1. Project Planning & Game Design
# 1. Project Planning & Game Design
## Introduction
Before diving into development, it's crucial to establish a clear plan and design for our platformer game framework. This section outlines the initial planning phase, game design principles, and the core mechanics we'll implement in our Defold project.
## Game Concept
Our platformer framework will serve as a foundation for building 2D platformer games with the following key features:
- Smooth character movement with physics-based interactions
- Collectible items and power-ups
- Enemy AI with basic pathfinding
- Level design tools and components
- Game state management
- UI elements for score, health, and game progression
## Target Audience
The framework is designed for:
- Game developers looking for a starting point for platformer games
- Defold beginners wanting to learn game development
- Indie developers seeking to accelerate their development process
## Core Mechanics
### Player Movement
The player character will have the following movement capabilities:
- Horizontal movement (left/right)
- Jumping with variable height based on button press duration
- Wall sliding and wall jumping
- Dashing/special moves
```mermaid
stateDiagram-v2
[*] --> Idle
Idle --> Running: Movement Input
Running --> Idle: No Movement Input
Idle --> Jumping: Jump Button
Running --> Jumping: Jump Button
Jumping --> Falling: Apex Reached
Falling --> Idle: Ground Contact
Falling --> Running: Ground Contact + Movement
Jumping --> WallSliding: Wall Contact
Falling --> WallSliding: Wall Contact
WallSliding --> WallJumping: Jump Button
WallJumping --> Falling: Apex Reached
Idle --> Dashing: Dash Button
Running --> Dashing: Dash Button
Jumping --> Dashing: Dash Button
Falling --> Dashing: Dash Button
Dashing --> Falling: Dash Complete
```
### Physics System
We'll implement a physics system with the following properties:
- Gravity and friction
- Collision detection and response
- Platform interactions (one-way platforms, moving platforms)
- Physics-based objects (pushable blocks, swinging ropes)
### Camera System
The camera will follow the player with:
- Smooth tracking
- Screen boundaries
- Look-ahead functionality
- Screen shake for impact effects
## Technical Requirements
### Defold Components
Our framework will utilize these Defold components:
1. **Game Objects**: For player, enemies, platforms, collectibles
2. **Collections**: For organizing level elements
3. **Factory Components**: For dynamically spawning entities
4. **Collision Objects**: For handling physics interactions
5. **Sprite Components**: For visual representation
6. **Script Components**: For game logic
7. **GUI Components**: For user interface elements
### Project Structure
```mermaid
graph TD
A[main] --> B[game]
A --> C[menu]
B --> D[player]
B --> E[enemies]
B --> F[levels]
B --> G[props]
B --> H[ui]
D --> D1[scripts]
D --> D2[sprites]
D --> D3[animations]
E --> E1[scripts]
E --> E2[sprites]
E --> E3[animations]
F --> F1[level1]
F --> F2[level2]
F --> F3[level_components]
G --> G1[collectibles]
G --> G2[platforms]
G --> G3[hazards]
H --> H1[hud]
H --> H2[pause_menu]
H --> H3[game_over]
```
## Art Style and Assets
For our framework, we'll use a consistent art style with:
- 32x32 pixel art for characters and small objects
- 16x16 pixel art for tiles and background elements
- Clear visual hierarchy through color and contrast
- Consistent lighting and shadow direction
## Level Design Principles
Our framework will support these level design concepts:
1. **Layered Difficulty**: Gradually introducing mechanics
2. **Risk vs. Reward**: Optional challenging paths with greater rewards
3. **Teaching Through Design**: Environmental cues to guide players
4. **Vertical and Horizontal Exploration**: Multi-directional level layouts
## Game Progression
The game flow will follow this structure:
```mermaid
flowchart TD
A[Main Menu] --> B[Level Select]
A --> C[Options]
A --> D[Credits]
B --> E[Level 1]
E --> F[Level 2]
F --> G[Level 3]
G --> H[Boss Level]
H --> I[Victory Screen]
E --> J[Game Over]
F --> J
G --> J
H --> J
J --> A
I --> A
```
## Performance Considerations
To ensure the framework runs smoothly across platforms, we'll:
- Optimize sprite batching
- Implement object pooling for frequently spawned objects
- Use efficient collision detection
- Implement level streaming for larger levels
## Next Steps
With our game design established, we'll proceed to:
1. Set up the Defold project structure
2. Implement the player character and basic movement
3. Create the physics and collision systems
4. Design the camera system
5. Build level components and tools
This planning phase provides a solid foundation for our platformer framework, ensuring we have a clear vision and technical roadmap before coding begins.