My goal for this project was to take all the ideas that my team and I wanted to have present in the game and using them to design interesting game mechanics that would serve the "Break the Rules" theme and then challenging myself to implement them in code. My favorite part of working on Hexbreaker was designing the combat game loop with Connor and Dylan. Thanks to our combined efforts, we were able to create a fun combat system with a unique twist.
I was in charge of programming the core gameplay experience of Hexbreaker: from the overworld travel system, to the turn-based combat and quick-time event systems. I also programmed some of the backend systems that the player doesn't see, like the saving system and audio managers.
When we were exploring the idea of making a rogue-lite game with turn-based combat, I brought forth the concept of having button-challenges that correspond to the performance of the player's actions. Thinking about the passive nature of this type of gameplay, I really wanted the player to feel immediate feedback and reward from their chosen actions.
These quick-time events help make the combat feel more active. Not only that, but due to the fact we had the concept of modifying the player's attacks with talismans, this allowed us to present those changes in a tangible way by changing the type and difficulty of the button challenge, or quick-time events, depending on the player's choice of talisman.
Once we settled on what kind of game we wanted to make, I encouraged the team to create a pen-and-paper prototype version of the game's combat. It is generally a good idea to sketch out level designs, but for this type of game, "sketching out" the combat allowed us to identify flaws in our design and quickly re-adjust until we were able to find the fun in the game. It also helped us adjust the UI until we found how it would feel most intuitive to present for the player.
Want to get in touch with me? You can reach me via email at DsanchezGameDev@gmail.com, or by phone at 336-289-3004.