#2 ANT

godot workspace + sprites
Battle Scene
Overworld
Starter selection

Inspiration

We wanted to create a unique game while also playing to our interests. Monster Taming + Roguelike is a combination we have never seen before so we chose that. Ants were decided as the theme for the project since they are some of the most interesting and diverse animals on the planet. They also have direct ties to computer science with some optimization algorithms being based on the efficient organization and pathways ants use.

What it does

Our game switches between two separate but interlinked modes: overworld mode and battle mode. In overworld mode, the player traverses the colony (there are 5 floors to descend, with about 100 rooms/corridors each!) and engages enemies along the way. When the player engages an enemy, battle mode is initiated, and the player's party of ants fights the opposing ant. Each ant has different moves: Larvae can hatch into workers, Queens can heal, and other ants can bite. After each encounter, the opposing ant may join your party!

How we built it

We built it using Godot with GDScript, a popular game engine for 2D games. Additionally, we created art assets using a drawing tablet and a pen. Everything you see in this project was made directly by us!

Challenges we ran into

Only one of us had any experience with creating games or using Godot. We definitely had learning pains as we tried to learn how Godot and game engines as a whole operated. Another issue was just the weirdness of Godot. It's a relatively new game engine so sometimes it can be hard to find specific answers. Lastly, we couldn't find much free game assets around our theme of ants which meant we had to create the art ourselves, which was most definitely not part of our original plan.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We love the genre combination and theme of the project. This game has the potential to be a very unique experience with many avenues to diversify and expand gameplay. Finally, we are proud to have created a playable game. We used no initial templates or boilerplate so a good chunk of time was spent just getting started, so to finish on time and with most of the core elements we planned is very exciting.

What we learned

The biggest thing is just game composition and game engine design and workflow. It was also a learning experience for efficiently working together as a team. We needed to balance collective decisions and separate work in order to create something nice.

What's next for #2 ANT

There is so much we want to add to this game! We want abilities for our ants so each one has a unique passive, whether it be in battle or the overworld. We want more moves with animations and sound effects. The game definitely needs tweaking to have more balanced gameplay. It also needs more ant types that showcase unique real ants and funny ants we design. Now that we have this framework of a game, the sky is the limit for expanding it!