DIOGO GUERREIRO
GAME DESIGNER
UI
UI plays a crucial role in a game of this genre, as it provides the player with all the important information they need in order to make meaningful decisions. On top of that, I wanted to incorporate an extra layer of visual feedback for the Player by flashing the icon of the ability they just pressed.
The UI elements included in this prototype are:
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Player HP and Mana pools, each with color-coded visuals and numerical values.
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An ability bar showing each ability’s mana cost and keybind.
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Abilities automatically grey out when the player lacks the required mana.
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Cooldown bars that fill up to clearly indicate when an ability will be ready again.
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Enemy health bars.
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A marked icon is displayed above the enemy health bar when appropriate.
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Ability icons that flash when the player presses their corresponding key.
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A circular progress bar indicating how long the current instance of Sanctum of Penance will stay active for.
Utilizing Enemy Death Animations to improve Game-Feel
The way enemies react upon defeat plays a key role in enhancing the Player’s overall experience while also reinforcing each enemy archetype’s unique identity and personality. In Fallen Crusader, melee enemies are designed to feel heavier and more grounded, whereas ranged enemies are intentionally portrayed as lighter and more fragile. To capture this distinction, I implemented a distinct death animation for ranged enemies when they are defeated by Leap of Reckoning (Lunge attack). This not only adds a greater sense of impact and momentum to the ability but also makes combat more dynamic, as enemies don’t all die in the same way. I achieved this by assigning a loose gameplay tag to enemies struck by Leap of Reckoning and checking for that tag when a ranged enemy receives fatal damage.
Ranged Enemy Default Death Animation
Ranged Enemy Death Animation when slain by Leap of Reckoning
Enemy Archetypes
There are two enemy archetypes in this prototype, each fulfilling a unique role in combat:
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a melee enemy that charges at the player, always exerting pressure
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a ranged caster who throws projectiles on a short cooldown, incentivizing the player to always pay attention to their surroundings or to target them first in a fight
Both enemy archetypes have easy-to-understand and predictable behaviours to allow the player to defeat them however they prefer and fulfill the core power fantasy. Still, they encourage different skills to be utilized throughout combat, with groups of melee enemies being a great way to generate mana through Vengeful Strikes, while ranged enemies heavily encourage the players to use Leap of Reckoning (the lunge attack) to gap close or Wrathful Retribution (the single-target spender) to slay them in one blow, for example.
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Melee Enemy
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Ranged Enemy
Sound
For combat to feel truly satisfying and visceral, sound is just as crucial as any other element. For instance, to further reinforce the difference between abilities, the impact sounds vary between them, allowing the player to feel the difference between a basic attack and a powerful spender not only by how much of an enemy’s HP bar is depleted when they use it, but also from how it sounds when they do so.
Camera Shake
Powerful abilities should feel powerful to use. To achieve that, I added a subtle camera shake to the two key spender abilities where conveying that sense of impact mattered most. This made them more satisfying to use without overwhelming the player with excessive visual feedback.
Camera Shake on Oath of the Renegade
Camera Shake on Wrathful Retribution
Utilizing Ability Queueing for a more responsive gameplay experience
Since the game is meant to be played at a fast pace, utilizing ability queuing allows the Player to quickly and seamlessly transition between attacks. Though this does not cancel the current animation, as I intended for each ability to be used deliberately, it still adds a layer of smoothness and flow between abilities. During each animation, there is a window where Player inputs are saved, with the latest one overriding any previous ones. As soon as the current animation ends, whichever ability was queued is immediately used. During the dodge animation, the window to queue an input is extensive, so it is easy for the Player to dodge, press an ability during the Dodge, and immediately use it as soon as the dodge animation ends.
Hit Flash
To further reinforce that the player’s attack has been successful, enemies flash red for a brief moment. The same applies to the player, as they flash red every time they are damaged by an enemy, helping the player take note of what is happening amidst all the chaos of combat.
Hit Flash on Melee Enemy
Hit Flash on Player
Synergies between Abilities
Besides each ability having its own unique interaction with the core ability (Sanctum of Penance), they were also designed to synergize with each other in different ways. Though synergies can come up organically during gameplay, I would highlight two particularly powerful combos that are both effective and satisfying to use:
Sanctum of Penance -> Oath of the Renegade -> Leap of Reckoning
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Capable of weakening a large number of enemies at once and either dispatching a frail ranged enemy and lowering the amount of ranged threats or moving to a now weakened priority target.
Leap of Reckoning -> Wrathful Retribution
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Allows for quickly reaching an enemy from afar and quickly deal a high amount of single-target damage.
Sanctum of Penance -> Oath of the Renegade -> Leap of Reckoning
Leap of Reckoning -> Wrathful Retribution
Prototyping Leap of Reckoning
To achieve the desired functionality of this ability, I utilized a variety of different elements and techniques. These included:
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Targeting an enemy with the cursor to be able to use the ability.
