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Clanker Gangs

Concept

Clanker Gangs is a turn-based strategy game in a steampunk western setting.

 

Use the abilities of your units to capture control points, gather resources and lay waste to the gang who's invaded your quarry.

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The abilities are designed to be combined for best effect and give you a wide array of moves to pull off.

Info

Engine: Unity

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Tools: Perforce, Rider

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Dev Time: 7 weeks

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Team: 3 designers, 3 artists

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My Contribution

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System Design

Combat System

Ability Design

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Scrum Master

Project management

Scripting

Gameplay code

AI behaviour

C#

Design Pillars

Turn-based

The player and AI have separate turn phases.

Creativity

The player can use their abilities in creative and emergent ways.

Tactical Combat

The Player needs to think about their every move.

Combat System

Overview

The system is based on the Rock-Paper-Scissors trinity, coupled with abilities that give depth to each character's function.

The characters also have different stats based on their function.

Rock-Paper-Scissors

The character does double damage on its target.

Miner

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Sniper

Scout

Action Economy

The player can control each of their characters during their turn.

Each character can move and perform one action.

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Stats

Each character has its own specialty.

Miner

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Scout

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Sniper

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Characters

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​The Miner

Function: A melee unit that acts as tank and main resource gatherer.

 

Ability: You throw out a barrel of dynamite that can be shot for a strong area of effect damage with a small knockback. It can also be used as a shield from shots while you're mining.

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Development

Initially, we wanted a peace-keeping ability when digging gold: A temporary shield from the Sniper's shots, and a wall against other units.

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​The Scout

Function: An area control unit with a great moving distance, useful for capturing control points and secondary resource gathering.

 

Ability: His air-blast can propel units and barrels over a distance, used to jump over holes, push units into holes for an insta-kill, give a friendly unit more range... or throw barrels into an enemy's face.

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​Development

Initially, this character was supposed to get two abilities - an invisible proximity mine, and a mine locator - to ward off players to walk where they'd seen him run. The locator was the inspiration for his camera head.

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​The Sniper

Function: A ranged specialist unit, but with the least amount of health and movement speed.

 

Ability: Her trickshot ability lets you hit two targets in a medium-sized proximity, be it units or barrels. This lets her shoot even greater distances, or even around corners.

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Development

This one was the hardest to develop an ability for. She was already very powerful with her significant attack range.

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Combination Examples

Airblast + Barrel

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Trickshot + Barrel

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AI

Problem

Attacking meant walking the shortest path to the enemy and shooting when within range. After holes were implemented, that path was sometimes across a bridge, rather than closer to the hole and shooting across it.

Movement Problem.jpg

Solution

I came up with a way to find the closest attack position and walked there instead.

Enemy Action Priority

Normal Mode

  1. Range attack a TNT barrel within range that will only damage the player.
     

  2. Attack closest player unit within attack range.
     

  3. Class specific.
    Miner: Go to closest gold vein and mine it.
    Scout: Go to closest Player control point and capture.
    Sniper: Go to closest AI control point and defend.
     

  4. Move towards closest player.

Hard Mode

  1. Range or melee attack a TNT barrel within range that will damage the player more than the enemy.
     

  2. Attack player unit within attack range - prioritize according to rock-paper-scissor trinity.
     

  3. If enemy only has one control point left, go and defend it.
     

  4. If player only has one control point left, go and capture.
     

  5. Class specific.
    Miner: Go to closest gold vein and mine it.
    Scout: Go to closest Player control point and capture.
    Sniper: Go to closest AI control point and defend.
     

  6. Move towards closest player

What I learned

Scripting

Structure & Passion

AI

Navigation & Difficulty

Team-building

Necessity & Usefulness

Gallery

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