Genre: Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Indie
Smash Dungeon
Demo v0.5 - Its not Diablo!
For anyone new to the page I'd like to state that this is NOTHING LIKE DIABLO!!!
The demo should serve as a resource for anyone curious as to how the game plays but before you download it expecting a point and click Diablo game, let me stop you now.
While this is equally at home with mouse & keyboard, you can think of it more as a twin stick combat game. So as I say in the short description, Gauntlet / Smash TV / Binding of Isaac.
I've been working hard on the feedback I've received from the previous demo and they main updates are the combat and tutorial. The combat you see in the demo now is almost final. Only small fixes will be done and perhaps some balancing / speed issues will be changed.
The tutorial is there to explain the mechanics to new players. I will be looking at a way to by-pass this for more experienced players. One possible idea I have on this is to introduce a persistent first level which will branch off in multiple directions allowing you to do the tutorial or head off to the level sections and return to the first level to head off to a new level section. For now though I suggest you try it even if you're familiar with Smash Dungeon as it may show you something you missed.
Another thing that has changed is you don't get to chose a weapon / Armour at the start. This is how I originally intended the game to be. You start with nothing more than a torch to defend yourself and the first thing you need to do is locate a weapon. This makes for a more varied gameplay experience to begin with, but there are plans to expand on this allowing you to unlock certain "things" from the start as you uncover them in a play-through.
For those of you still reading I hope you enjoy the demo and as always look forward to any feedback you can give in the discussions forum.
Steam Next Fest
Many bugs were slaughtered in getting this to a stage were I felt happy to present a demo. That's not to say its totally bug free but its a damn sight better than it was 2 weeks ago. One or two things didnt quite make the cut such as details on how to control your hero. You can rebind the controls but below is an image showing the default controls.
One bug I have just noticed is that its rather foggy if you start with the Archer which I'll look in to asap.
Stress Test
[previewyoutube="T703jbzBgGo;full"]
A quick update. I'm looking to put together a demo over the next month or so and with the Mech Boss now fully loaded I thought I'd have a look to see how many enemies I can throw at the player before it becomes too much. If you have a worthy hammer then you can handle quite a lot :)
Mech Boss
[previewyoutube="i9ja4tv9tM0;full"]
Working towards beta now and I've turned my attention to the Bosses. First boss to undergo polish is the Mech. He now starts seated watching you deal with his minions before deciding to join the fray.
Some of his attacks can knock you to the ground such as the Jump Smash, a charge attack and the swipe of this melee weapon. His other attack is a light beam from his chest and his ability so summon more creatures.
The Archer
Each weapon class has a special ability which needs charging with kills. The Sword and Shield class has can perform a shield toss, Dual swords can perform a whirlwind attack, a hammer class can perform a ground slam and the archer has this power shot...
The explosion from the arrow will damage or kill near-by enemies, it can destroy destructible elements in the environment and can destroy walls to reveal secret rooms.
Kicking Ass in your Underwear
You enter the dungeon in your freshly polished Armour and your shinny weapon in hand. Cautiously you approach the doorway. You hear a scuttle from the other side. The lights go out...
You awake dazed and confused in nothing but your underwear, your Armour and Weapon gone.
The game starts with the player having no Armour and just a simple lit torch for a weapon. You must then make your way through the Dungeon collecting Armour & Weapons as you go. This means there are no defined classes and Armour & Weapons will be placed throughout the levels at random thus making each play through a bit more unique.
While this is currently how I intend the game to be played I may add an optional Class system to allow the player to start a bit more kitted up - but we'll see.
The player character models have been replaced to allow you to collect different Armour types which will change the characters appearance. The Armour is broken down in to 5 key elements, those being Body / Leg, Gauntlets, Boots, Helmet and a Cloak
and each of these elements will provide different stats such as impact on defense, speed etc.
There are currently 5 Armour sets and 3 rarities per set giving a total of 75 individual Armour items and any combination of items can be worn.
In game
New Lighting
A lot has changed since the last update with the most significant being lighting. Previously all the rooms had baked lighting which meant the levels were not quite as dynamic as I wished for. Now all lighting is real-time with volumetric fog effects and apart from just looking much better, the room layouts can be more varied and I can also play around with darkness a bit more, for example to hide hordes of enemies or traps.
Something else you might notice from the screens shots below are the change to the main character and yes he is running around in his pants. More on that in another update ;)
Traps!
I recently started adding traps so over the next few days I'll introduce these. First off we have The Spinning Blades of Death! They come in two different sizes (small & large) and damage both player and most enemies. The enemy AI is smart enough to avoid these and you should too, but you can hit enemies in to the blades with a timely strike.
Physics!
Two things I had to sacrifice with when thinking about developing this for mobile were Physics and volume of enemies in a room at once.
Now the focus is on PC only I've added physics to the players strike so enemies move back when hit. Enemies will be thrown back a little or a lot depending on the character your using and the strike they perform.
When I added this it just felt better and I also noticed it helped when attacking crowds of enemies so to balance things out I've increased the number of enemies you will fight in a room - its only fair ;)
In the gif above you can see a small stress test of 50 enemies coming at the player and a slightly over-exaggerated knock back.
Know your Enemy!
In Smash Dungeon you will face a number of different enemies with Melee and/or Ranged attack. They come in a variety of sizes from small and medium to big mofos, and Bosses. Some types of enemies you will encounter include skeletons, golems , archers, demon wizards, beholders, spiders and many more. While some deal damage via melee or ranged attack, others have special ways in which they can do you harm. Lets take a look at some of these enemies and how they can hurt you.
The Mutant
Being one of the smaller enemies it doesn't take much to kill a Mutant, a single strike and he's a gonner but make sure you stand well clear once you've hurt him as his explosion will cause damage.
Pig Man
A medium sized enemy who as well as being a strong hitter he can also leap at you from a distance and emits poisonous gas on landing.
Orc
Another medium sized enemy with a decent melee attack that is faster than the average. He also starts with a spear which he can use to attack from a distance.
The Charger
This Mech enemy is another strong hitter that is not easy to bring down. As well as a good melee attack he can also charge at you and knock you off your feet. Make sure to get out of his way once he starts running at you.
The Slayer
One of the Big Mofo's in Smash Dungeon. A melee unit with a huge sword and shield, his shield will absorb most of your attack from a frontal attack so you'll have to time your movement and strikes with this one from the side or rear to do decent damage. Get too close and he'll sit you on your backside with that huge shield.
Be aware that it is rare you will come across these enemies in a one on one situation so you will have to work out a strategy for who to take out first!
