Devlog 1

Hi! In this first devlog we will introduce our team and the main concepts of our game.

Who are we?
Delirium Protocol is made up of 3 students from the University of Chile: Monse, Benja, and Diego.
Here’s a brief introduction for each of us!!

Monse: heyyy :3 I study Industrial Engineering but I really like programming and games such as: The Last of Us, Minecraft, Undertale, Mouthwashing, Genshin Impact

Benja: Hi there, I’m an Industrial Engineering student, and I’ve been fascinated by video games since I was a kid. One of my life goals is to make an indie game that is so fun you want to replay it several times. I want to give back to the industry all the good moments video games have given me. My favorite games are Sekiro, Sifu, The Binding of Isaac, Darkest Dungeon, and Cyberpunk 2077. In general, I like games that are challenging but don’t feel unfair.

Diego: Helloo! :D I study Computer Engineering, and some of my favorite games are: Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas, Minecraft, Risk of Rain 2, Terraria

What is our game about?

A level-based 2D platformer — movement and momentum, those are the main pillars and the identity of the game we want to make. The general idea of movement in our game is based on momentum. By limiting the player to only being able to move through actions that initiate movement, you could say the player is “constantly launching” themselves. They take advantage of mechanics like bouncing off walls or using a grappling hook to maneuver while in the air, trying to correct their trajectory however they can. We want it to be a movement system that is complex to fully master — accessible and intuitive enough for anyone to play, but with a high skill ceiling.

To bring this idea into the game, we thought a good way to represent it would be to have our main character carry a big hammer as a weapon (and mobility tool) — a hammer so heavy that it prevents the character from moving. They must resort to the only way they have left to move: attack with the hammer to use that impulse and get dragged by the hammer’s momentum. With this as the main mechanic, we also have other ideas that would contribute to the character’s movement, such as hitting a surface to get launched in the opposite direction (a kind of rocket jump but with a hammer) and using a grappling hook or similar mechanic to maneuver once already in the air.

Once we finish implementing the basic movement mechanics, we’ll start focusing on level and enemy design. Level design will be key, since it needs to be built so the player can make full use of the mechanics. For this we will use tiles or objects placed strategically so that the player can freely use the momentum mechanic, not forcing them down a single possible path but allowing multiple ways to reach the end of the level. Levels will also have enemies that pressure the player to keep moving or maintain momentum, which adds dynamism to the game. A more concrete example would be an enemy that only takes damage if the player hits it at a certain speed — if that speed is high, the player will have to think about how to get enough momentum to be able to hurt the enemy.