Designing a combat system for 3D video game : project: Ripple in Dimensions

Abstract

The idea for this thesis came from the need of designing a fun, functional and unique combat system for a game project, Ripple in Dimensions. The initial research revealed that combat systems are not a well-researched topic and that combat systems in general are often bundled with game design. This led to the first part of this thesis defining what a combat system is. The following part breaks down the core elements that can be used for one.

Research on combat systems was conducted by analysing multiple sets of games. These games were picked based on the similarities with each other and the suitability of the systems for the game project. Each game was analysed by breaking down their combat systems into simple elements. These elements were then categorized and compared with other games in the set to figure out which features were commonly shared between them, and which were unique to the game.

A new combat system was then designed for Ripple in Dimensions using the research data collected from the game sets. This was achieved by selecting common and well received features. These were then combined using the unique features into a complete system. This result can further be refined by estimating how difficult and time consuming each aspect of the combat system is and adjusting the features to better fit the scope of the project.