A retro-style based shooter

Abstract

This document summarizes and explains the process of creating a spaceship shooter game from the perspective of game design, programming and art. In terms of game design, it is intended to be a twist of classics like asteroids, adding original mechanics like using the recoil force as an impulse or sharing the same meter for the health and ammo and making the most of it through the level and enemy’s design without resulting unfair or boring. Some of the techniques and decisions made in the design process such as the use of colour, shapes or the structure of the level to guide the player and introduce new mechanics will be explained here. All those ideas in the paper must be turned into something playable, for that we use the programming. Some complex algorithms have been developed for the behavior of enemy AI, for example, that of basic enemies, able to surround the player and avoid losing sight of the target to shoot him or the ability to reorganize when another enemy is eliminated. There are also examples in the player mechanics as the system to charge the shots or regenerate the health/ammo meter among others. On the art side, some shaders are developed with Shader Graph, Unity's new tool for developing shaders without coding, along with the use of post-processing tools to match the neon aesthetic goal and, ultimately, to improve visuals.