I am interested which survival mode would be more interesting for players in your opinion.
I am thinking about shooters, arena, zombie games.
I have thought 2 survival modes:
1. Wave mode. First wave 5 enemies from one class, Second wave 7 enemies from 2 different classes and so on.
2. Constant, non stop action mode. Always on the scene will be 7 or more enemies and they will be spawn by chance. For example, light enemy will have 50 % chance to be spawned, medium - 20 %, and high level enemy - 10 %
So what are your thought? Which would be more interesting in your opinion? Do you have other ideas?
I feel the best scheme is usually a mix of the two. L4D got it down with the regular infected scattered around the level and the special infected here and there for the constant action, but there is a horde for the waves.
I kind of like waves because then you get a bit of a breather and also opportunity to WAIT … waiting is a highly underestimated game mechanic. Think of all the times in plants vs zombies that you’re poised, waiting for a plant/power to charge up … people don’t realize how much those pauses contribute to the overall dynamic.
When considering pacing, I try to think in terms of the structure of a song, with the verse (general, rhythmic challenge) leading to the chorus (more varied, stand out, powerful challenge or creature~~) followed by the break (downtime, catch your breath, restock on health, reorientated).~~ So rather than purely randomizing enemy spawns, it might be worth adding some pattern to them. I think in terms of impact, you’d rather the game regularly generates in the order of [multiple light enemies] followed by [larger enemies], rather than giving the player one powerful enemy to defeat, then having the chore of sweeping up after the weak ones.
