Robert Wolf Game Design Notes

 This isn't a bad game; however a couple design issues with said weapon design on the projectile end. What makes the witch character a witch is the poorly designed ranged tool part of the witch's toolkit. If you like it that's fine but there are multiple design flaws to go over. Speed It's a fast moving projectile; however no build up, no changes in speed, nothing to nerf it in it's stronger forms. When Megaman powers up his charge shot the more powerful shots don't move faster with them being bigger and harder to move while the smallest shots are moving the fastest. Here there is one speed and one form alone with having no real impact differences showing you in terms of the weight of the attack just being weightless. Power The attack is weak; very much weak to the point where going near an enemy is your worst bet if you want to actually fight with it being a softening up tool and unable to be used a zoner tool; even it's more powerful forms seem to be very ...

 1 - Short hop + Thrust + Neutral air - somewhat difficult 2 - Slide + thrust - somewhat difficult 3 - slide jump + thrust + neutral air - insanely difficult 4 - run - jump - turn around - neutral slash - insanely difficult. 5 - wall jump + thrust + neutral slash - easy 6 - all the end lag shoot combos

Defined Goals Fixed Goal = meaning it has an end point; it has an end, a meaning, a point, a definitive end to fix. Endless Goal = it has no end, it has no fixed point at the end of the day and can be something endless to pursue and as long as that goal isn't broken; that's the only thing that matters. Added = means the goal is completed as in the mechanic in question is added. Goals Goal 1 - fix enemy knockback code (FIXED!) Goal 2 - hurt player state (added) Goal 3 - remove end recovery frames if the player lands a hit. Goal 4 - make combat fast and aggressive. (endless goal) Goal 5 - make dynamic movement. (endless goal) Goal 6 - Shooting End lag combos. (added!) Goal 7 - Dynamic in depth combat. (endless goal) Goal 8 - Go in depth with the melee speed chain system. Goal 9 - stop self doubting the project (endless goal) Goal 10 - Make responsive enemies (I.E. avoid shots, duck, block, etc) Goal 11 - Make the camera zoom in when the player moves fast. (somewhat added) Goal 12...

 For this kind of genre there is an expansive list from Fire Emblem to XCom for the kind of games you encounter with the systems at play. With these all being different flavors on the said same system with the fact XCOM relies more on it's base building mechanics with limited depth to interact/ engage with the more solider mission stuff which can work, however doesn't due to the lack of depth and control for said builds with nothing of value being made from this. It wouldn't be so bad if the said units were more powerful, had any other value measurements outside of a limited way to customize their abilities and power with little to no changes. Even the abilities being, "meh" at the end of the day. Attacking and Damage dealt In these kind of games it feels sour for the taste it leaves in your mouth when dealing said damage with other options feeling too easy and making encounters a breeze with tossing a grenade at the end of the day with little to no effort on your...

 I now understand why Pizza Tower uses the camera system it chooses to use as of now with it's given system in hand with the fact that the player having it where the camera is focused on the player's speed and or where the player in specific is going forward with having it where you feel faster with the camera shifting with the player and making the illusion of the speed is there. The change in the shift of the camera can affect how fast the player feels, if the player is slow? Make them feel faster by shifting the camera away from behind them and towards the forward direction of where they're going with it launching forward with a bit of the speed of the player (though not too much, otherwise you'll cause whiplash) the further out the camera is and the more play space open, the more pixels you need to move it by, etc. You can do the opposite effect of making the player feel slower by slowing down the camera by x amount as well. The more I learn these things the more it...

 Bloodshed perks come in many forms for these games with how they're used and understanding the change of design for moment to moment gameplay for these can paint a better picture for why they're used. When it comes to the kill, hit and hunt aspects about them. Hunt  - for hunt they're used in more asymmetry games but to encourage the aggression to hunt down a target and overtake the opponent in a unique manner in order to keep the gameplay fresh with rewarding a bringing down of a target. The hunt play style is more about finding an opening rather than active striking an opponent in the moment. Hit  - These systems usually want you to get in, hit hard and hit fast; these reward active aggression in the moment and don't reward failure of action. This is rewarding when dealing with bulkier enemies and even more rewarding when you're able to get hits in on your opponent versus them being able to hit you. Kill  - These reward killing a target and usually help you kill ...

