Ian Fienberg
Game Design
Shootman
Spring 2022
Game Demo
Game Features
Game Mechanics:
-Melee and projectile attacks on robot enemies
-Killing enemies adds 10 seconds to your timer
-Double jump allows for faster travel
Collect Powerups:
Speed-x2 speed for 10 seconds
Health-instantly heals your health bar
Double Shot-shoot x2 projectiles for 7.5 seconds
-Race against a timer in order to survive
-Fight a final boss battle to claim victory
Mock Ups
Pictured left is a preliminary sketch I drew of how I envisioned the game, followed by a digitized version to improve viewability. The top half depicts an overview of how a level would look; populated with enemies and powerups, requiring the player to move upward, and leading to another level above the current one. The lower half displays my envisioned features of the game such as powerups, goals of the game, enemy interaction, theme/storyline, and other general ideas for the game. The staircase-like drawing represents what the map would look like zoomed out, with each level beginning at the top right of the previous one.
Design Breakdown
Shootman was created in Unreal Engine 4 in a group of 4 in Spring of 2022.
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Enemies:
Inspired by Super Mario Bros., the enemies in Shootman follow a similar progression in difficulty. I designed a variety of enemies, gradually increasing their challenge to ease players into the game. Early encounters feature simple foes, while later levels introduce tougher adversaries leading up to the final boss. This boss battle, also influenced by Super Mario Bros., mirrors the climactic fights at the end of each world, where Mario faces Bowser’s minions. In Shootman, however, the final showdown is against a towering robotic enemy that unleashes plasma balls in all directions, providing a thrilling and intense conclusion.
Time:
Like Super Mario Bros, the game features a timer that results in an immediate loss when it reaches zero. However, the starting time is intentionally low, making it impossible to finish the game without defeating enemies. Each enemy killed adds 10 seconds to the timer, providing players enough time to complete the game while encouraging combat over speed running.
Mechanics:
Left & Right arrow keys - Move
Spacebar - Jump (Player can jump in-air for a double jump)
K - Melee attack (Sword)
J - Ranged attack (Plasma Gun)
Powerups:
Double Speed - For 10 seconds the player can move twice as fast
Health - Restores the player's health to 100%
Double Shot - Each projectile shot comes in a pair for 10 seconds
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This project would not have come to fruition if it weren't for group members Jaden Gant, who was our game programmer, Will Montgomery, who was our game programmer and game audio designer, Courtney Young, who was our game artist, and myself, who was the game designer and level designer.