CPSC 4160 Final

Landon Arneson

Game Description

• Title: Bathysphere (bath-ah-Sphere)
• Genre: Top down survival horror

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• The player navigates through the game via 3 game screens
• Floor 1
• Floor 2
• Floor 3

Objectives

• The player must complete levels to continue the story and in doing so must avoid the dangers present in each level

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• The player must complete the floors in a set sequence to pursue the story

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• Most of the game takes place in these top down gameplay focused levels that will be populated with enemies. With each level involving the player taking down all the enemies present in the level

Game Information

• Skill Rating: 14+

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• Players need to be able to react quickly and be accustomed to more fast paced and puzzle like gameplay

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• Target Audience: Fans of classic survival horror games such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil and general horror fans

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• Age: Mid to late teenagers and beyond

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Game References

Color Palette

Entities – Player Character

• Behavior
• Curious, emotional, and confused
• Attempts to act human despite strange circumstances
• Driven by survival and self-understanding

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• Looks
• A robot with human consciousness
• Mix of mechanical parts and a human shape

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• Technically — How I’ll Manipulate This Entity
• Controlled from a top-down perspective
• Fast, precise combat — one hit kills (for both player and enemies)
• Restart loop — instant respawn encourages experimentation

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• Input Description
• Movement: WASD
• Aim: Mouse
• Attack: Left click / Spacebar
• Gameplay requires speed, rhythm, and perfect timing

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Entities – Enemies

• Behavior
• Patrol preset routes until alerted
• React instantly to sound or movement
• Attack on sight
• Extremely aggressive but predictable once patterns are learned
• Represent the chaotic, mindless violence surrounding the player�
• Looks
• Distorted, humanoid figures Flesh-colored, skin-wrapped or faceless bodies, often bound or restrained
• Move with unnatural, jerky, or sluggish motions that evoke discomfort
• Covered in blood, grime, and decay,
• Each design represents psychological aspects (guilt, desire, repression)

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• Technically — How I’ll Manipulate These Entities
• Controlled by AI behavior scripts
• Move along patrol paths until detecting sound or line-of-sight targets
• State changes: idle → alert → attack

Entities – Environments

Game Mechanics

• Core Gameplay Loop
• Players control a character from a top down perspective.
• Each level is a small, enclosed area
• Objective: eliminate all enemies and reach the exit.
• One hit deaths: both the player and enemies die in one hit, emphasizing precision and speed.

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• Combat Mechanics
• Fast paced attacks: chaining movements, attacks, and kills creates momentum.
• Stealth elements: enemies can be sneaked up on, but the game often encourages aggressive, fast action.

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• Movement Mechanics
• 8 directional movement using keyboard
• Levels encourage planning vs. improvisation, rewarding both careful observation and rapid execution.

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Game Mechanics

• Level Design Mechanics
• Small open areas that emphasize tactical decision-making.
• Visual cues: enemies are visible but react dynamically to the player’s movements.

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• Feedback and Game Feel
• Fast respawn after death: encourages learning from mistakes quickly.
• Retro inspired aesthetic: A dark and grungy feel while being from a top down perspective reinforces speed and tension.

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Enemies Mechanics

• Enemy Types and Behavior
• Variety of enemies: melee attackers and fast-moving.
• Simple AI patterns: enemies follow predictable paths or patrols, but some react to sounds or player proximity.

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• Awareness and Detection
• Line of sight: enemies notice the player if they enter their vision cone.
• Alerted enemies: once detected, enemies move aggressively toward the player to attack.
• Stationary vs. roaming: some enemies stand guard; others actively patrol rooms.

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• Risk and Challenge Design
• Positioning importance: enemies are often placed to create choke points or force tactical movement.

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• Feedback and Design Cues
• Visual cues: enemies often stand out in rusty environments for readability.

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Modules

• Player Controller Module
• Handles player input, movement, aiming, shooting, and melee attacks.
• Enemy AI Module
• Manages patrols, alert states, attack logic, and line of sight detection.
• Level/Environment Module
• Loads maps, manages walls, and spawn points.
• Collision & Physics Module
• Detects collisions between player, enemies, bullets, and environment.
• Handles knockback, sliding, or death animations.
• Weapons & Effects Module
• Handles firing and reloading
• Sound & Music Module
• Plays dynamic soundtrack, gun sounds, and ambient noise.
• UI & HUD Module
• Tracks player reload timer and enemy count

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Levels

• Level/Tile/Room Module:
• Each level consists of tiles and walls
• Spawn Module:
• Handles where enemies and the player items appear in the level.
• Trigger Module:
• Detects events like enemy patrol changes or objectives completion.
• Collision & Navigation Module:
• Ensures walls block movement correctly.

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Effects

• Sound Effects Module:
• Gunshots, footsteps, and ambient noises.
• Screen Effects Module:
• Fade ins/outs.
• Visual Feedback Module:
• Enemy death animations

Collision Detection

• Player Collision Module:
• Detects collisions between the player and walls
• Enemy Collision Module:
• Detects collisions between enemies, walls, and the player.
• Projectile Collision Module:
• Detects bullets hitting enemies.

Physics

• Movement Physics:
• Handles player and enemy velocity, acceleration, and deceleration.
• Collision Response:
• Resolves interactions between characters, objects, and environment.
• Projectile Physics:
• Controls bullet trajectories, speed, and impact.

Software Architecture

• User Input
• Capture raw input (keyboard, mouse)
• Map input to game actions:
• Movement vector (dx, dy)
• Attack trigger
• Interaction commands (pickup, door)

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• Input Manager
• Send movement vector & action flags to Player Controller

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• Player Controller
• Update player position based on movement vector
• Trigger attack or interaction methods
• Update player state

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Software Architecture

• Player + Enemies
• Provide current and intended positions
• Provide collision shapes

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• Collision & Physics System
• Check player vs environment collisions
• Check player vs enemy collisions
• Resolve collisions
• Return corrected positions to Entity System

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• AI System
• Query player position & environment
• Decide enemy action based on state machine:
• Idle, Patrol, Chase, Attack, Search
• Update enemy movement and actions

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• Enemies
• Apply AI movement to enemy entity
• Trigger attack or interaction methods

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Software Architecture

• Entity System
• Report events:
• Player attacks hit enemy, Enemy attacks hit player, etc.…

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• Game Logic & Rules
• Update game objectives
• Trigger events for rendering or audio
• Check for level completion or failure

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• Game Logic & Rules
• Send entity states
• Include environment updates

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• Rendering System
• Draw layers:
• Background
• Entities (player, enemies, items)
• Foreground (effects, overlays)
• Handle animations & frame timing

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Software Architecture

• Game Logic & Rules
• Send events:
• Attack triggers
• Enemy killed
• Item pickup

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• Audio & Effects System
• Play sound effects (gunshot)

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Timeline

• Milestone 1
• October 15
• Milestone 2
• October 30
• Milestone 3
• November 17
• Milestone 4
• December 8