The Journey of a First-Person Melee Roguelike Game

TLDRAfter 6 months of development, a first-person melee Roguelike game lacks a gameplay loop and suffers from bad combat. The developer reflects on the mistakes made and attempts to fix them. However, the project is put on hold for now.

Key insights

🔑Lack of a gameplay loop led to a poorly designed first-person melee combat system.

💡Making elemental enemies without a solid combat foundation resulted in unbalanced and frustrating gameplay.

⚙️The implementation of blocking and parrying mechanics felt off and lacked purpose.

🎵The developer created music and concept art for the game, showing dedication despite the gameplay issues.

💥The developer attempted to improve the combat system by adding a posture system, stronger parrying, and a coin system to limit the number of simultaneous enemy attacks.

Q&A

Why did the developer continue development despite the gameplay issues?

The developer's passion for making a first-person melee game, along with outside pressure, drove them to persist.

What were the major mistakes in the game's development?

Focusing too much on making elemental enemies, neglecting a solid combat foundation, and not addressing the flaws in the blocking and parrying mechanics.

What improvements did the developer make to the combat system?

The developer introduced a posture system, stronger parrying, and a coin system to limit the number of simultaneous enemy attacks.

Why did the developer put the project on hold?

Despite several attempts to fix the gameplay issues, the project still didn't meet the developer's standards. They plan to work on something else for now.

Will the developer revisit this project in the future?

There is a possibility that the developer might return to the project, either as a Roguelike game or an action game with fast-paced combat.

Timestamped Summary

00:00The developer spent 6 months creating a first-person melee Roguelike game but overlooked the gameplay loop.

00:43The combat system felt awkward and lacked snappiness, making the gameplay unsatisfying.

02:26Creating elemental enemies without a solid combat foundation led to unbalanced and frustrating gameplay.

03:46Attempts to fix the combat system, including adding blocking and parrying mechanics, were unsuccessful.

05:57The developer's dedication is evident through the creation of music and concept art for the game.

09:59Implementing a coin system to limit simultaneous enemy attacks improved gameplay balance.

12:33The developer created a level with enemies and finalized the demo, but it still didn't meet their expectations.

13:57The project is put on hold, and the developer contemplates possible future directions for the game.