Top-Down Shooter Noob?

News & General Discussion
1

So, my current project with unity is a Top-Down shooter. Unfortunatly, I really suck at scripting. (Artist here) So, I have 2 questions to the Unity community.

1.) How many Top-Down shooters do you play? What makes you like them? Is there any way to add replayablity that appeals to you more than something else? Personally I’m one for giant explosions and big guns. :smile:

2.) HOW THE HECK CAN I GET A LIGHT TO ROTATE AROUND A CAPSULE AND FACE THE MOUSE? I really do suck at scripting, and what I’m looking for is a light to rotate around my player. I would really like it to face my mouse. (Example: My mouse is north of character, my light is north. Mouse is south, light is south.) :slight_smile:

Thanks guys! All feedback is appreciated.

2

  1. I really like games that allow you to upgrade abilities either through pickups or skill points.

  2. Did you actually parent the light to the player and is it a spotlight?

3

Good idea about the pickups and upgrades, I actually never though of that! Duh!

And to your question, yes I did. The thing I don’t like is that the light always faces the same direction as the player, and I would like the player to be able to face one way, but have the light pointing another way.

4

I’m making a small top down shooter to get me back into Unity after a long absence. I will give that project away once I’m bored with it. The goal is to replicate as much of Grid Wars / Geometry wars as I can.

I’m in no way a master coder, but things like getting a light to look at the mouse is not really things I consider a problem in Unity so if that’s where you’re stuck you have bigger hills to climb in the future. :slight_smile:

Make a script using this Unity - Scripting API: Transform.LookAt and put that on your light. Remember that transform.forward is the blue arrow in Unity so make sure your light is shining in the direction of the blue arrow.

Then you need to use this to get the mouse position Unity - Scripting API: Input.mousePosition

And lastly I think it’s this one you need Unity - Scripting API: Camera.ScreenToWorldPoint

This will only work if you’re using an orthographic camera though. If you’re using a perspective camera you need more sorcery to make it happen.

5

What I’d like to see in a top down shooter is procedually generated levels, smarter enemies, and a variety of weapons. Basically like any other shooters I’d play.
Edit: And one more thing. Advanced aiming! Having the player fire their weapon at the mouse’s position, not just direction, like that of Alien Swarm, or my own game (check my signature).

Perhaps not, but you’re still damn good at it.

6

About the moving light that you mentioned, is this kinda what you mean?

I personally enjoy a lot of upgrades and alot of things to keep me interested.

7

For replay ability and gameplay,

  1. break each level into sections that give user feeling they are progressing ( change background, enemies , anything, at near even intervals thru a level )

  2. always have something on screen the player is trying to get

  3. when the player is near death . give them a way out ( energy, extra life, whatever )
    its that bringing the player from full health to near death and back to full health that makes a fun shooter.

  4. add a way to earn money or something to get upgrades, buying and selling adds a whole new realm to shooters.

  5. obviously have a boss at end of each level . and mid bosses later on in game ( mid bosses should be on section boundary as i say in #1 so you feel you have accomplished something after killing it)