Design Philosophy and Research to make it Roguelike
Design Goal
Shift gameplay from a hypercasual game to be more rogue like.
Methodology
Which other free to play Rogue like games are there?
Game 1 - Vampire Survivors
UI Flow -
5. Results -
Goal of this game -
Survive for 30 minutes.
Settings menu in this game -
Options that might be relevant to typestroid in the settings panel -
Game 2 - Shattered Pixel Dungeon
UI Flow -
1. Starts with Main Menu -
2. Next is Character selection -
3. Loading screen with lore or tips -
4. Gameplay -
5. I died -
What works about them?
Game 1 -
Lack of level or map selection in the beginning makes it feel less overwhelming for newer players.
30 minutes is a decent target to work towards.
Game 2 -
6 different classes to chose from.
Large variation in each playthrough.
Quite complex strategy. Haven't played enough to understand it yet.
Potions and collectibles collected didn't state what they did when drunk or thrown as a weapon. Players were encouraged to try it out and see what happens. This sense of choice, learning and trial and error felt good as a player.
What doesn't work about them?
Game 1 -
Players must reach level 20 in stage 1 to unlock the next map. This lack of level or map selection makes it feel duller the more you play (if you aren't good at the game) as new maps are locked behind DLC that need to be bought.
Game 2 -
After clearing grass from an area needing to return to collect coins it dropped felt irritating.
Aspects that can be used in Typestroid
Timings that felt good in the games I played -
- In Game 1 the first powerup was offered to me afer 40 seconds and the next one at the 90 second mark.
Mechanics that these games could inspire in Typestroid
- Inspired by Game 2 - Maybe powerups could just be added to inventory but players would need to remember what each powerup does before using them. This would encourage some trial and error.