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New Game Idea: Betrayal Dungeon

Player controls three characters. At the start of each level, map out each of their paths. When the player presses play, they each move along the path the player made. They each move a space at a time so they move at the same speed. The goal is to get just one of the characters to the exit. There could be bonuses for killing the other two players, picking up a collectible along the way, or completing it with a certain character. 


Path drawing:

Select character icon. Draw a path with the mouse or arrow keys, or controller controls. A ghost/translucent version of the character is at the end of the path to show where they'll end up and if they'll be dead, given the current layout. Eg. move one character across some spikes and the ghost version will be dead on the spikes partway through the defined path. However, a different character could remove the spikes before the first character reaches them, allowing them to continue the path. Similar to the path drawing in the 2v2 mode of Super Mario Party (2018).



UI:

There would have to be a UI element to the game: an icon for each of the characters, a play button, and perhaps a pause and fast-forward button. These two are present in many games where there player has more of an observer role, however this is because they may want to make changes to the environment as the game is playing out. The idea for the game currently does not include that so these buttons may be unnecessary.


Completing a level:

Level is complete/solved when one of the three players stands on the exit button. There could be a few seconds window for another character to reach the exit after the first. The character(s) at the exit celebrates while the other(s) looks angry. The ground all falls away except for the exit cube. The exit cube moves to the start of the next level and then the new level appears up from the ground. There could be multiple rounds to a level. player draws lines to a certain limit for round one, and must then draw more lines to have the characters reach the end by round two.

Maybe the game shows the player every attempt (a la meat boy)


Different characters:

The player will have control of three different characters. They could be three of the same character, or could have individual abilities to make the player consider which one to send in which direction. If not different abilities, then different things they can each do in a level. For example, only the wizard can activate blue switches, etc.


Extra points:

The player could receive an extra point/coin/collectable in each level. There would be different requirements for the collectable in each level. For example: there is a physical collectible in the level that a player must carry to the exit; the player must kill the other two characters before exiting; the player must have a specific character reach the end. "dark world" type option where the player solves a harder version of the level for the extra point


Encouraging the player to plan their approach:

Since the main problem with my previous version of a game was the fact that it could be solved by a player who blindly stands on buttons to see what they do, this game should have a focus on the player planning their route through the level before pressing play. The difficult balance is to then prevent players form solving puzzles easily on their first try. To allow players to plan, there must be a way for them to know what the buttons do before they press play. There are a couple of ways of achieving this:

  1. When the player is drawing a line and the end of the line is over a button, act as if it is being pressed to show the player what it would do. Could be done by simulating the outcome with a translucent version of the object's motion, or by simply highlighting the object that would be effected. 
  2. There are always lines connecting the buttons to the objects they affect, allowing the player to plan without moving. 
  3. Each button has a symbol that is shared by the object in the level it controls.


Sacrificing characters:

Allow the player to let their character die to a trap, so that the trap is deactivated for another character to cross. A door swinging open or closed could also kill players


The level reacting:

I will have everything in the level move at set intervals. The characters all move on their turn, which will be roughly every second. The player will be able to change the speed of character movement, so they can view the effects of everything more clearly as it happening if they need to, or speed the game up if they are repeating the same actions and don't ned to pay as much attention to it. The rest of the level will move on the "offbeat". Halfway between each turn, the level will move. For example, if a character steps on a button, a door will open before the characters' next turn.

The level's movements could be indicated by timer icons - small circles that slowly fill. For example, if an object does something every 3 turns, the circle will fill a third every move. 


Rotate the camera:

Use arrow keys to view the level from 4 different perspectives


Move limit:

Each player can only take a certain number of moves to complete each level


Collision as a Fail State:

Players colliding with each other causes them both to "die", making the level impossible in most cases.


Possible mechanics:

  • Crumbling floors
  • Spikes
  • Cages
  • Teleporters
  • Boulder rolls, pressing buttons slowly. Acts as a player itself with its own path
  • Planning timer, characters move automatically when the timer is done
  • Areas of floor that make characters move faster/slower
  • Put the game on one side of the screen and UI on the other



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