Wicked wizards is a co-op multiplayer hero horde-shooter, where players play as evil wizards and attempt to corrupt the land around them and crush the cute cuddly creatures that inhabit the space.
My Role on the project : Classes/Combat Designer/Balancing
(Above video: November (4 months of development)
Wicked Wizards originally was a hero tower defense game, where the enemies followed a path that led straight to the castle and players had to use their class abilities as well as placing towers in a traditional tower defense style, in order to defeat their enemies.
Wicked Wizards as of November, was changed to be a hero horde shooter.
I led the design decision for this new gameplay change,
the reason being changing to a horde shooter allowed us to focus more on enticing and active gameplay for the player, in the original tower defense format we had the issue that players didn't feel engaged in the combat due to the fact the enemies didn't attack them, the players never felt like they were contributing to the games and felt more like a bystander then that of an active player.
the reason being changing to a horde shooter allowed us to focus more on enticing and active gameplay for the player, in the original tower defense format we had the issue that players didn't feel engaged in the combat due to the fact the enemies didn't attack them, the players never felt like they were contributing to the games and felt more like a bystander then that of an active player.
switching to a horde-style shooter allowed us to have more unique and challenging enemies and more engaging gameplay.
(Above video: February (7 months of development)
all 3 hero classes are present in the game, Pyromancer, Abjurer, Alchemist.
The alchemist was still in its early stages art wise at the time of the footage.
Classes:
Pyromancer (at the time of this video)
Pyromancer's main attack (Left click)
is a rapid fire fire bolt
Pyromancer's Alt attack (Right click) (Now changeD)
iS a long range sniper shot that obliterates most enemies in the game
Pyromancer's spell (Q)
Is a fireball that deals aOE damage at the moment of impact and has a lingering effect that damages enemies that are within the radius.
The design around the pyromancer is it was meant to be the DPS class as well as the easiest to pick up and play, we tried to keep the spells and attacks of the Pyromancer as simple but effective as possible.
Abjurer (At the time of this video)
Abjurer's Main Attack (Left Click)
Shrapnel punch that shoots out rock shards in a spread in front of the abjurer
Abjurer's Alt Attack (Right Click) (Now changed)
Place a shield on yourself or ally.
Abjurer's Spell (Q)
Pull enemies in, after a certain duration a large aoe explosion occurs around the abjurer
The Design around the abjurer is it was meant to be the tank class, it was meant to soak up damage and protect the other classes. the abjurers abilities support getting up close and personal with the enemies.
Alchemist (AT THE TIME OF THIS VIDEO)
Alchemist's main attack (left click)
throws a potion that deals damage on impact and leaves a poison gas that deals AOE damage to enemies that within the radius
Alchemist's Alt Attack (Right click)
throws a potion that heals allies on impact
Alchemist's spell (Q)
an aoe attack around the alchemist that causes bewilderment on the enemies causing them to run away.
The design around the alchemist is it was meant to be the support class. the alchemist is designed to be squishy but is incredibly important to the team in the heat of the battle as it is the only class in the game that has the ability to heal.
Cut Content
The 4th class, the Warlock was shortly cut after this.
The reason for the warlock being cut is there wasn't enough time left to properly make, implement and test the warlock.
The 2nd and 3rd maps were cut and the assets used for those maps were in the process of being transferred over to the main map
(Above video: March-april (8-9 months of development)
Towers were removed from the game.
We decided to remove towers from the game due to a huge issue with balancing and passive vs active gameplay involving the towers.
Movement abilities were added to the game:
pyromancer's dash (ShifT) dashes the pyromancer forward and leaves a trail of fire behind them that deals damage
Abjurer's Leap (Shift) Abjurer leaps into the air and comes crashing down, dealing damage to enemies nearby the landing zone
Alchemist (Shift) Alchemist gains a speed boost as well as an attack speed boost
