Nicholas Junkas

FreeLooters

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎

Platform:

Windows PC, Mac

Engine:

Unity

Language:

Duration:

(4 weeks)

April 2023 – May 2023

Team Size: 8

Role:

Programmer, Game Designer

Overview:

Freelooters is a pirate-themed first person battle arena shooter, where players select a customizable dual-wielding loadout. Within the arena, players use their weapons as a mobility tool for collecting as much loot as possible and make it back to their extraction ship. Each combination of weapons offers different combat and movement methods, offering a variety of play styles. Additionally, although players have as much time as they need to collect loot and obtain the highest rank, the game becomes increasingly more difficult the longer they play. Eventually, “The Thing” will appear to offer yet another obstacle in the players way.

The rapid prototype of the game was developed within a tight schedule of 4 weeks. The project would eventually become the basis and main inspiration for my capstone project titled SoulSync City.

Responsibilites:

Combat Design:

Helped develop the dual-wielding combat system
Designed and implemented the sword weapon

General Game Design:

Designed and implemented the loot system
Designed obstacles against players loot collection such as “The Thing”

Combat Design Process:

FreeLooters is a game that emphasizes making the player feel powerful while working to achieve their goals of stealing loot. It’s a game about time management, where the longer the player stays on a ship, the greater the obstacles they should face. Therefore, combat design started with the question of what I could give the player to achieve this desired player experience. After an ample amount of discussion, the rest of the combat team and I decided on giving the player access to a selection of tools. Any selected tool would act as both a movement option and an offensive weapon simultaneously. By giving each tool a dual purpose, players could now fight and move at the same time, encouraging fast paced combat and loot collection.

To add further depth, the team decided to grant players two movement weapons concurrently, allowing for unique combos with any chosen loadout. Once the concept was finalized, the focus shifted to designing and implementing the movement weapons. In my case, I conceived a sword with a dash mechanic. Unlike other weapons in the game, this was exclusively a melee-based tool but featured the added ability to strategically deal damage and dash through enemies, enhancing the player’s tactical options in the heat of combat.

Preview of the sword:

Loot System Process:

Alongside my contribution to combat design, I also worked on the implementation of a loot system in FreeLooters. This system consists of two main components: loot objects scattered throughout the ship and the player’s loot ranking.

The loot objects are presented as floating collectibles, allowing players to effortlessly collide with them for collection. To maintain the fluidity of combat and avoid interrupting the fast-paced flow, I opted for an automatic loot collection system rather than requiring players to manually press an input.

As for the player ranking system, the evaluation of the player’s final performance is based on their loot accumulation. Upon evacuation of the boarded ship, players can review the amount of loot they were able to find and receive a title reflective of their performance. This dual-part loot system aims to seamlessly integrate loot collection into the gameplay experience while providing players with a tangible measure of their success.

Difficulty Progression:

I was particularly adamant on incorporating an escalating level of difficulty as players strive to collect loot. While placing enemies to guard the loot adds a single layer of challenge, I aimed to intensify the fast-paced nature of the game by introducing additional obstacles. One particularly intriguing obstacle is a giant death laser called ‘The Thing’. This laser activates if a timer is reached or if the player collects a specified amount of loot. The laser constantly aims to lock on the player and progressively gets faster over time. While the player is provided with cover throughout the map, it only offers protection for so long.