 Link to proof; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGzJEv3Xfo4 I knew my game was lacking something that something like Dark Souls 2 failed at! Combat flow! This is why I had the sword system boost/ overload your gun because I want the flow of the game to be there! The stamina system or any ammo-esc system with having to recharge in between actions needs to be refined/ polished to keep the player engaged/ keep the player going. Albeit I have it where landing your hits boost your ammo timer. When you use your sword to force overload your gun and help with the ammo regen timer it feels so much better now having the ammo force fed into your gun faster via the melee system. Combat flow also relates to every aspect; healing Melee Range etc. Each aspect needs to match the speed and tempo of the game. Tempo - Tempo is how many beats in said game is the world moving at, an example being DS3 every enemy is a 3 beat pattern expect for one boss. It is a simple flow but you get it, in DS1 e...

 The higher the skill ceiling the more skill is required to pull off said mechanics and advantages about said mechanics with the players being left to climb the mechanical skill ceiling, however; a game with multiple skill ceilings have it where it's harder to climb/ find the meta, to solve it. The easier it is and the easier the climb, the quicker a game dies as well. Why is this? It comes down to the fact of info holding or better known as knowledge versus skill. In a game with a high skill ceiling, you are required to perform a lot of precise inputs for actions to hit targets across the map. When a game has a high skill ceiling; it becomes difficult to master, when a game has a high skill floor it becomes difficult for new players to commit to it and get in. However mostly becomes easier to master. When a game has a high knowledge ceiling you have players having to gain more knowledge about said systems, low knowledge ceilings require little to no thinking and leaves it to be so...

 I have designed a landing lag system more around the SF series kind of landing lag and Smash however I disliked such systems to an extent with nerfing those aspects and allowing instead a way to cancel and or outright remove landing lag from the equation with the distance trigger condition. So not only a way to cancel landing lag but it won't trigger unless you fall x amount of feet and continue to keep falling for said such distance. The landing lag can ruin the tempo/ speed of your game. When you're at a high level of skill play for said systems you start to understand you're making something that is going to be too difficult for the average player to deal with/ master. If you make it too lax you create no meaningful challenge, the solution? Make a middle ground that pleases hard cores and gives them a way of challenging themselves and the casuals a way of just mindlessly going through said challenge. There is no one size fits all suit here, it has the draw back of makin...

 After looking at the Poly Bridge game there are interactions that matter to a great degree versus other games and I would say here it's no different with the level of interactions being highly in depth and leaving the level of complexity for mechanics up to the player for building and a big level of freedom. A game's complexity can be daunting and as thus the depth and interactions need not only to be deep but interconnect in meaningful ways in order to create limited tools being fun content wise, less be the gameplay will fall short for how to make the same level fun for the 100TH time. It is how the gears turn and click onto one another.

The following elements and systems make a good cross over game or what I consider a good cross over game. That bare in mind this might change and evolve as time goes on. Theme Now theming is the most important aspect because you're throwing in characters into the same arena. Sure you could have an NBA star in your game where cartoony characters fight it out but the question is, "should you?" Look at Nickelodeon with it's cartoony cast of characters and not real characters along with sticking to the classic characters. Move sets need to match The move sets/ power system needs to match the characters you're using; the balance doesn't matter but the character's in game and or in universe powers need to match instead. Yes this causes some characters to become similar, not as good, etc. However you're using the crossover as a heavy element; you must have the gameplay for said character be good/ enjoyable if you're going to break away from the source mat...

 I see why I am in love with extra movement techs as the such and everything; I am making/ having different movement options at play and display power wise with the knowledge I collected, as such I am wanting to apply said knowledge/ ideas to the game at hand I am playing. The carry over affect I believe happens in similar genres; an example being Smash Bros to a fighting game. This could be my personal bias which it is in all likelihood the case. I am spoiled by things like landing cancels and other such techs in Smash Bros with the ability to synergize my movement from one action to another.

