Daring Descent - Mobile Arcade
Scripting | Physics | Prototyping
Project Details
Team Size - 9
Duration - 48 hours
Playtime - 3 minutes
Platform - PC
Distribution - Itch.io
Tools - Unreal Engine 5, Git
Roles - Team Leader, Technical Designer, Gameplay Designer
Summary
Competing in the Indienomicon 2024 Indie Galactic Space Jam, my team and I created a game designed for mobile and inspired by an old flash game (Operation T.O.M.M.Y.). I created most of the game mechanics as well as assisted all of my team members with using Unreal Engine. I was incredibly lucky to have such a talented team and I'm very happy with the game we created.
Contributions
Player Movement
I created the player movement using Unreal Engine’s simulated physics. Players can roll left, roll right, and thrust to control their ship’s movement. Tweaking the parameter values on the ship’s simulated physics, the strength of the thruster force, and the force of gravity were vital to balancing the game and making it responsive and fun. I also implemented a player wrap system with dynamic bounds to teleport the ship from one side of the screen to the other if the player moves off-screen.
Health System
To fit with the game’s arcade-like feel we decided to have an "X number of hits health system" (rather than having hits do different amounts of damage). When the player collides with another object hard enough, they lose a health point and enter a brief invulnerability state. Upon losing all health, their ship explodes in a dramatic finish as the game slows to a stop.
Fuel Mechanic
To add an extra layer of strategy and tension to the game, players must carefully manage their limited fuel reserves. Using the ship's main thruster consumes fuel, encouraging precise and efficient movement. Running out of fuel means complete loss of control, leading to an inevitable crash. To help balance this challenge, fuel pickups are strategically placed throughout levels, offering an element of risk reward for attempting to navigate to pick them up.
Score System
I created a scoring system that rewards players for both speed and precision, creating a balance between risk and reward. The player's final score is determined by three key factors: time taken to land, the difficulty of the landing pad, and remaining health. Faster descents earn higher scores, but reckless flying can cost health and lower the final result. To fine-tune this balance, I developed an algorithm that calculates scores based on these variables. Additionally, I created designer-friendly tools that allowed for easy tweaking of score weights, allowing level designers to easily balance each level.