Contest 

of Pantheons

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Take command of 1 of 4 chosen champions and fight your way through an ever ongoing tournament between Pantheons. Using both powers granted to you by your god, and weapons you gain along the way, grow stronger as you fight the other chosen. Explore expansive temples of the gods to gain new weapons and discover secrets. But be careful, you’re not the first champion to be selected, and you almost certainly won’t be the last… 

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Basic Description of Game

Contest of the Pantheons is a top-down dungeon crawl bullet-hell shooter where the player will take control of one of four chosen champions to fight and explore their way through several amazing temples each one hosting the chosen champion of the other pantheons. 

At the beginning, all the player has is any basic weapons they had on them when selected and the powers they’ve been granted by their god. However, as they make their way through the temples they will find new exciting weapons they can use to become stronger. These weapons can be found in a number of ways from chests hidden throughout, dropped by stronger foes, or bought inside the shop. 

As the player progresses, enemies will get stronger and the player will find themselves challenged more and more to use their movement mechanics at a higher level to avoid taking damage. These mechanics are fairly simple and include the basic WASD to move but also include a dodge roll that can be used to jump over obstacles such as gaps, pressure plate traps and even projectiles. 

When it comes to the most important part of the game, combat, the player has access to a large arsenal of weapons of all types, from basic guns to fantastical weapons of mass destruction. On top of the weapons the player also has access to powers granted by the gods, which gives them a strong attack that can affect the enemies around them in a number of ways, each unique to the elemental champion. 

As they go around exploring the temples and clearing the rooms the player can find a number of secrets and power-ups. From things as simple as some gold or healing, to things as crazy as powerful weapons and even ways to bypass the boss. While they can clear straight to the boss room and move on, they are much better off not doing so so as to not miss these secrets and useful tools.

Controls

Controls are your basic WASD movement with spacebar to dodge roll, Q & E to swap between weapons and Left Click to shoot

• Post Mortem - What went right?
  • We were able to create a basic level with AI, guns, and bosses.
  • We successfully created a variety of custom assets that were added to the final game. 
  • The aesthetics of the game are pleasing to the player and function correctly during gameplay.
  • We have a working enemy AI.
  • Coded 3 different types of guns.
• What were you particularly proud of? 
  • Being able to create a game from nothing with a group of fellow students and having to come up with our own story, art, and code.
  • How well a lot of the art and sprites mesh stylistically despite them coming from a mix of self created assets and stuff found online.
• What worked better than you expected?      
  • A decent AI system was developed along with a bullet script that could be customized to create a wide variety of weapons.
• What went wrong/what problems did you face? 
  • With our game's ideas, we aimed a bit too high and flew too close to the sun without considering what we could realistically accomplish, or setting a detailed and realistic plan for achieving our goal.
  • Although a schedule was developed, there was no enforcement or regular check-ins which would ensure that progress was made at the rate that would be preferred and would match the goals we had set at the outset of the process.
  • In terms of the final game, we placed much more emphasis on the less important aspects than on the more important ones. In contrast to getting the basics implemented and getting the game to a playable "final project" stage, much time was spent on lore and how things would feel in the game.
• How did you overcome those problems?
  • As soon as a check-in was completed, an initial plan was created with dates and deadlines for each person in the group, giving them distinct responsibilities as part of the project. The frequency with which discord calls were made between members of the group also increased, reinforcing the notion that communication also increased as well. 
  • We were able to come together and somewhat pull through as a team towards the end, and have a presentable game to demonstrate by the due date.
• What changes were made and why? 
  • To balance the game, we nerfed our initial gun design mechanics. We have also improved the AI of our enemies by allowing them to recognize walls and navigate around them in order to reach the player. 
  • Our team was also able to solve the problem of enemy objects clipping into walls. 
  • Adjusted sound effects so as to not overpower the actual music in the game.
  • Other such small changes. 
  • Changed sprite collision box for the player to stop clipping into walls
• What did you learn? 
  • Groups with large numbers of participants can sometimes be more difficult to maintain and require a higher level of cohesiveness in order to function effectively.
  • When it comes to gaining an understanding of how the game is being developed, communication is key.