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Motion Warping, so that root motion is adjusted to the distance the Player must travel to reach their target.
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Predicting where the Target will be in a short time window, to ensure the Player always ends up facing their target rather than passing through them if they move while the Player is lunging towards them.
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Disabling collision between the Player actor and enemies while the ability is active.
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Using a multi-sphere trace on the Player's sword to detect collision with enemies.
Oath of the Renegade - Spender
Purpose:
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Best multi-target spender. Damages every enemy inside Sanctum of Penance at once.
Interaction with Sanctum of Penance: Can only be used when at least one enemy is inside Sanctum of Penance.
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Oath of the Renegade Gameplay Ability Blueprint
Oath of the Renegade
Leap of Reckoning - Spender
Primary Purpose:
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Mobility, quickly reach enemies from afar.
Additional Purpose:
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Versatile spender, as it is not the best at single-target or multi-target damage, but can consistently do both, since not only does it damage the final target, but also every enemy it passes through until it reaches them.
Interaction with Sanctum of Penance: If the target is inside Sanctum of Penance, the cooldown on Leap of Reckoning is greatly reduced.
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Leap of Reckoning Gameplay Ability Blueprint
Leap of Reckoning
Wrathful Retribution - Spender
Primary Purpose:
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Strongest Single-Target Spender.
Additional Purpose:
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Situationally, it can be used to damage more than one enemy, though it is generally the weakest ability at doing so due to its limited hitbox.
Interaction with Sanctum of Penance: If the enemy is inside Sanctum of Penance, they take more damage from Wrathful Retribution.
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Wrathful Retribution Gameplay Ability Blueprint
Wrathful Retribution
Vengeful Strike - Builder
Primary Purpose:
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Generates Mana on hit.
Additional Purposes:
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Functions as a basic attack (no Mana cost or cooldown)
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Has a combo window during the first attack that allows for the ability to be pressed again and seamlessly create an effective 2-attack combo.
Interaction with Sanctum of Penance: If the enemy is inside Sanctum of Penance, each successful attack generates extra Mana.
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Vengeful Strike First Attack Gameplay Ability Blueprint
Vengeful Strike 2-attack sequence
Sanctum of Penance - Core ability
Primary Purpose:
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AOE Spell that marks enemies inside to allow for other abilities to be enhanced in unique ways.
Additional Purposes:
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Durability - Heal over time while inside (player).
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Small damage over time while inside (enemies).
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Sanctum of Penance Gameplay Ability Blueprint
Sanctum of Penance
Player Abilities
When designing the character, I experimented with a different number of abilities, usually in the range of 4 to 6 different abilities. In the end, I decided to go with 5, as it allowed for enough variety in function and purpose without overwhelming the player. Each ability is placed under one of the following categories:
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Core: In the context of this prototype, this term refers to the ability that ties everything together, similar to how, in many ARPG builds, there is one skill that defines it. Every other ability was designed around this one.
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Builder: An ability that has the main purpose of generating Mana and allowing for more powerful abilities to be used.
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Spender: This category refers to abilities designed to be used frequently as a means of spending Mana, and comprises the majority of abilities. Each one provides unique advantages and is more fitting for different situations, allowing the Player to decide on which one to use at any given time, as well as how to chain them together.
Movement
Movement is key when designing combat, and a recent shift in the ARPG genre inspires the movement in this prototype, as most games have started to include the option to move using WASD. I chose this approach alongside 8-way directional movement for two main reasons:
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Fluid and flexible movement.
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The ability to move and aim separately.
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Blend Space for Player Movement
8-way Directional Movement
Additionally, the Player can also dodge at any time, which is meant to encourage the player to feel confident and play aggressively, as they could dodge to either reposition or to keep themselves safe. However, they are locked into their animations, so they cannot dodge mid-attack.
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Dodge Gameplay Ability Blueprint
Dodge
Core Fantasy
Drawing inspiration from the tragic figure of a fallen paladin, the character's fantasy centers around creating a corrupted magical area and fighting inside it. This area represents a form of unholy ground meant to serve as the centre stage for the Player to punish their foes, inspired by consecrated ground abilities paladins have in other games, but giving it darker undertones. While inside, the Player always has the upper hand.
Responsibilities
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Designed a set of abilities that give the player tools to deal with a variety of situations.
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Designed two enemy archetypes to test and showcase these abilities in action.
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Prototyped these designs using the Gameplay Ability System in Unreal Engine 5, using the GAS Companion Plug-In to make the whole system Blueprint-based.
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Used Animation, VFX, Hit Flash, Camera shake, and Sound to achieve the intended experience.
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Implemented all necessary UI elements to allow the Player to make informed moment-to-moment decisions, as well as to add extra layers of feedback.
Overview
Fallen Crusader is a top-down action game playable prototype focused on combat. The primary objectives of the project were to design and implement a set of synergistic abilities and create a satisfying and visceral combat experience.