Game Concept

Working Title

Station Besieged

Concept Statement

In Station Besieged the player controls a spaceship that has to reach the friendly space station that has been blockaded by enemy ships, they must destroy these ships as well as defend themselves. The player can resupply, re-spec and repair their ship at the end of each level.

Genre

The genre of this game is action side scroller. This is because the player must engage in fast-paced combat in order to defend themselves and destroy hostile ships. They must also dodge or destroy incoming obstacles throughout the level. It is a side scroller because the camera moves from the left to the right of each level.

Concept Creation Process/Area and Influences

The game concept was inspired by the spaceship combat of the book/television series ‘The Expanse’ (where combat is more focused on dodging/countering) with modifications made for gameplay, as well as having some method of progression.  This style of combat lends itself to having fewer, harder enemies as compared to swarms of enemies often present in similar games. 'The Expanse' also influences the artistic direction of the game with its more grounded spaceship look instead of sleek design. Another influence of both the mechanics of the game as well as the art style is the game ‘Faster Than Light’. Elements such as the pixelated ship style, being able to swap weapons in and out, upgrading your ship, and restarting on death influenced Station Besieged.

Audience and Competitive Analysis

The target audience of this game leans towards casual gamers that are sci-fi fans. Replayability and the length of the game are somewhat limited and game systems don’t have lots of depth which would often appeal to hardcore gamers. However, harder difficulties may offer more of a challenge to hardcore gamers by increasing enemy stats or the number of enemies. The target age group is teen and older due to the art style and because quick reflexes are required to succeed; however, younger audiences may still find enjoyment in this game.

Competition of this game includes games such as 'Jets'n'Guns Gold' and 'R-Type Final 2'. Station Besieged is similar to these games as they are both side scrolling space action games and are partly 'on rails' (player locked within camera bounds) and both have an upgrade system. However, one of the main differences is that in these games shooting is primarily locked to one axis, whereas in Station Besieged you can shoot in any direction as it is important to destroy enemy projectiles and because enemies can pop up behind you. Furthermore, Station Besieged is focused on few enemies that are more difficult rather than a large number of enemies that may die quickly. 

Game Treatment and Concept Art

You are controlling a spaceship that has to get to a space station that has been besieged by hostile spaceships. You must get to the space station alive by destroying enemy ships. Initially you will have 3 weapon types available to you: missiles, point defence guns, and railguns. Enemies will use similar weapons that the player will either have to counter or dodge. If the player reaches zero health then they will be destroyed and will have to restart from the first level. There will be a few levels that can be played, ending in a boss battle.

Player Movement

Player movement will be confined to the camera space. The player can move using WASD or the arrow keys. The camera will move across the level. By restricting player movement to the camera space, the player is required to react quickly to incoming obstacles in order to succeed.

Variety of Weapons

There are 3 classes of weapons in this game. This includes light weapons, heavy weapons and missiles. Light weapons, such as point defence guns are used to deal minor damage to enemy ships as well as to intercept incoming enemy missiles. They have a large amount of ammo. Heavy weapons, such as the railgun, are used to deal massive amounts of damage to a single target, but are very limited in ammo and require some time to cooldown. Missiles deal a medium amount of damage within a certain range with a direct hit dealing increased damage. They have a somewhat limited ammo supply.

Upgrades, Repair, and Resupply

The player may unlock upgrades at the end of a level in the form of stat upgrades (i.e. more damage/health), or in the form of modules where a weapon can be swapped out for one with different behaviour. Additionally, ammo and health will be maintained between levels with the option to resupply ammo/repair at the end of a level at the expense of upgrades.

Enemies

There will be a few different enemy types in the game. One such enemy is the ‘glass cannon’ enemy that deals a large amount of damage but will be destroyed easily. Another type of enemy is one that has similar abilities to the player. Additionally, there will be a boss that is much stronger than the player in some regard(s) and which will require multiple stages to defeat.

Obstacles

In addition to enemies there will be obstacles to dodge/destroy. One type of obstacle will be pieces of debris that do minor damage to the player. Another will be high damage projectiles shot towards the player from off the screen. Another will be mines that can be avoided or blown up in order to damage nearby enemies.

Pickups

There will be pickups throughout each level that the player can collect in order to repair or resupply.

Concept Art

Below, the player is shown fighting an enemy similar to them. A projectile shot from off screen will appear at the warning location and travel from right to left. Particles systems may be used for some effects rather than pixel art animation. Enemies will have different visuals depending on the type of enemy they are. Weapons will also change their look depending on what weapon is equipped.

References

“FTL: Faster than light” (2012) Steam. Subset Games. Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/212680/FTL_Faster_Than_Light/ (Accessed: April 14, 2023). 

"R-Type Final 2" (2021) Steam. NIS America. INC. Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1442820/RType_Final_2/ (Accessed: April 14, 2023).

"Jets'n'Guns Gold" (2014) Steam. Rake in Grass. Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/262260/JetsnGuns_Gold/ (Accessed: April 14, 2023).