CPSC 4160 – 6160 / Fzero
Nicholas Giaimo
Game Description
Temple of Ruin is a platformer set in an ancient temple. Temple of Ruin features enemies and obstacles; players are challenged to make it to the end in one piece!
The objective of Temple of Ruin is to reach the end of each single-screen level without touching enemies or obstacles. Players control Mang, a moyai head outfitted with a rocket booster! The intricate and maze-like levels make avoiding walls and enemies a real challenge! The level ends when Mang touches the gate, and he is transported to the next level.
Game Mechanics
The gameplay requires the player to be dexterous and carefully manage their height and speed to avoid getting smashed against the walls and turning to dust.
Key mechanics include thrusting using his rocket booster, attacking with his Moyai Fist, and avoiding traps and enemies.
Technical Description
Temple of Ruin was programmed in python using PyGame. The game runs at a consistent 60 frames per second, and is locked at a 1280x720 resolution.
The game uses .csv files for its’ level data (a 32x18 tile grid of 40px squares), which allows for level editing and creating with ease! With some conditional formatting, we have a simple level editor! A field of 1 corresponds to a block, 10 is the player’s spawn, 9 is the exit to a level, and 11, 12, and 13 are moving blocks, snakes, and firebars accordingly. The format for enemies is ‘number.letter(.s for starting position)’. For moving blocks, a non .s tile is where the block will move to, for snakes, how high they will jump, and for firebars, their length.
Controls
The game utilizes a keyboard for ease of accessibility. The controls are Z to thrust Mang into the air, X to attack, and Left and right arrow keys in order to control Mang’s drift in the air.
Game Limitations
Future Work
Future iterations might incorporate more enemy designs, levels, themes, and boss sections. In addition, a fuel meter that resets each level and fills when killing enemies would serve as a timer to prevent stalling. Also, the addition of secrets or more interactive gameplay elements (e.g. score items, buttons that change level layouts, or cosmetics) would increase replayability and fun.
Game objective
Game Screenshots
Being a platformer, the main challenge is controlling your character’s speed and height, and preventing any unintended collisions. Tapping the thrust and movement keys can allow for greater precision and less deaths, especially when trying to break those pesky firebars!
The game contains only a few levels and enemies, though creating new levels is easy and intuitive. In addition, the game is locked at 60fps 1280x720, so those on larger displays or on worse machines may have their gameplay experience limited.