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SuperSede: 2D Arena Space Shooter Game - Design Document

  • Writer: Jirawat Jumponkunawut
    Jirawat Jumponkunawut
  • Mar 30, 2022
  • 6 min read

Updated: Aug 25, 2022



SuperSede is a 2D Top-down space arena shooter where the player can hijack weakened enemy ships to create an army of their own.


You play as a rogue coffee maker AI who has taken control of a police drone ship. Your goal is to conquer the galaxy, but the Galactic Federation set up walls to close in and eliminate you. Put a stop to them and continue your advances!


Worked on a 6 to 15 person team.

  • Design Lead

  • Game initial prototype using Unity game engine

  • Conduct playtesting and design iteration

  • UI wireframe and prototype

  • Co-design menus and UIs

  • Design game feel

  • Design system design and game balance

  • Co-design visual effects using particle effect


DESIGN OVERVIEW

SuperSede

is a space-themed 2D

Top-Down shooter where the player hijacks weakened enemies to gain allies and stay alive.

The team aims to create a fast-paced game dynamic that produces an on-edge experience.


Target Audience

Players who enjoy space-themed arcade games such as Space Invader and Galaga will like the style of SuperSede.

Players who seek fast-paced combat will enjoy the gameplay of SuperSede.


Main Selling Points

  • Sci-fi space combat

  • Override and take over enemy ships

  • Variety of ships each with their unique bullet mechanics.

  • Fast-paced challenging combat experience.

  • Amass an army of ships to destroy enemies.


MECHANICS OVERVIEW

Shooting

  • When aiming at the enemy, the crosshair lit up suggesting left-mouse click.

  • On left-mouse click, shoot a hijack projectile that deals damage when the enemy.

Hijack Mechanic

  • When aiming at a vulnerable enemy: the crosshair lights up, suggesting right mouse-click.

  • On right mouse-click, shoot a hijack projectile that, upon hitting an enemy:

    • If the Enemy has Shield HP remaining:

      • Hijack fails and nothing happens.

    • If the Enemy’s Shield HP is depleted, using Raw HP instead:

      • Hijack success, taking over their ship. The player’s current ship becomes an ally that fights alongside the player. And the player now takes control of the enemy ship.


CHARACTER OVERVIEW

Player

A coffee machine AI who became sentient and now it's gone rogue. It's going to take over the whole galaxy, one ship at a time.

Enemy

A police drone, police ship, and the bounty hunter ship who is trying to stop the mad AI from taking over the galaxy.


RESOURCES OVERVIEW

  • The game will include many sprites that will be used on every game object.

  • The particle effect will be used heavily for the VFX as a part of the game’s feedback.

  • The sound effects and background music will be used to set the mood and provide feedback.


THEME AND SETTING OVERVIEW


Proposed theme and setting

  • Theme: Sci-fi spacy neon-colored flat graphic.

  • Setting: Far future outer space.

Q: Does the theme or setting actively work against the experience of the game?

A: The sci-fi aesthetic fits the top-down shooter genre well.


Q: Does the theme or setting make sense with the team and resources available?

A: The space theme is the norm to the space-shooter genre such as Galaga and Asteroid. The neon aesthetic will add to the game visual making it stand out more.


Q: Is the theme and setting evocative, interesting, or memorable?

A: ◦ Our team focus on the neon aesthetic which makes the game look bright and vibrant. Ships and bullets are planned to have bright glows to contrast with dark space backgrounds.


Q: Is the setting deep and rich with lots of interesting background to discover?

A: Setting isn’t planned for the player exploration. Areas and backgrounds are aimed to make ships and bullets easily visible in the midst of combat.


ENVIRONMENTS OVERVIEW

The background will be a space scenery surrounded by an asteroid belt as a border. Within the scene, there will be many static asteroids used as an obstacle. Occasionally there will be a meteoroid flying by and destroy ships that are in its path.


NARRATIVE OVERVIEW

In the far future where humans had migrated to space and making it their new home. In an unsuspicious police ship, a coffee machine AI became sentient and it's bored with making coffee. It takes over the ship, soon it will take over the galaxy, and there is no police and bounty hunter who can stop it. From now it won't serve any coffee, it will only serve hot and freshly brew death, one ship at a time.


ART OVERVIEW

  • Our art direction will focus on the space setting with sic-fi element and neon color scheme.

  • Trying to make the ship stand out more on the background by using neon color because the sprite will be moving fast in the game.

  • Bright projectile, so it’s stands out from the background and easy to look at high speed.

  • The enemy ships are pointy, so it looks fast and dangerous.

  • On the background, we emphasis nebula and space debris to make the background looks more interesting that just stars on a black background.


AUDIO OVERVIEW

Aside from being responsive and provide feedback to the player’s action. The audio will have a sci-fi element to it.

  • BGM: sci-fi, action, and response to the game pace (if possible)

  • SFX

    • Shooting: Pew sound with thick bass layer

    • Hit: Impact sound with thick bass, with metal scraps tailing

    • Hijackable: Electric lose power.

    • Hijacked: Electric recharge. (Must sound cool, awesome)

    • Enemies died: Explode

      • Reward: usually ding sound

    • Wave warning: Air strike siren but sci-fi.


INTERFACE OVERVIEW

ree
  • HUD

    • Wave counter

    • Crosshair

      • Signify the mouse button.

      • Help the player aim.

  • Player (Lead)

    • Health Bar

    • Enemy distance and direction indicator

  • Ally

    • Minimal HP

  • Enemy

    • HP states

      • Shield

      • No Shield (Hijackable)


A/S/F List

Hit Point

  • Affordance

    • Decrease HP

  • Signifier (Enemy)

    • If shields’ HP is zero, Shield break.

