LO1: Level Synopsis

I have decided to create the tutorial mission for my game. This tutorial will go over the basic controls and mechanics of the game and give the player a decent introduction to the game. The level will start with the player in a small, blank room where they will be introduced to the basic movement and camera controls. They will be allowed to move around freely for a brief period of time before being told to proceed to the next area. When they are ready they can walk up to a door and open it to get to the next room. In this room there will be a broken bridge that they will have to jump across to get to the final room. This is to introduce the player to the final movement mechanic in the game. In the final room there will be a weapon that the player can pickup, most likely a sword, and a training dummy for them to attack. The tutorial will then take the player through the basic attacking mechanics of the game and allow them to practice om the training dummy. There will be a door in the final room that the player can use to end the tutorial. This, in the full game, would take the player to the main menu, but for what I am going to make it will simply end the program.

LO1: Flow Charts of In-Game Actions

Events & Check for the Tutorial Level

Left: Jumping Flowchart.   Right: Basic Movement Flowchart

Full Movement Flowchart

LO1: Explanation of Game Mechanics

There are a few main gameplay mechanics that a roguelike dungeon crawler revolve around. The most important gameplay mechanic for a roguelike is the perma-death style to the levels. This means that when a player's character dies in a dungeon, they are permanently dead. This somewhat forces the player to take their time with the game until they have a decent understanding of how the gameplay works. However, the perma-death mechanic also makes a game more competitive. Whether you're trying to beat a friend's high score or focusing on improving on your own personal best, a game with a perma-death mechanic is usually highly challenging and somewhat addicting making it a game that people will play for a long time.
            Another game mechanic that is defined by the roguelike genre of games is the procedurally generated aspects of the game. This can range from the basic placement of a few items in a room to the entire layout of a level. This keeps the player on their feet and makes it so that starting a new character is always a different experience. It adds replayablilty to the game and keeps the audience engaged for long periods of time. A great example of a roguelike game that keeps the players on their toes is "Spelunky". The levels in Spelunky are randomly generated and grouped into four increasingly difficult areas each with their own aesthetic themes. The later areas of the game contain high value items that add to the player's final score. 
            A lot of roguelike games also focus on a loot system that allows the player to improve their character as they progress. The loot can range from new weapons to treasure that increases the player's score and even cosmetic items that don't effect the gameplay but change the appearance of the player character. My game will also have a loot system, with different weapons appearing throughout the dungeon floors. Though some roguelike games have a completely random system, I will be focusing less on the random aspects and more on making the dungeons skill-based rather than luck-based. There will be treasure rooms at the ends of each of the dungeon floors that will offer the player multiple items but only allow them to take one. Each of the items will have statistics that will determine the strength of the items. These statistics will be randomised but will always offer the player an upgrade from their current items. It will then be up to them to choose which item they want and what playstyle they want to use.

LO1: My Final Game Idea

For my game I have chosen to produce a Medieval Fantasy, roguelike dungeon crawler. It will focus on hand-to-hand combat but will have some ranged combat and stealth scenarios. The game will start with a tutorial going over some of the basic controls of the game, with simple scenarios to introduce the player to the game. After the tutorial the game will go to a screen where the player can select a difficulty and then continue to play. The game will be similar to other roguelikes such as "The Binding of Isaac" and "Spelunky" as each of the main levels will be randomly generated. Killing enemies, and completing dungeons will grant experience points which count towards the level of the character. Levelling up will allow for the player to access new abilities and make their current abilities better using some sort of skill upgrade system. The enemies in the levels will scale with the level of the player but there will also be different difficulties to the game to make it easier or harder for the player. There will be items to pick up in the dungeons that will increase certain statistics of the player such as their attack damage or defense to allow them to progress and fight harder enemies. If their character dies they will return to the main menu and have to start again. The main goal of the game is to make it as far as you can with one character before they die. The player will only be allowed to have one character at a time and starting a new character will delete their previous one. This is one of the main gameplay mechanics of a roguelike game.
            My game will have moderately realistic looking graphics similar to games like "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" but will focus on bringing out the medieval fantasy aspects of the game. It will focus on making the dungeons look realistic while keeping a focus on the main themes of the game. Similar to Skyrim there will be multiple different schemes for the dungeon aesthetics that will appear at different depths of the dungeons. For example; at the start of the dungeons there will be a more generic, crypt-like look to the dungeons but as the player progresses it may fade in to a more Dwarven themed area, similar to that of the Dwemer ruins in Skyrim.

These screenshots are taken from Skyrim. They highlight the two major themes of the game's dungeons. Even though my game will have more than two dungeon themes, the dungeons of Skyrim will be a large source of inspiration for my theming.

LO1: Mind Map of Game Ideas