I spent this week adding some more spells, weapons, and “new” enemies. You may notice, dear reader, that I put new in quotation marks because these new enemies either have previous boss’ movesets or a mix of other enemies’ movesets. In one case, I simply changed what an enemy throws, but that already largely changes the way the player may approach it. This original enemy throws a giant boulder, while the “new” one throws something even bigger (I won’t say what it is because I don’t want to spoil the surprise).
A vital part of any soulslike or action game is the encounters. Level design and enemy design will dictate how these flow. Neither of these is my forte; to be fair, I’m not entirely sure what my forte is. My process for most of my game is a lot of brute force. I plug it in and see if it works. Then I wonder if it is fun or interesting. There’s a great piece of advice I got from somewhere, but I can’t remember where, that said every game at its core is a puzzle game.
By puzzle, I mean there’s a problem, and it’s up to the player to find the solution. This is helpful when creating an encounter and seeing each piece as a complication to the puzzle. Placing a bunch of enemies on a flat plane to fight the player is an encounter that challenges the player to fight them all at once. Generally a boring problem, but it can still be fun when used sparingly.
It was necessary for me to start with the simple experiences because it helped me understand the basics and what would make future skirmishes more interesting. Then, as the game progressed, I added more complications to the levels, such as verticality, traps, obstacles, and other hazards. In games like mine, the “puzzles” aren’t complex at all. It involves getting from point A to point B, but novelty keeps it exciting and fresh.
Enemy variety is important because it’s another object that players have to study. Learning their moveset, how fast they run, and even how far they can follow you is part of the whole experience. Keeping this in mind, it’s also a good skill to know when to compromise. I can’t keep making entirely new enemies from scratch every time I want to because it takes a lot of time and effort. So, again, I reiterate that some “new” enemies are old enemies but with a different hat.
At the end of the day, my target is always fun, which is why it is incredibly difficult to design new encounters. I ask myself if this scene is something the player will have faced before. Then, I always play through the encounter myself, and if I find it boring, I know I have to change something. Sometimes, simply throwing in things to destroy breaks the tedium. Adding a lot of destructibles, such as tables and chairs, is like adding spice to a dish, while the enemies and hazards are the meat. I guess games can also be food. No, I think I will stick to all games as puzzles. I don’t consider myself a very good cook.
Anyway, I am close to finishing the final level. Then, I’ll move on to the final boss, and the game will be “finished.” Once it’s finished, I will work on finishing everything else, from QA to polishing.
GoldenGratus Games 