general

One of my main tasks in the Painkiller project was to create a proof of concept/prototype of a roguelike game mode — Rogue Angel, designed by Rafał Cywicki.
The prototype was meant to answer whether such mode fits our title and whether — most importantly — it is fun.

In short, in Rogue Angel players draw two weapons, then choose the reward they want to receive for the arena, then enter a portal, fight on a randomly selected arena with a random objective, and upon completion move to the reward room where they collect the reward they chose earlier. The run ends with a boss fight after completing several arenas.

Elements the prototype was to include:

• Proper mode flow:
  • Landing Space, where players make a choice — which reward they want to receive for completing the arena
  • Several arenas that are re-randomized each time
  • Randomized starting weapons
  • A pool of rewards for completing an arena — tarot cards, new weapons/attachments, items

Process

At the start, I created a quick flow sketch: two portals in the arena, leading to two different arenas to choose from, each offering a different reward. I set up reward pools and a simple system to assign them upon entering a portal.

Next, I pulled standalone arenas from the Campaign and added them to the random selection pool, then hooked up gameplay to test the mode’s fun factor. I also added tarot cards as one of the reward choices.

I then refined the system by adding UI. Players joined an arena via a sigil – three players had to step into it to start the arena – and rewards were presented as icons above the sigils. The per-player reward distribution system was also improved. The flow was already very close to what you can find in the playable release build. The run was complete, so after a few arenas players were transitioned to a boss arena.

Game mode trailer