Gameplay Mechanics

We brought you the synopsis for Awien Ambush, but we didn't fill you in on any of the core gameplay elements. All is about to change in three... two... one...

• The player character is controlled using the mouse and keyboard.
  
• The player character constructs traps by:
• Moving to a blank square
• Using the mouse and right clicking to bring up a radial menu containing a list of traps.
• While the radial menu is visible, the grid system will be visible. Most rooms will be 3x3 grids, with the player and the traps each taking up 1x1 grid. 
• Paying an appropriate amount of goo. (Basic traps will be 10 goo)
• Placing the trap.

• Aliens drop goo, which is the in-game currency, a crafting component and also the score-keeping mechanism.
• A set number of aliens appear in every ‘wave’,
• The player character avoids the aliens by hiding behind scenery (ie. cardboard boxes, plants, etc.). There will be one “hiding place” per floor of the house (the first level house has three floors)
• In between waves, the player will have a few seconds to emerge from their chosen hiding place and place new traps.
• As long as the player is ‘hidden’, they can’t move and aliens will not detect them. Only one alien (the Sniffer alien) will be able to see (and possibly eat) them.
• The player can remain unhidden, in which case the aliens will chase after them. This can lure them into traps, but they can kill you.
• The attic on the top of the house has an item of some description that the aliens are attracted to. If they reach it, the player loses immediately. The logic behind this feature is as follows: Without it, the only losing condition is the player character being apprehended by aliens. The player character is able to hide behind boxes to evade capture, which can only be countered by the Sniffer aliens who are able to detect a hidden player. 
• To prevent the player from being effectively undefeatable early waves that consist of only the basic alien, or forcing the designers to include Sniffer aliens on each wave, there needs to be a secondary losing condition.

Preliminary Concept Art

Our first treat: some concept art from the amazing Marcus!

The game logo, combining a child's crayon writing and terrible spelling with HARDCORE ALIEN FONT AND TECHNOLOGY. 

What we envisioned the player character the look like. He's smart and therefore he has glasses. 


One of the possible designs for an alien. 

The game will be played from a 2D perspective with the player having full view of the other rooms in the house.