select current element.

Left Mouse Button Fire ammo of the current element.

Key 1 Selects normal beam energy.

Key 2 Selects concussive ammo type.

Key 3 Selects explosive ammo type.

Space Bar Fire Special for currently selected element.

ESC or F10 Pause Menu.

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Main Game Mechanics

Summed Up

The aim of the game is to survive inside the Hivesphere for as long as possible. To do this, the playermust fend off the advancing swarm using elemental energy, three ammo types, special attacks, and ship

upgrades. In order to destroy a bug the player must shoot out elemental energy that differs from thetargets current element.

The bugs themselves can only spawn from the golden hives on the edge of the Hivesphere and, later

on, from the elemental hives that spawn and float around the sphere. All the bugs can randomly shift

between elements to avoid taking damage and some can even dodge as well. Most bugs can only attack

close up, so it best to exterminate the threat as soon as it is spawned. A more detailed look at theindividual bugs can be found later in this document.

The EI is rooted to the centre of the Hivesphere so as to be as far from all the golden hives as possible.The player can rotate around the local X and Y axis using the arrow or WSAD keys and uses the mouse

to aim the crosshair anywhere within the current screen view. Using the radar to locate potential targetsthe player must find the bugs and shoot them down before they get too close. Bugs must be shot by

elements that differ from their current elemental type in order to hurt them. The most damage is dealtwhen attacking with energy that is the polar opposite to that of the target insect.

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Score and Credits

For every successful kill credits and score points are awarded. The amount the players score and

credits increase is based on two criteria:1. The type of bug

2. The current ComboCombos are achieved by killing multiple enemies in a row without missing or hitting one with an

element identical to their own. The max combo that can be achieved is 10.The score is then calculated by multiplying the predetermined rank of the

bug that was killed by the current combo.

In addition to resetting the current combo to zero, if the player shoots an insect with energy identical toits current element, the target will regenerate HP equal to the full damage that would have been dealt

by hitting it with its polar opposite. Shooting at a shifting bug will have no effect on its health but doesnot count as a miss either, so the current combo will remain the same.

HP and Shielding

The players HP are full at 2000 points. Additional shielding can be purchased, which will take damage

before the players HP is affected. Up to three shields can be obtained in total. Ending the game with a

full shield means that shield will still be equipped for the next round. Ending the game with a damagedshield means the shield will be lost (shields cannot be repaired and new ones must be purchased). The

HP is affectively the EIs hull integrity and, unlike the shields, the hull can be repaired for a cost

relative to the work that needs doing.

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All the weapons in the previous table must be purchased on the player upgrade screen. Two final traitscan also be improved upon for a cost; the speed of turning and the rate of fire. All ammunition must be

bought in advance of the next round as none can be acquired during an attack wave. At the end of eachwave the remaining ammunition is carried over until the next round.

Elemental specials need only be purchased once. Once the EI is upgraded with an elemental special it

cannot be lost. Specials are charged up with elemental energy during attack waves, which is gainedsimilarly to score points. The main difference is that the current combo has no effect on the amount of

energy gained. So long as a bug is killed by an element identical to one of the elemental specials theplayer has purchased then that special is charged equal to the multiplier attached to that bug.

Bug Rank

(Elemental Multiplier)

Bugs of Stated Level

1 Scout

2 Bumble, Wasp

3 Dragonfly

4 Hornet

5 Elemental Hive

Unlike ammunition elemental energy is not carried over to the next round and must be recharged fromscratch during the next attack wave.

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Game Progression(The Scenes)

Main Menu

The game begins on the Start/Main Menu. Various options can accessed by clicking on the buttons

shown above. Most have not been set up at this stage of development so the focus will be on starting anew game.

Intro Scene

After clicking on the New Game button the player will be given a brief run down on how to play thegame and given the options to go Back to the Main Menu, Play Tutorial, or Continue on to the

first attack wave. In addition to the game explanation the first insect the player will encounter (thescout bug) is described on the right hand side.

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Intro Scene OptionsGame Explanation Scout Bug Description

Play Tutorial


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The Focal Gameflow

Once the continue button on the Intro Scene is selected the game enters into the main gameflow pattern

as shown in the diagram below.

If the player survives until the end of an attack wave all the remaining bugs in the field will instantly

vanish, having returned to their hives to evolve. After a brief pause, the game will load the enemyevolution scene.

Enemy Evolution Scene

In this stage the player is shown how the enemy has decided to improve their swarm. At first the enemywill evolve three traits per level increment, whilst preparing DNA for new bug to be spawned. Once the

player has fought through six waves the enemy will have run out of DNA to spawn new bugs and willstart evolving four traits per level increment. Some traits, such as attack wave length and spawning

frequency will have a finite number of levels they can be evolved, whereas HP and attack power havethe potential to evolve indefinitely. The button to the Upgrades scene is not clickable until the Vowel

swarm has finished evolving.

