TypeFight - Asymmetric Local Multiplayer
Fall 2014
First Multiplayer Game, Student Project
Team: Don Schmocker, Alice Ruppert
Role: Programming, Concept
In TypeFight, two players compete on one computer. Both have a ranged attack, a melee attack, a ranged dodge and a melee dodge and both can move forward and backward. Despite this funcional symmetry, the two characters have entirely different control schemes.
The player on the left controls "Robert", a swordfighter. To steer him, the player types commands with the keyboard, such as "attack", "dodge", "left" or "right".
The second player controls "Robot", an automaton. The robot has to switch between two stances, one for melee and one for ranged combat. This slows the character down enough that the player who types is not at a disadvantage, even though the robot's inputs are mostly one-button.
The game ends once one player loses all their health.
Unusual methods of input were a focus of this project, which is why we chose for the robot to be steered by a rotary knob called a Griffin Powermate. The character's visual concept was based on this rotation as well. Since the rarity of the hardware would render the game unplayable for most people, it can be played with numpad input instead.
The game's three different level backgrounds and general cardboard theater aesthetic were created by Don Schmocker, while my tasks were coding and balancing the game.