Robot Man Gameplay (Precision-Platform & Action Roguelike)
18A multiplayer precision-platformer and action game. Explore procedural dungeons and shoot monsters in the face while collecting money for fresh drip.
Now on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1708270/Running_Robot_Man_4/
About this game:
Running Robot Man is a solo project developed by me. I started in September 2022 and the game is in playable early access / alpha. It can be played single or multiplayer on Steam.
Running Robot Man takes inspiration from roguelikes and Zelda games. I wanted to capture the endless exploration feeling you get when playing something like Minecraft or Spelunky, but combine it with fast and tight 3d movement mechanics, similar to something like the latest Zelda games or Nier Automata. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is another inspiration -- particularly the game loop of exploring procedural dungeons floor by floor, and coming across new monsters and treasures the deeper you go.
The parts of the game I am most proud of are the movement and the dungeon generation algorithm. There are many abilities the robot can do, including roll, glide, launch, dash, and ride on a ruby he pulls out of his pocket (which can also be dismounted and left to keep flying forward as a weapon.) Being a very fast paced game, I needed to learn a thing or two about network programming so that the abilities and transitions could all be activated smoothly and seamlessly without waiting for network lag.
The dungeon generation algorithm works a bit like a cooking pot, which can cook up bizarre and diverse levels depending on the settings you feed it. In this game players will repeat the same dungeon up to 8 times, but each playthrough uses a different set of variables and modifiers to keep it interesting. I.e. some of the variables that go into generating a dungeon include: Enemy Table, Module Table (i.e. the pieces which connect together to make up the map), Module Transition Rules (which piece can connect to what), and a list of other optional and stackable modifiers such as Lights Out, Tier Boost (all enemy difficulty parameters are scaled up), Speed Up, Permadeath, and so on.
Next steps for me include doing some pretty extensive multiplayer testing with friends and fans. There are 8 versions of the first dungeon available to play (as well as a tutorial and a hub world to explore) and I want to get it all as tight and polished as possible. Then, I will be looking at building a second dungeon introducing some new mechanics and probably spending way longer than I should on some gnarly AI (my favourite part of game development. I have some videos on my channel of giant AI composed of sub-AI pieces -- this something I want to explore more of.
At some point I'll need some funding if I am going to make this as big as I want it, but I am not in a rush. At the moment I have all the skills I need to build and shape it into a prototype which captures the essence of what I am going for. If money comes, then great -- but I am still likely to stick with a small team so that the vision isn't lost and the essence of this game remains pure and built on passion.
Marketing, sales, and outreach is not a strong point of mine, and I am open to a partnership if it means that this game can reach the people who would like to play it without me needing to sacrifice time and energy which could be spent developing. Making a great game is my skill and my priority, and so I am looking for a partner with complementary skills of outreach, sales, and community management.
If you want to work with me, contact me on Discord.
If you want to play the game, there is a link at the top of the description. If you enjoy it, tell me about it!
Thanks for reading!
Jackson
#IndieGames #unrealengine #roguelike