metroDOOMvania

So after lots of playing around with Doom Builder and Unity I decided to drop the Fantasy/Magic setting for my would-be Doom clone.

I found that one of the joys of Doom is the solid and chunky feel of guns and that Magic just wasn't a good fit for that.

I've been racking my brain trying to think of a good alternative and think I've landed on what I'd like to do.

This is actually coming from an old GDD that I made years ago, but will adapt it to fit a Doom clone.

Basically though it's just what it sounds like, a DOOM clone with Metrovania style map and upgrades.

Here's the elevator pitch:

You're a space marine/mercenary/whatever sent to a colony planet that went silent in the midst of teraforming and high end physics research. Upon arriving in your ship it's attacked by alien-like creatures on the surface. The ship is lost and you free fall to the planet, shooting your way out of the wreckage, and scatter along the surface with a handful of survivors. Once on the surface you are quickly overwhelmed and ind an opening to the base. And that's all you REALLY need to know about the story.

The game is broken into two maps: the surface and the base. The majority of the game takes place in the base and the surface is used mainly as a means of fast travel. The map is loaded in chunks and will randomly generate enemies, events, and items with content weighted by the current difficulty and how many times you've been there.

So when you pass through an area the first time you may get a one time event, such as a cutscene, and fairly easy enemies and maybe a boss. Then next time the enemies are medium difficulty, but no boss and no cutscene. And then when you go there at the end of the game the area is populated with hard enemies.

Meanwhile the map is gradually opened up with abilities, opening passages up to backtrack, keys, and switches.


Abilities / Items / Weapons / Vehicles

Being a Metrovania, one central mechanic is going to be growing your character with pick ups. I would very much like to limit the game to 4 weapons with improvements and alt fires. That also leaves only four ammo types to juggle, which I like. And of course there will need to be a free melee weapon that also gets its own upgrades.

The weapons I have in mind are:
-A railgun with a constant beam alt fire
-A rocket launcher with grenade launcher alt fire
-A plasma rifle (like from Quake and DOOM) with a BFG alt fire
-A Flack Cannon (like from UT) with concussion grenade alt fire that explode on contact
-A plasma sword (like Halo) with a dash attack alt fire

You'd start with a plasma pistol, then get the rifle, then upgrade to get the BFG shot.
You'd also start with your fist, gut then get the sword and then get the dash ability.
You'd get the flack cannon, then get the alt concussion grenade, and a power up up to increase rate of fire.
You'd get the railgun, then get the alt beam, then you'd get a stronger shot.
You'd get the rocket launcher, then get the alt grenade, and upgrade the blast radius.

Powers that I have in mind are:
-High jump / double jump
-Radiation Shield
-Heat Shield (may be redundant)
-Damage reduction suit
-A shield that takes some damage before you do, using an energy resource
-An over drive for weapons that add effects, using the energy resource
-A jetpack, using the energy resource
-A blink dash, using the energy resource
-Automatic healing, using the energy resource

And of course there will be various standard pickups:
-Increase ammo capacity
-Increase health
-Increase energy


Any suggestions?

 

Check out God of War, best if played. Interestingly you related the 'feel' of HEAVINESS which is a direct 'feeling' delivered in God of War. Maybe not strictly magic, but very much the similar feeling to Doom delivered in a magical/fantasy setting.

Aliens® with intro of Reign of Fire (or pubg). Do you think people will be comparing your game directly to those right off the bat - with that elevator pitch?

Agree - this is a reasonable, workable design imo.

Commenting on this because the others sound well rounded, whereas this one does not. Rocket launcher and grenades are kind of similar. Rocket launcher = low ammo count, high damage, accuracy dependent on player. Grenade launcher is usually low ammo count, higher damage (than bullets), accuracy AOE, not entirely dependent on player. But that gun has no high ammo, high accuracy alt.
Edit: I overlooked the fact - all these could be accessible at any time - all available, rather than having access to only 1-2 at a time.

Most powerups are directly tied to (an) energy source. Will that be the standard pickup in the game ala mario coin?

 

Sounds a lot like Metroid Prime only more action heavy? I could dig it.

 

Most of those powers are ones that I came up with off the cuff. But I think that having an energy source is a good way to round off the resources to six (Health, Energy, Rockets, Railgun, Plasma, and Flack). Also, I was never crazy about DOOM's armor mechanic and felt this would be a good alternative.

At any rate I am wide open to suggestions for more power ups.

 

Want me to do 3d models for you??
P.s I really like the concept of your game.

 

Maybe. I'm a little away from that point.

I want to at least get some base prefabs made before worrying about art.

Also, I may do clay models like Doom.

 

How about a super power punch glove.
Charge it up, then smash your enemy away!

 

I like the cut of your jib. You seem to be pretty good at getting people all fired up. I don't understand everything about your elevator pitch, and it seems too long for an elevator pitch btw, much too long and detailed.

I like the way you took a such a simple idea as Doom with platforming and upgrades and made it sound somehow new and exciting.

Let me play the role of the skeptical CEO. What is so different about your idea from all the other first person shooter games with upgrades and jumping that people would want to play it rather than the others?

 

Sound like the opening in every Spaceship Trooper movies... The gun in the movie is very limited in variation too, you basically only got standard issue assault rifle with alternate shotgun attachment, a sniper rifle which basically a beefed up and scoped version of the assault rifle, and lastly the mini nuke launcher...
Also in the last 3D animation Starship Trooper movie, the troopers get a jump jet suit

 

So there is no Magic Cannon? Because i would use magic cannons and there you have a Doom like weapon in a fantasy setting