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Main Gameflow

Pattern


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List of Improvable Bug Traits

Player Upgrade Scene

The Upgrade Scene follows the evolution of the bugs. Various different traits can be purchased and

upgraded in exchange for credits. Unlike the vowel swarm there are no traits that can be improvedupon indefinitely. Final costs for each upgrade are still being finalised.

The player can choose to save and exit the game on this screen. This can be done before or afterupgrades have been purchased as all of the EIs stats will be saved. Once all desired upgrades are

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Enemy Stats Level Limitation

Movement Speed High Limit

Spawn Limit High Limit

Spawn Frequency Medium Limit

Dodge/Shift Frequency Low Limit

Wave Length Low Limit

Max HP No Limit

Damage No Limit

Evolving Traits

New Bug +

Description

Continue to Player

Upgrade Scene


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purchased the player must click the Finished Purchasing button. This then turns into a New Wavebutton, which will take the player into the next attack wave.

Upgrades and Attack Wave Mechanics

The table below lists all the possible upgrades the player can purchase for the EI.

Upgrade Category Upgrade Name Level Limit Description

Weapon Systems

Concussion Ammo No Level

20 rounds of concussive

ammunition. Cannot exceed

capacity.

Explosive Ammo No Level10 rounds of explosiveammunition. Cannot exceed

capacity.

Concussive Capacity 5

EI can now fire concussive

projectiles. Capacity is incrementedin instalments of 20.

Explosive Capacity 6EI can now fire explosiveprojectiles. Capacity is incremented

in instalments of 10.

Reactor EfficiencyTurning Speed 2 Increases rotation speed.

Shooting Speed 2 Increases rate of fire.

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Armour and

Shielding

Sheilds No Level

Purchase a shield. Cannot exceedcapacity. Up to three can be

purchased. The first two give anextra 300 points of defence. The

third and final shield gives 400

points but costs a lot more.

Ship Repairs No Level

If the EI hull has been damaged(player has lost HP) the ship can be

repaired for a cost related to the

amount of damage done.

Elemental Powers

Air Special 1EI can now charge up the AirSpecial power.

Water Special 1EI can now charge up the WaterSpecial power.

Earth Special 1EI can now charge up the EarthSpecial power.

Fire Special 1EI can now charge up the FireSpecial power.

The screen shot below is an example of the chaos that ensues around the player during an attack wave.

Insects are spawning from all around the Hivesphere and flying straight for the EI, all of differentelements. (Annoyingly none shifted to the Earth element because they new I was taking a screen cap).

The game mechanics have already been summarised but the attack wave GUI elements are discussed in

full detail on the following page.

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The HUD devices

HP: If no shields are active the EI will loose HP as it takes damage. As HP is lost the green texture will

drop to the left and the numerical value of the HP will decrease.

Shields: Shields will take damage before HP. If a shield is active its texture will drop to the left just

like HP but no numerical value is displayed.

Timer: This device counts down until the

end of the attack wave. As the numericalvalue drops the central circle will also get

smaller.

Score/Credits/Combo: These displays show the numerical value of each statistic.

Radar: This will light up with coloured blips for each bug that spawns. These blips do not show thetypes of bugs spawned but do indicate the element by the colour of the blip. This is so the player can be

selecting their element whilst rotating to meet the new threat. The radar is also three dimensional. Thismeans, as the ship rotates around the X or Y axis so does the radar.

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HP Shields Timer Score, Credits, and

Current Combo

RadarShips Multi

Cannon

Current

AmmoElemental

Energies


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Ships Multi Cannon: The main barrels texture as well as that of the quad cannons top most cannonindicate the current element selected. Using the mouse wheel this cannon will rotate clockwise or

anticlockwise to other elements. The picture on the HUD diagram shows Air as the selected element.Fire is the next rotation clockwise and water is the next anticlockwise rotation. Although the player

only usually sees the cannon of the ship, due to the FPS layout, some events such as activating a specialrequire the whole EI to be seen. The pictures below how the EI looks from a third person view. The fire

element is selected on the left and water on the right. Note how the texture of the EIs trim and wingshas changed to the selected element as well as the cannon itself.

Current Ammo: Shows the numerical value of the EIs ammunition at present. It does not showcapacity, just the value of the concussive (left) and explosive (right) ammunition available.

