Project: Top-Down Twin-Stick Shooter

Overview:
This is a top-down twin-stick shooter set aboard a hostile spaceship. Players must fight their way through waves of enemies while navigating the ship’s interior, searching for keycards to unlock new areas and progress through the level.

Key Features:

Fast-paced twin-stick shooting mechanics
Keycard-based progression system
Multiple enemy types and combat scenarios
Atmospheric sci-fi environment

Time Frame: 8 weeks

Itch.io

GitHub

My Responsibilities (Lead Developer)

As the lead developer, I was responsible for most of the game’s core systems and logic. My key contributions included:

Player Systems:
- Designed and implemented player movement
- Created the field of view system
- Built the pickup system for keycards and weapons
- Created weapon mechanics, including aiming, shooting and overheating with visual feedback
Gameplay Systems:
- Developed the spawn system to manage enemy waves
- Built the event system to handle in-game triggers and progression
- Designed and programmed the Ghoul boss behavior, including attacks and movement patterns
UI & UX:
- Implemented all UI logic, including health bars, inventory visuals, and prompts
- Integrated all sound effects to enhance player feedback and immersion
Collaboration:
- Worked closely with Levi to develop the inventory system

Features

Field of View

I implemented a dynamic field of view (FOV) system using a custom-generated mesh. The mesh is calculated in real time based on the player’s current view radius and view angle, simulating line-of-sight vision

To enhance gameplay clarity and immersion:

A stencil shader was used to mask enemies and objects outside the FOV
The system updates each frame to reflect player movement and rotation

This approach added both a strategic layer to gameplay and a polished visual effect to the player experience

FOV

Spawner

I developed a spawn manager that dynamically activates enemy spawn points based on player proximity. Key features of the system include:

Distance-Based Activation:
Spawn points are only activated when the player is within a certain range, ensuring optimized performance and controlled pacing
Event-Driven Integration:
Spawn points are registered through an event manager, which is triggered when new areas become accessible (after unlocking a door with a keycard)

This system allowed for efficient enemy spawning that felt responsive and adaptive to player progression, while keeping the game world dynamic and performance-friendly.

SpawnManager

Ghoul(Boss)

I designed and programmed The Ghoul, an unkillable boss enemy that uses a finite state machine (FSM) to control its behavior. The FSM allows the boss to transition smoothly between distinct AI states based on gameplay conditions:

Wandering – Roams randomly when unaware of the player
Chasing – Pursues the player upon detection
Attacking – Upon getting in range of the player starts attacking
Stunned – Temporarily can get stunned by getting shot by player

This system created a predictable yet threatening encounter, requiring players to adapt and time their actions strategically. The Ghoul added tension and pacing to the gameplay while showcasing modular AI design principles.

GhoulBehaviour

Code Snippets

Spawn System

Ghoul Behavior

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