CS 126 final project proposal.
The project I would like to work on is an infinite runner bullet hell game, like a graphically simplified version of Ikaruga. This is a genre of game whose main gameplay focus is dodging seemingly endless waves of colored bullets. In these games the player controls a small ship or character which flies around the environment, shooting at waves of enemies and racking up points. Most bullet hell games also have levels and unique level bosses, but this might be beyond the scope of this project.
I have difficulty with playing fast paced games like Ikaruga, but I've always enjoyed watching playthroughs by skilled players and trying to understand the mechanics and how these games are built. I'm also interested in pursuing game development in the near future, and would hence like to use this project as a chance to plan and create a small game by myself.
The approximate timeline for the development of this project would be as follows.
- Basic game objects
- Movement and collision
- Spawning
- Scoring
- Game loop
- Enemy and bullet movement patterns
- Health and life system
Upon completion of the above timeline, the following additional features could be implemented.
In order of difficulty:
- Game music
- Sprites for the player and enemies
- Combos/chaining
- Levels and Level Bosses
- If sprites are implemented, a customizable player sprite