Elemental Energies: Similarly to shields these devices have a texture that fills up the sliders vertically

as elemental energy is gained for each element type. No numerical value is displayed. Similarly to thetimer the coloured balls below the sliders are only full once a certain level of elemental energy has

been reached indicating the special power for that element can be used. Of course, the higher theenergy level in a slider the more powerful the ability will be but sometimes a special may be required

before it has reached maximum potential.

More on Specials

The projectile weaponry has all been programmed in now but the use of the elemental specials has notas each special is very unique. By the end of development I hope to get the specials working as

mentioned earlier in the document (in the Game Mechanics section). Here is a little more detail on howId like each to perform.

Fire Special: Continuous beam of energy fired straight ahead, killing all insects in one hit, for a certain

time period. The more fire energy generated, the longer the time period and greater the beam radius.Can first be activated at 80%.

Water Special: All projectiles fired gain the ability to steal enemy HP on death, reflecting back part ofthe damage done on the death blow. Bugs killed with the water element will reflect back double thedamage done. The amount of health returned is based on the percentage the special was activated on,

multiplied by the damage done. Can first be activated at 80%.

Earth Special: Makes the EI invulnerable to damage for a short time period. Time period is based onthe earth energy acquired. Can first be activated at 70%. At 80% the additional bonus of regenerating a

shield (or some HP) is gained.

Air Special: Creates a shockwave that bursts out from the EI in a sphere. All nearby enemies are

knocked back a set distance and loose 25% or their HP. The distance the shockwave reaches isdependant on the air energy acquired but can reach the very edge of the Hivesphere at 100%. Can first

be activated at 70% (might reduce to 60%).

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The Bugs

The traits for each bug are subject to change.

Scout Bug

Scout bugs are the lowest ranking units of the swarm, usedonly to scout out new regions or as cannon fodder on the

front lines. They are the weakest units in both attack anddefence and do not even try and dodge projectiles fired at

them.

Trait Value

Class 1

HP 80

Damage 50 melee

Speed Average.

Path Heads straight for Elemental Interceptor.

Size 2

Weakness Opposing element.

Extra N/A

Bumble Bug

Bumble bugs are the most compact unit in the game. Their

movement is as basic as the Scout Bugs but they are the fastestfliers in the game. The aim of the bumble bug is simply to ram

the player with its horns and they deal a lot of damage with this

attack. Their greatest flaws are that they must fly off a distanceafter each attack to gain momentum for the next charge and theytake additional damage from concussive attacks.

Trait Value

Class 2

HP 300

Damage 300 initial impact, 100 after

Speed Fast

Path Heads straight for Elemental Interceptor.

Size 1

Weakness Opposing element. Takes additional damagefrom concussive attacks.

Extra

Bumble bugs are the only unit to take LESS

damage from explosive ammunition thanconcussive.

Wasp

Wasps are the first real threat as their movements are less predictable.They dont spawn as fast as Scout Bugs and they move a little slower

but they can take more hits and deal more damage.

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Dragon Bug

Dragon Bugs are the heavy support for theinsect forces. They move the slowest but

can take and deal the most damage out of

all the vowel swarm. They also shiftbetween elements most frequently.

Trait Value

Class 3

HP 600

Damage 300 melee

Speed Very slow

Path Heads straight for Elemental Interceptor butcan dodge.

Size 5

WeaknessOpposing element. Takes additional damagefrom explosive attacks.

Extra

Dragonflies have the greatest chance to shiftbetween elements. They also dodge the

furthest due to their great wings, although notas frequently as wasps or hornets.

Elemental Hive

Elemental Hives do not attack, instead focusing onspawning more units. They are almost as tough as

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Trait Value

Class 2

HP 150.

Damage 100

Speed Average

Path Heads straight for Elemental Interceptor butcan randomly dodge every few seconds.

Size 2


Extra N/A


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Dragon Bugs but faster moving and much harder to hit floating in a spiral path rather than headingstraight for the EI.

Hornet

Hornets are the final and most versatile attacker

players will encounter. They are not as tough asdragonflies but they are the only unit that can

attack from range as well as up close and are also

the most frequent dodgers.Trait Value

Class 4

HP 500

Damage 250 Sting, 150 Spit

Speed 4 units per sec.

PathHeads straight for Elemental Interceptor butdodges the most frequently of all the bugs.

Size 4


Extra

Hornets are the toughest enemies, with no

noted weaknesses. They can spit elementalprojectiles from a distance or come in closer todeal devastating damage with their stings.

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Trait Value

Class 5

HP 500

Damage N/A Spawns units

Speed Slow

PathCircles the EI, bursting forward every once ina while to get closer. Will stop at hornet

spitting distance from the EI.

Size 4

WeaknessOpposing element. Takes additional damage

from explosive attacks.

Extra N/A

hive sphere (the design so far)

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