Devlog #1

Devlog #1

Hi! We are Peppa Git and we are currently working on our game for a Videogame Development course.

For this project, we wanted to experiment with a concept that combines the fast and chaotic gameplay of survivors-like games with something we are particularly familiar with: programming.

The Idea

Our game takes inspiration from games such as Vampire Survivors, where the player has to survive increasingly large waves of enemies while progressively becoming stronger.

However, instead of focusing exclusively on choosing predefined weapons and upgrades, we want to give the player more control over how their character behaves.

The main idea is that part of the player's progression will revolve around creating and modifying simple programmable behaviors. These could determine things such as how abilities select their targets, when certain actions are performed, or how different mechanics interact with each other.

For example, instead of simply obtaining a weapon that automatically attacks the closest enemy, the player could customize its behavior to prioritize a particular type of enemy or react differently depending on the current situation.

Our goal is not to turn the game into a programming exercise, but to use programming as a game mechanic: something that allows experimentation, creativity and the creation of different builds.

What We Want the Game to Feel Like

One of our main challenges is finding the right balance between the two sides of the game.

On one hand, the combat should remain fast, satisfying and easy to understand. The player should still be able to enjoy defeating large groups of enemies and watching their build become progressively stronger.

On the other hand, the programming system should give players enough freedom to make their build feel genuinely their own.

Ideally, players should be able to discover interesting combinations and think:

"What happens if I make this ability react to this condition instead?"

We think that experimentation can become an important part of the progression itself.

How We Plan to Develop It

During the first stages of development, our priority will be building the fundamental gameplay loop before expanding the programming mechanics.

We plan to start with:

• Basic player movement and combat.
• Enemy spawning and simple enemy behaviors.
• A system capable of handling increasingly difficult waves.
• Basic abilities and upgrades.
• A first version of the programmable behavior system.
• A simple interface that allows the player to understand and modify these behaviors without interrupting the flow of the game too much.

Once these systems are functional, we will be able to experiment with how much control the player should have and which programmable elements are actually fun to use.

This will probably be one of the most important parts of the development process, since giving the player too many options could make the system unnecessarily complicated, while giving them too few could make the programming mechanic feel superficial.

What's Next?

For our next development stage, we want to have a basic playable prototype where the player can move around an arena, fight enemies and survive for a short period of time.

From there, we can begin implementing the first version of the mechanic that will define the game: letting the player program and customize how their abilities behave.

There are still many details we need to experiment with, but that's also what makes the project interesting for us.

We are looking forward to seeing just how broken or clever the builds created through this system can become.