      There are many distinct differences between the two and what value they have along with the heavy focus on narrative engagement; this is a key thing to answer. Bare in mind, both game genres have ways of leaning into one or the other more. Walking simulators Little to no story, little to no actual gameplay and the story not being compelling for how the character is driven forward; no thrust forward. The weight and action isn't driven by choice, by decision. Story Simulator Story simulators are driven by choice, decision and your actions have some weight that carry you forward; your actions are the story, the narrative weight mattering. A story simulator has you engaging with the story more than activities. Examples of walking sims Depression Quest. Story Simulator examples Standely Parable Any visual novel game Coffin of Andy and Lele

 Each choice you make and new game mechanic you add will pull you into a new and different direction for you to mentally tackle things with my results for the day being where I was stuck designing/ creating something that had it where the design prospects were being pulled in the direction of building off of other ideas and systems until I had something I liked with trying to combine fighting game elements with Smash (kind of worked out but fighting game part was "meh"). At the end of the day I find that I am going to give it another design approach and I consider taking the gravity circuit approach. Other games I played further back in my childhood having a major impact on my brain it would seem.

     When doing simple buffs you have things you never realize change up gameplay in a meaningful way that changes moment to moment gameplay. I will be posting/ providing examples that expand upon what I mean. Some stuff shocking, other stuff not so shocking as it were. Collision box size      This is something that comes as a shocker at the moment with the fact that changing the collision box size makes platforming easier, wall jumping, jumping, etc. The x position and y position changed so the player has an easier time moving around the environment and so you're able to shrink down more parts of the level providing better moment to moment gameplay challenges with having execution of movement become tighter rather than loose.     Mario being given a small and simple collision box allows for better levels to be designed and mean while the inflated/ changed forms of Mario and friends making it where the levels need to be bigger, longer and changed ...

The more refinements to the existing systems and the more you build off of it. The more aspects about said system entrench/ build off of top of each other. A game system with many refined movement mechanics shows a focus on a personality of a game being nimble. Games with run buttons and instant speed are about being fast and quick on your feet. Each game mechanic/ element is used to build up your game's identity with the fewest mechanics in said system having the biggest impact. That being said; the smaller mechanics still play a vital role in helping build up what your game is about. Here are some examples of said systems building up your gameplay; Tipper system  - the sour spot hit box being the weaker part further back while the end part being the strongest. Nimble fighter  - speed is important. Slothful fighter  - slow pace. Closer punch  - the closer hit box = hits harder. Tipper + nimble fighter = a swordsman play style Closer punch + slothful fighter  = ...

Whiffing mechanics in games I've rarely seen done and usually too punishing or too forgiving. To define a whiffing mechanic it's a mechanic where missing an attack/ not having said attack land will punish you instead of help you like missing a hit on a target before it could land on said target and your sword strikes the ground. Whiffing mechanics is meant to punish the player for being too greedy and cause an opening to happen to the player with the opponent able to capitalize on the mistake of their opponent. The whiffing mechanic can come in many shapes and forms and sometimes more than one form. Recovery whiffing This is where you're punished on recovery with the move not landing/ having it be a hit in the face as you're waiting for your character to recover, the difference between this and whiffing an opponent that blocked your attack? In this kind of state, this is assuming your opponent didn't block but instead moved out of the way, as thus leaving you open v...

I have played many different games that use hit stun differently. These are the different forms of hit stun and how they're used for different affect of gameplay. I am sure I'll see other forms of usage/ use case for such a mechanic. Weaponized hitstun Weaponized hitstun meaning it's used less for flare and more for mechanical purpose. This creates breathing room by stunning the enemy in place for a brief second to a long time to show how much of an impact it had on the enemy in question. Defensive hitstun This would be an affect from a move that would affect the gameplay in a meaningful way with the gameplay allowing the actor in question use it as a time to pause before having to deal with the enemy again. This could be things like causing the enemy to stagger from hitting them in the head to cause them to stagger for a bit or something like your character in Dark Souls losing their balance as they're having their guard broken. Combo hitstun Combo hitstun also somethi...