If you didn't know, Mage Mash is the result of a university unit, one that required us to create a game to fill a gap in our portfolios, mine being multiplayer and Unreal Engine games. Well, that unit has now concluded, and if I've passed everything, that'll be university done! Huzzah!
What does that mean for Mage Mash though? Well don't fret, I'm going to continue to work on it, as I quite like what it's shaping up to be. I'll be releasing a roadmap sometime in the near future, but for now, let me show you what I have.
4 Player Local Multiplayer
I said in the last post that I'd have to scope down to only 2 players on the same machine. Well, a day or so after making that post I managed to get 4 player multiplayer working! That was a very good day for me, as it allowed me to continue designing for the party game I was originally envisioning.
Now it is still restricted to only local multiplayer, requiring a keyboard and mouse, and 3 additional controllers to allow 4 people to play. However, the first thing I'll be doing from this version is introducing online multiplayer, as to me it's a must have for this type of game.
A Dangerous Volcano
Mage Mash will take place in various levels. These are set pieces to hold the chaotic gameplay and can house dangers of their own. The first level I've created is 'Volcano', a precarious straight of rock surrounding by hot lava.
In this level, the primary danger is lava. Unlike future levels, where the borders will bump you back, the borders of this level are a hazard and will hurt you. There are also columns of lava that will rain down upon you as the level progresses, so keep an eye on your position.
Ability Changes
Originally, I wanted the player to have 4 ability slots, allowing them to choose between any of their collected 4 abilities on the fly. I had even gotten a UI working for it that took me way too long. However, feedback steered me away from that direction, and led me to a more simple system. Now, the player only has access to a maximum of two abilities, a primary, and a secondary.
Primary abilities are what the player starts with, and are the ability they choose at the start of a level. These abilities are usually fast, and easy to use, resulting in a run-and-gun kind of feel. In the current iteration, there's only one primary ability, Arcane Barrage, that shoots rapid fire small projectiles, resulting in a screen full of purple particles.
Secondary abilities are gained throughout the level. These will spawn at random points with a random ability, and will be given to the player that picks it up first. Secondary abilities have a limited amount of charges, but are usually more powerful or have unique mechanics, resulting in the player that picks them up gaining a temporary edge. Currently, the only secondary ability is Ice Slide, an ability that makes the user gain a lot of speed, and stops them on collision (dealing damage to the other player if hit)
The Objective
I've made a much needed change to the objective of the game. Originally, it was the first person to reach the end of the level won, which didn't make a lot of sense since the camera moved everyone at a static pace. Instead, the objective is now Mana Crystals!
Mana Crystals spawn out of those there fancy particles. These spawn almost constantly throughout the level as it progresses, dropping 2-5 out of each one. The Mana Crystals then just wait to be collected by a player, bouncing around a bit while they do so. The objective of each player is to collect as many of them as they can.
Player's can steal other player's Mana Crystals by knocking them out with their abilities. When a player knocks out another player, they'll take a good portion of their Mana Crystals, about 1/4, meaning that even high rolling crystal holders still need to watch out. If a player gets knocked out by the environment, such as the lava of the Volcano level, they'll drop half of their crystals for anyone to pick up.
At the end of each level will be a portal. Once the camera and the player's get to it, it'll take about 10 seconds for the portal to charge, giving all player's a one last chance to steal their opponent's crystals. Once the portal is charged, the players need to enter it. The player/s with the most crystals is the winner!
In future iterations, the portal will take 1 Mana Crystal away from everyone not in it every 2 seconds or so, to avoid players goofing off too long and holding everyone up. It'll automatically end the game if no Mana Crystals can be taken.
Final Thoughts
I'm fairly happy with where Mage Mash is currently, but it still has a long way to go. Though the current iteration has some pretty rough bugs, such as secondary abilities not working as intended most of the time, unable to tell who's who without remembering player designation when joining, and the game getting progressively laggier after each run, I'll still provide a link and execution instructions for those who want to give it a go. I'll fix the most pressing bugs and release an updated version in the near future, then release a roadmap for the future of Mage Mash.
Till next time!
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