Developer's game design plans roadmap

This page will maintain the most current design specification and roadmap of plans to implement in this independent game project. Only to be edited by official game development team members please.

This is to show fans where I plan to head with this game, and what suggestions have made it into my roadmap...subject to change at any time.

Goal Idea:

Clean up the earth left behind by humanity. Restore the earth and have life return. In the beginning the robot itself is also polluting the environment. As a player improves the robot, and builds units to recycle things he starts seeing the earth becoming clean, and life slowly returns.

How to achieve this: Clean up junk, recycle, craft into better items; defeat bad robots and bosses; improve yourself by crafting and slotting better equipment; build machines/tools to help you clean the earth. (Note not all features have been implemented as yet, pre-alpha to alpha is the game engine development stage)

Biomes/Areas:  (alpha)
Currently the game can already create randomised world maps based on a grid system, which then also easily allows for generating and interacting on these zones or areas in terms of creating specific plants / garbage / enemies / pollution levels /any objects…this creates a defined and characterised biome.

The Robot:
The players main (or first, currently only) character in the game is called Meemo.

Robot Abilities:  (alpha)
Collecting junk and cleaning: This is mainly for collecting resources for crafting.

Crafting: (alpha)

Create new items to improve yourself and your base.

Fighting: (alpha)

Fight off enemies and loot their corpses for useful items. A player can take on stronger enemies as you improve yourself. Stronger enemies will spawn depending on what the player does in the game.

Oil:
Oil is used to lubricate the engine, wheels and gearbox. Oil is used up when the player moves about. Since it is a lubricant, speed of player may be affected. It becomes unusable and would cause a spill if it is not recycled. Oil is in fact a pollutant, so its use will be limited, and until it can be replaced it will probably be more a quirky irritation.

Power: (alpha)
Power is supplied by batteries or later by other resources. The resource is not used up but is rather depleted in most cases. A player must then replace the item or recycle it, by recharging it or using it in upgraded crafting. (Maybe: Un-recycled items would have to be stored or discarded but this would cause environmental damage.) Having fully charged power (batteries health bar) will restore physical health (hearts health bar). Empty power will reduce oil and then health (heart bars) over time, and when physical health bar depleted the robot dies and drops its loot (if hardcore mode is introduced it will also delete the save). Currently power batter recharges, consume battery on use - since or until character upgrade system is developed as a game mechanic.

Physical Health: (alpha)
Armour is your only defense against physical damage. Improving your armour will allow you to take more damage before you are destroyed. Heavier armour might give you better protection but would in most cases be heavier so would cause you to use more power. A force field would protect you even more but would consume power. (final)

Robot Components:  (final)
(Equipment major slots, character upgrades only planned for final version of game)

Armor:
This is your main defense against attacks. In the beginning it is physical armor like wood, metal, Kevlar, etc. Later a power or plasma shield could protect you for a time until you run out of power or it gets destroyed.

Engine:
The engine is what gets you around and what powers your weapons and other on-board equipment. It can be upgraded to be more efficient. This uses oil to prevent engine failure. See Engine Upgrade for more detail.

Power source:
Batteries, solar, or nuclear, etc. 4. Weapon: In the beginning this is a physical weapon that you hit an enemy with. With upgrades come more powerful weapons that can be physical or energy weapons. See Weapon Upgrade for more detail. (some weapons are not effective against some enemies. See Enemies for more detail.

Robot Engine Upgrade:    (final)
(Equipment semi slots)

The engine is made up by different units. · Main engine unit: This is the main engine that supplies power to the wheels, weapons and other equipment. A more powerful engine would result in more power to other equipment, but it would need more power. Oil filter: The engine, gearbox and wheels need oil to function. Oil is used up but becomes unusable, and since it has speed (agility) impact it must be replaced eventually. If the oil is not replaced or recycled it would cause a spill that damages the environment. A better oil filter results in a longer time the oil can be used. · Gear box: A better gearbox will result in better engine efficiency and less need for oil.

Enemies:  (alpha - final)
Enemies are mostly area dependent. When the player moves to a new area (biome) to get new ingredients by exploration, recipes and to clean up the rest of the world, he is also faced by new enemies and challenges.

Enemies currently in the game are stupid and placeholders, the hope is to develop each enemy as an unique ai enemy...like mini bosses...each one will be different. Currently they look different but act pretty much the same in the pre-alpha.

For the alpha I still plan to improve this alot, but will probably only by beta stage come into its own, since I need good attack animations to make this work realistically...

In beta to final version of this game I hope to also spawn enemies in more interesting ways, depending on what the player does in the game world...like spawning bosses in oil spill biomes or acid biomes or due to the player chosing a path of pollution over rehabilitation of the planet.

Weapon Upgrade:  (final)
Physical weapons: Upgrade this to give more physical damage against certain enemies. Energy weapons: Some enemies are not affected by physical damage. An energy weapon consumes a lot of power but is more effective against some enemies, but also more dangerous to others since it could charge instead of hurt the enemy if you use it wrongly. Projectiles: Sometimes it’s better to stay away from enemies. Projectile weapons might not be very accurate or cause a lot of damage but you stay out of harms way.

