Greetings, wasteland survivors! Today, we would like to share a little bit about the combat mechanics in our series of top-down zombie shooters.
It all had to start somewhere, and so our journey began with a wacky insect shooter, Insectonator, where players became not-so-professional exterminators, and used any means necessary, mainly guns, to rid of insects that piled up at their feet. The mechanics were relatively simple, and back in those days, it was challenging to come up with any more interesting features besides moving the cursor and clicking the mouse, causing the insects to fly apart and turn to a pulp. It was fun and satisfying, yet very simple and easy to pick up on. Then, in the process of chasing new and exciting ideas, we decided to replace the insects with terrifying zombies and added a regular-sized main character. What came of it is now known as a classic top-down zombie shooter, Decision, the first entry of the series that would continually evolve for years to come.
The mechanics were standard for their time – you moved the character using with your right hand using the keyboard, while simultaneously aiming and shooting with your left using the mouse. The challenge was very clear – we had to make these simple mechanics that players had to use for the entire duration of the game enjoyable, and most of all, feel like the player was the strongest and bravest warrior in the world. Effects, sounds, camera shaking, blood splatters — all these things added to the special pleasure of destroying hordes of soulless enemies. In the beginning, there was no melee combat present. Instead, the hero automatically hit or kicked nearby enemies, creating the self-defense effect of a kung-fu master. While the player did not have any influence over that, it still felt very natural, yet extremely satisfying. For the sake of variety in the game, some tower defense mechanics were also introduced, but that is a story for another time.
For the second entry in the series, the player was taken to a new locale, where they continued their quest to take down massive hordes of enemies. We felt comfortable using the same combat mechanics from the previous game, instead of focusing on adding other features that would bring our players new and exciting experiences and emotions. We also got an incredible amount of positive and constructive feedback, which we used to give gamers a multitude of ways to satisfy their thirst for blood.
After the smashing success of Decision 2, we have decided to shift our attention to a different setting, in which people could wreak havoc. We had our hearts set on the Medieval Ages because we just loved everything about the Medieval Ages since we were kids. The simplicity of life, stone castles, knights in armor, and bladed weapons caught our attention even before the release of the first installment of Gothic, which was always near and dear to our hearts. We wanted to make a medieval game that would primarily be enjoyed by the fans of the Decision series. That’s why for our next game, we traveled back in time over 500 years, to the era of knights and castles.
And so, Decision: Medieval came to be. In order to preserve the game’s lore, we decided not to add magic, which was used in most PC games set in that era. This meant that using splash hits at nearby enemies would no longer work as it had in previous games. In order to stay within the boundaries of a top-down zombie shooter, we had to change the game mechanics, because bows and crossbows alone would not be enough to keep the fighting dynamics and enjoyment of battles without magic. Thus, a new era of melee combat mechanics was born. We were able to make melee combat as fun and exciting as shooting firearms, and the feedback we received made us incredibly happy.
But this presented a challenge. We really wanted to preserve the dynamics of our previous games, where there were a lot of long-range weapons, and the player could easily point the cursor at different parts of the screen and shoot oncoming enemies. This was the mechanic we desperately wanted to keep. To preserve this feature, we added a Jump or Charge — the ability to run up to an enemy almost instantly from a certain distance and strike immediately. Once we added this feature, we realized that we were going in the right direction because combat evolved into something very deep, yet intuitive and anyone could learn to do it after a few minutes of playing. Moving between enemies became a separate, interesting mini-game. You could choose a target and attack it without wasting time dealing with the enemies that were standing between you and the target. What mattered to us most was making the process as realistic as possible, so we integrated some special effects and sounds that would make the experience more believable. And that was our first step in mastering the proper melee mechanics for the game.
The second issue was jump length and hit strength. We wanted to reward players who used the charge mechanic strategically, by making it stronger the more you wait before activating it. That’s how the Power Bar or Stacking Effect came about. It was an idea that came up while working on the mechanics of the bow — the harder you draw the bowstring, the farther an arrow will fly, and the more damage it will be able to do. In this instance, the player character is both the bowstring and the arrow at once. Once you start charging up the attack, the power meter would fill up, and once it was full, it would unleash a devastating blow on the target. Most often, the attack would prove fatal, resulting in a glorious explosion of blood and body parts, with the screen shake and epic sound effects making each strike epic and worthy of an action movie trailer.
Combined, these two relatively simple mechanics allowed us to achieve amazingly satisfying effects in melee combat, with each swing of the weapon feeling more hefty and powerful than the next.
Our newest entry to the series, Decision: Red Daze, brings us back full circle, taking us back to modern times, where conventional firearms are survivors’ stock and trade, and yet we took the extra mile to make sure that the melee combat all the way from the Middle Ages stayed with us in the post-apocalyptic world, and we’re thrilled with the results.
But we just wouldn’t be ourselves if we did not strive to improve every facet of our game, and so for this new game, our sights got set on the gunplay. The Power Bar has evolved, and now it has taken shape in the form of charged-up shots! Pocket pistol, shotgun, rocket launcher, you name it – everything has the potential to obliterate even the most terrifying foes with one shot! All you have to do is start charging up the shot, take a breath, and prepare your eyes for the most beautiful gory explosion you have ever seen.
But wait, there’s more!
Shooting well means being skilled at it, and if you’re REALLY skilled, you can even aim better before shooting! So, level up your character, and specialize for your gun. The more skillful you are with your weapon, the more you can charge it up, the more damage you will do!
Oh yeah, there are stats you can improve for each character in this game, I guess the cat’s out of the bag, but it’s a story for another time, and it will be worth your time 😉
That’s all for now, survivors, thank you for taking your time to read this not-so-brief story of our games and the evolution of our combat mechanics! We have oh so much more in store for you, so keep your eyes peeled for more of this type of content!