Clash Ramblers
Clash Ramblers is a 2 - 4 player couch co-op dungeon crawl inspired by games like King of Meat, Fall Guys & Diablo
DESIGN GOALS
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Create a fun & engaging game demo with an exicting gameplay loop & eye catching level design
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Understand and develop player feedback into more developed & polished gameplay
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Create a game demo that showcases my current skill while also allowing me to experiment, develop and improve with them
Learning Outcomes
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I learned to crtitically analyse other like-minded games and pick out what they did right and where they could improve to further my own work
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Understood project scope and learned to work and manage deadlines in order to complete a finished project
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I learned to quickly diagnose and solve complexed bugs while keeping the programming modular
Clash Ramblers
Roles: Lead Gameplay & Level Designer
Year: 2024 - 2025
Genre: Couch co-op dungeon crawl
Themes: Chaotic Fun & Repeatable Competition
Platform: PC with Controller support
Description
Clash Ramblers is my Final year FMP.It is a 2 to 4 player couch co-op inspired by fun and chaotic games such as King of Meat, Fall guys and more serious dungeon crawlers like Diablo I, II & IIIIn this game the players take the roles of gladiators competing for the title of Clash champion, to do this they must entertain crowds, through completing a dungeon inspired obstacle course with unquie challenges & objectives and make it to the end of the dungeon
What I did
In this solo project I mainly focused on creating a fun and repeatable gameplay loop through random mechanics such as challenges, enemy waves & loot. Which has the purpose of creating a game where no two playthroughs are exactly the same.
I also focused on the level design to create eye catching level's with fun & engaing mechanics that encouraged explortation and cretive thinking. With rewards like gem's and hidden weapons
Finished | Prototype Gameplay Showcase
Level Design
This is where the players start and select the level to enter
This is the first room in the game where the commentator will introduce and explain their goal of becoming the Clash Champion!
This is the first room where players must dodge bombs & traps while completing challenges
This is where players can buy health potions & equip new weapons that they found
this is the players first view of their next objective to take down an enemy castle before they themselves are taken down
This is a picture of the enemy castle and it's targets that players must hit
In order to progress a player must mash a button in order to open a hatch to the next level
Progressing through the castle players will find more cannons and hatches
Once players have defeated the waves they are free to climb the castle but must dodge barrels being thrown down to knock them off
This is the final room where the players must face off against the dungeon boss
The boss has a variety of moves that the players must dodge and exploit
this slow attack gives the players time to attack the boss esspecially since it only targets one player
The Dungeon
the lobby room is the first room the players see, it is meant to ease the players in the game and allow them a chance to try the movement controls before entering the dungeon this includes a shop where players can buy weapons if they have gems from previous playthroughs
When desiging the lobby I wanted to create a small space with details pointing to the fact that the characters had been their for a while and they were not the first ones as well as showcase the demanding figuire of the commentator who silently watches them from a throne
A simple menu for the number of players to be selected
A small cell where the player's were being kept
The Dungeon's beginging
The start and moat room, are the first two rooms the player will encounter, both of these rooms are used to ease the player into the game before getting into the "thick" of it the whole level is linear while also having a commentator to explain what the players will be doing during each room.
The starting room has the commentator welcome them and explain to the players what the are their to do, as well as introduce the combat into the game through a few skeletons
The "Moat" room introduces the players to traps and the bomber type eneimeis that hurl bombs at the players while they make their way through the various traps & hazards I also left in a few shortcuts to encourage out of the box thinking for the players
The entry to the dungeon
An obstacle course filled with traps and skeletons throwing bombs at the player
A small room where players can restock health potions and equip any new weapons they may have found
The entry to the dungeon
The Castle
In the castle room, the player face a variety of challegnges and objectivees the goal of this room was to make it feel as alive and interactive as possible this was achieved by the players actions having a direct impact on the level such as the enemy castle collapsing when the players destroy the targets or a ramp being created when the players defeat enough of the enemies.
The commentatorhelps the players out through level sequencers where he explains what the next steps are.
In this room the players have a cannon battle with a enemy castle fight through waves of unquie enemies and then climb up ramps donkey kong style.
The Enemy castle ready for a fight!
The players ready to defend their castle!
A player is battling the undead horde and putting on a spectacle!
The Enemy castle ready for a fight!
The boss room
The boss room is the final room in the level where the players must face off against a mighty golem, for this boss fight I researched a variety of different fights from different games such as gear of war, Hollow knight, God of war & Dark souls, I wanted to see what made their fights memorable and implement them into my own.
The first thing I did was make sure that the boss felt intertwinned with the level so he breaks out of a statue when the players enter and summons pillars and eneimeis to protect himself.
I also wanted some flashy moves that the players could learn to dodge and take advantage of like the explosion causing a massive area of attack but leaving the boss to cool down for a few seconds
and thirdly I wanted the players to be able to physically see the damage they were doing to the boss so as the fight progresses the bosses appearance starts to crumble and he starts to smoke.
The mighty Dungeon boss awakens!
the golem releases a giant blast hitting all players in the area
The boss has summoned pillars & skeletons to gain a shield the players must destroy them before continuing!
The mighty Dungeon boss awakens!
Overview
What worked:
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I got to really immerse myself into games design and learned a ton of new things and pushed my skills to a new level
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I created a game with replayability that people enjoyed during playtesting and during the graduation show, while reciving genuine reactions that I wanted the game to give people such as exictment, laughter and joy
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I managed to cram a lot of gameplay and feature's into just 9 months of development for my first serious project I reckon I did very well
What could have been improved:
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The project scope was a bit to much for me to handle on my own, and I was unable to bring some features I wanted into the spotlight a smaller scope & more development time would see this project leap bounds
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The direction & challenge of the game was not always met with excitment, leading to the gameflow sometimes being disjointed, easing the players into the game with a tutorial level will have players enjoy the full experience more