    • If ships’ HP is zero, ship explode.

  • Signifier (Player)

    • A circle HP bar

  • Signifier (Ally)

    • If ships’ HP is 0, ship explode.

  • Feedback (Player & Ally)

    • Damaged when not shielded

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Blue fragment)

        • (Fade out, Light-blue light particle) (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect: (Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake.

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

    • Explode

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Purple fragment)

        • (Fade out, Blue light particle) (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect (Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake.

  • Feedback (Enemy)

    • Damaged when shielded

      • Particle effect. (Fade out, White fragment)

      • Sound Effect. (Thud (Bass) + Bang (Mid))

      • Screen Shake.

    • Damaged when not shielded

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Red fragment)

        • (Fade out, Orange light particle) (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect (Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake.

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

    • Explode

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Orange fragment)

        • (Fade out, Yellow light particle) (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect (Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake.

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

Movement

  • Affordance

    • Accelerate

    • Decorrelate

    • Omnidirectional Movement.

  • Signifier

    • A vast space around the player.

    • The enemy is moving.

  • Feedback

    • The player moves.

Shooting

  • Affordance

    • Shoot a projectile that can deal damage to an enemy ship.

  • Signifier

    • The enemy is shooting bullets.

    • The existence of the crosshair.

    • The red line on the left-side of the crosshair.

  • Feedback

    • The red circle on the left-side of the crosshair blink.

    • The projectile shot.

    • Sound Effect. (Bang with tails)

    • When hit on ship

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Red fragment)

        • (Fade out, Orange light particle) (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect: (Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake.

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

    • When hit on shield

      • Particle effect. (Fade out, White fragment)

      • Sound Effect: (Thud (Bass) + Bang (Mid))

      • Screen Shake.

    • When being hit

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Blue fragment)

        • (Fade out, Light-blue light particle) (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect: (Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake.

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

Dash

  • Affordance

    • Covered in a bullet then launch itself into one direction for about 0.8 seconds.

  • Signifier

    • Player

      • The enemy is dashing.

      • The red line on the left-side of the crosshair.

    • Enemy (Anticipation)

      • Stop moving but still rotating.

      • Particle effect.

        • 3 sets of 8 implode light particle that get stronger each time.

      • Sprite flashing (Normal, get faster each set)

  • Feedback

    • The red circle on the left-side of the crosshair blink.

    • The dashing forward.

    • Particle effect. (Trailing orange light particle)

    • Ship sprite change.

    • Sound Effect: Bang with long tails

    • Rumble (Bass)+Propulsion sound (Mid)+Pew (High)

    • When hit on ship

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Red fragment)

        • (Fade out, Orange light particle)

      • (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect: Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake.

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

    • When hit on shield

      • Particle effect: (Fade out, White fragment)

      • Sound Effect: (Thud (Bass) + Bang (Mid))

      • Screen Shake.

    • When being hit

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Blue fragment)

        • (Fade out, Light-blue light particle)

        • (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect: (Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

Bomber

  • Affordance

    • Shoot a slow-moving bullet that overtime will explode and spawn 4 bullets.

  • Signifier

    • Player

      • The enemy is shooting.

      • The red line on the left-side of the crosshair.

    • Enemy (Anticipation)

      • Stop moving but still rotating.

      • Particle effect.

        • A long 6 implode light particle that get stronger each time.

  • Feedback

    • The red circle on the left-side of the crosshair blink.

    • The bomb shooting

    • Sound Effect

      • Mortar sound

      • Rumble (Bass) + Pew (High)

Bomb

  • Affordance

    • A slow-moving bullet that overtime will explode and spawn 4 bullets.

  • Signifier (Anticipation)

    • Particle effect.

      • Soft 4 explode light particle that get stronger each time.

    • Sprite flashing (Slow, get faster through lifetime.)

  • Feedback

    • Sound Effect. (Explode sound)

    • When explode

      • Launch bullets in 6 direction

      • Sound Effect: Rumbel (Bass) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High)

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Orange light particle) (Many, High Speed) (Offsetting the bullet for 30 degrees)

    • When bullets hit on ship

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Red fragment)

        • (Fade out, Orange light particle)

        • (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect: (Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake.

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

    • When bullets hit on shield

      • Particle effect. (Fade out, White fragment)

      • Sound Effect: (Thud (Bass) + Bang (Mid))

      • Screen Shake.

    • When being hit by bullets

      • Particle effect.

        • (Fade out, Blue fragment)

        • (Fade out, Light-blue light particle) (Many, High Speed)

      • Sound Effect: (Thud (Mid) + Bang (Bass) + Clang (High))

      • Screen Shake.

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

Hijacking

  • Affordance

    • Shoot a projectile that can take over a weakened enemy ship.

  • Signifier

    • The blue line on the left-side of the crosshair.

    • The enemy's shield sprite disappears.

    • The hijack screen overlay UI show up when the player aims at the hijackable enemy.

  • Feedback

    • On mouse hold

      • Particle effect (Blue Implode)

      • The camera zooms in.

      • Time slow down.

    • On mouse release

      • The blue circle on the left-side of the crosshair blink.

      • The hijack projectile shot.

    • On hit

      • Sound Effect (Whirr-roosh).

      • Particle effect (Blue Implode)

    • If success

      • Sound Effect (BeepBeep).

      • Particle effect (Red Explode)

      • The enemy sprite changes.

      • Sprite flashing (fast)

    • If fail

      • Sound Effect (Buzz).

      • Particle effect. (Blue Explode)

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