Base Abilities: (beta)
The base components are crafted as normal and placed in the location that the Player selects as his base. Note: these machines need to be crafted first. This can be for example: Storage Facility & Base Power generation (beta)

The base can collect energy and store it for later use. This can be for example: by solar or wind power.

Recycle Facility (beta)
As the player uses resources he is actually also causing pollution to a certain extent. Improving the recycle capability to reuse items such as batteries for example; will eventually reduce this pollution completely.

Research Center: (beta)
This computer accesses fragments from the internet left behind. Because the data is so corrupt, it takes time for the computer to compile files. This is where a Player can get new recipes.

Base Power generation:  (beta)
The purpose of this machine is to supply power to the base. The more other machines there are the more power they would require. Different types of power generation should be made available with each one upgrade-able.

1. Steam generation:
This is the first power unit you get. It needs to be close to a water source? This causes pollution so affects the player negatively. Junk collected can be burned here so a player must collect junk to fuel this unit.

Level 1:

Base unit that burns junk and causes pollution.

Level 2:

Can use coal for more power generation, but more pollution.

Level 3:

Carbon filter makes it pollute less.

2. Nuclear:
If a nuclear source is available it can be used in this unit. Lasts much longer than coal and once in a while generates a concentrated waste that has to be disposed of. 3. Solar and wind: This is the only unit that generates power and no pollution. Is expensive and the power output is low. Can be upgraded to be more efficient. Risk: Maybe different power generation and pollution attracts certain mobs. (beta)

Recycle machine:  (beta)
The purpose of the recycle machine is to recycle unwanted material into useful material and to make dangerous, polluting waste material safe. The machine can be upgraded to be able to recycle more advanced material or recycle things more times, and faster.

Level 1:
Normal junk i.e. unusable items collected while “cleaning” is made into blocks or crafting materials that can be used to build a base. Up-cycling…

Level 2:
Oil and batteries can be recycled, back to base components; or neutralised.

Level 3:
Maybe some shells (ranged weapons).

Level 4:
Nuclear waste management Note: This machine can be built early in the game but would take time to level up.

Research Machine: ( final)
(low priority, game focuses on experiential research instead of forced research)

The purpose of this machine is to give a player unique recipes. The more the machine is upgraded the faster research will take place and the more advanced the recipes will be, that can be found. It is also could potentially help the player unlock recipes that he/she has not yet figured out.

Level 1:
Recipes, for example: armour, basic weapons, etc.

Level 2:
Recipes for Power and Base units.

Level 3:
Recipes for Advanced power and base units. Base defense units.

Level 4:
Recipes for Robot helper units. (NOTE: these recipes can still be implemented without the research machine in any case.)

Area classification / Difficulty scaling ideas:  (beta - final)
What limits a player going from level to level? Maybe a Pollution Level? This can be an area which is so polluted or contaminated that the player receives damage when he enters the area. He needs to upgrade his armour, wheels and/or shield to go into the area. In the new area there will be stronger mobs and higher level loot which is required to build the higher level recipes. Areas pre-defined if fixed world size. If unlimited sandbox world, then distance from origin increases difficulty. If tower defense game style, it can be level wave based system. Combination of the top systems also possible.

Title Screen (alpha)
should have pixel art style text at least of game's name.

The Menu: (alpha)

 * Create Small world (mostly for testing) alpha
 * Create Medium world (default) alpha - beta
 * Create Large world alpha - beta
 * Save game (1-save - alpha, multiple file save system for - beta)
 * Load saved game
 * Hardcore ON/OFF (deletes saved game file if you die) - beta

The Options Menu: (beta - final)
 * Select fullscreen or actual HD pixel size - alpha
 * Toggle draw shadows, to test performance, - alpha
 * Music ON/OFF - alpha
 * Set test variables, or select to create world biomes and enemies according to your own settings. - beta
 * etc..

Roadmap Summary
The development cycle in overview as planned, what you can expect...

ALPHA:

Basic world, biomes, 1 player character, survival, crafting system, recipes, basic enemies, basic structures and or machines, inventory sytem. Basic world rehabilitation, by way of basic resource renewal.

BETA:

Focus on base structure systems - ie machines, recipe unlocks due to machines, new stronger enemies like bosses, terraforming and improved resource renewal and item, enemy and world integration. Large focus on world rehabilitation and integrating these effects with items and enemies. More user feedback and improved animations. Game engine testing options.

Kickstarter + Greenlight campaigns...to fund final version.

FINAL:

Weather effects, maybe water biome.

Large focus on character upgrades, and equiping items.

Polish and balance and polish.

STRETCH GOALS: ???

Additional character unlocks, larger or second spelinking world, or another planet...mods by users, texture packs, loading images and resources from files so it is easy to mod.