Loot & Roam
I've been working for a while on something different. I've always loved physics based games and the carnage they can harbor (get it?), as well as the amount of variation and replayability.
Pair that with looting mechanics, satisfying naval physics, roguelike elements, procedural island generation, and lots of different options for combat, and you get Loot & Roam.
(I won't spoil much about it, if you want some pointers about the basics, check the Help screen in the main menu. For instance, one thing that isn't very well communicated for very new players is that you can enter an intermission/management screen by pressing L... if you're far enough from the island.)
Development Plans
This is a prototype. The final version is going to be written from scratch - and some work to that end has already been done. The plan is to use the prototype as a proof of concept (it's also just genuinely fun already), and to have the final version serve as a performant, clean, robust, well-forethought rewrite, which should also allow incorporating the more intricate features planned for the full release.
While the prototype is written in TypeScript, the release version is being written in Rust. I'm not entirely sure yet which backend it will use, but I'm hesitant on using an existing engine (like Bevy). Additionally, I've been thinking about whether I want it to still be 2D, or to be fully rendered 3D, as well as whether it should remain topdown, and what its visual style should be. I've put way moer forethought into what gameplay features I want, though, and I will use a dynamic music engine I'm also working on (condemus).
Planned Features
One of the main things that's missing from the current prototype is gametypes. The current prototype only has one: kind of a free-play, GTA-style, "kill everyone and steal their loot" kinda game. It's not a cakewalk, don't get me wrong - you better upgrade your ship before you take on the bigger ones, and know how to pick your targets till then, the AI is surprisingly good at combat!
On the other hand, I eventually plan to have some more focused gametypes, such as a Pirate mode where any NPC ship will target you upon finding you and you'll have to use stealth to maneuver around them, and as an extension of that a Campaign mode with quests and a progression of bosses.
These stealth mechanics, as well as land turrets, depth charges, and more, are all planned mechanics for the release version.
Community
One thing I'm still not sure how exactly to do is progress updates. I could make a thread on a forum or something. I've also thought for a long time about reaching out and seeing if I can find more beta testers and possibly even contributors to the open-source project. (Yes, there is a Donate button. Yes, I'll figure out how to do even splits should people decide to become long-term contributors - I'll probably set up an organization at that point, or something.)
For reasons like that, I'm making this post to try to garner some attention and some third-party opinions to help improve the game, and to help motivate my cripplingly ADHD self to keep working on this fascinating project. It's been really fun to play with, and also really fun to work on - I even learned some about how buoyancy works, to make the satisfying floating ships & items physics you see in the playable demo - and I want to spread that joy a bit more.
I hope this isn't the wrong place for that! If that is the case, I'm very sorry, and open to nudges. :)
Links
- Current playable Web demo, hosted on GitHub Pages
- Prototype repository
- Full release repository - not yet playable, as of the time of writing