This is the devlog for the game Pizzocalypse.  Please refer to the homepage for previous devlog posts. The Game is currently in production and is being developed as a part of the Gamer2Maker Game Design and Production mentorship program under the guidance of mentor Rahul Sehgal. 

Pizzocalypse is a 2.5D top down mobile shooting game where a badass delivery guy  has vowed to deliver the pizza to the doorstep of every hungry survivor during a zombie apocalypse. 

The game is currently in production and is being developed as a part of the Gamer2Maker Game Design and Production mentorship program under the guidance of mentor Rahul Sehgal. The post records the work during the period of Sept 2023- Nov 2023. 

This period was spent working on the following things - 

1. Pizza Health UI progression 

After it was decided that player character health would be replaced by pizza health for a more unique and cheeky take on the health system, we iterated on the design and mechanics of pizza health UI. 

The pizza health UI looked like a big round pizza that was divided into multiple slices/chunks, which would disappear when the pizza sustained damage from the zombies. 

The initial design was simplified later because the complex minute design elements would not be clearly visible on a mobile screen. 

Pizza Health UI simplified

The pizza UI was originally translucent, but the mentors suggested having an opaque background to ensure proper visibility. The team decided that, keeping in mind the game's theme, we would use a pizza box as the opaque background.   

2. Level Design and Layout Dressing. 

Three detailed level maps were designed as a reference for creating gray boxing layouts in unity. Various elements such as enemy spawn points and paths, ability placements, and multiple/ alternate paths were placed into the levels. 

Level 1

While designing the tutorial level - it was divided into 6 milestones - based on various mechanics that the players needed to be taught. 

The mentors suggested that to teach players about the pizza health mechanic, we should include a scripted event where the player character is ambushed by a zombie, and the pizza health gets reduced. The six milestones were as follows - 

1. Drag the left joystick to RUN.

2. Scripted Event {SE} triggered, Pizza Health pop-up, Drag {and release} Right Joystick to SHOOT. 

3. Limited AMMO/AMMO Management. 

4. Take COVER and RELOAD {Double tap}

5. Interactive Elements - Explosive Petrol/ gas drums and Vents/Gutters-The player can either vent or shoot the drum to move forward. 

6. Delivery

The interactive environmental elements were also added to the tutorial level but with a twist - Up until now, the player would be given instructions through the pop-up windows {which would function as instructions from the player character’s manager}. But as the player reaches the penultimate milestone, the manager’s call gets disconnected and the player has to figure out and choose on their own how to get past the zombie blockade with insufficient ammo  - either by venting through the gutter or by shooting explosive gas canisters. This would hopefully give the players a high as they create their own emergent narrative. 

A Flowchart was created in Miro to facilitate the chain of mechanics being taught during the tutorial level. The elements such as the instructions, the player following the instructions, and the resultant events were framed as Pop-ups {PU}, Action {AC}, and consequences {CQ}. 

Level 2 

This was the prototypical level and was the first one to be conceived. This was where 'Tempers' - the {medium-tier zombies} were to be introduced. 

The idea of the alternate path  - for variable risk vs reward ratio was also included. Project Mentors also pointed out to us that if we keep venting as a power-up, it might give players an undue advantage and to balance it they suggested adding ‘collectible cash drops after a zombie kill’ - so if the player chooses to vent then they might lose out on the cash drops. The team considered this solution as a possibility. Another possible solution suggested was - making one of the vents a booby trap. This didn't make sense to the team. That was because players would feel frustrated if they incurred damage while venting, {when they chose to vent in the first place specifically to avoid damage}. 

While creating the layout in Unity, there was a lack of smaller connecting assets that could be used to connect larger street/ road assets. This issue was overcome by covering the gap between two large road assets with green, grassy surfaces. This solution killed two birds with one stone because, in addition to bridging the gap between two road assets, it also gave the cityscape the post-apocalyptic feel a la the greenery-clad city in Last of Us. 

Level 3 

This was our biggest level. A roundabout patrolled by zombies was included as a new architecture to introduce variety in level design. Multiple alternate paths were added to induce exploration, variety, and complication in the level. This level was planned to serve as the Introduction of Spitters {the hard tier zombie} to the players. 

Boss-level was put on hold until we could get feedback from playtesting the first three levels and if the development schedule permits the same. There was a doubt whether the three levels constituted 15 minutes of gameplaymentors, which was the required length for the gameplay according to course rules. The required gameplay duration could be achieved if we can include the boss level or if we count the replayability that results from various equip-able abilities/power-ups. 

When discussing this issue with mentors, they opined that getting players to replay the levels just on the basis of their abilities might be a tough task. The mentors suggested that to meet the required gameplay duration we could add difficulty settings (Easy, medium, and hard) and if time permits add the boss level as well as some extra hidden areas in the levels. 

3. Abilities Progression - Venting/ Gun Switching. 

Abilities such as ‘Venting’ and Gun switching were implemented. There was a 10-second cool down for venting after a single use. You can see the player can't go down the gutter immediately after using it the first time. There were some concerns raised about why would a customer use a pizza that has been under a gutter. But this was the point that the team planned to exploit for humor purposes. 

4. BG/Soundtrack

action parody the genre reference that we used as a brief and the soundtrack of 2008 American parody film 'Tropic Thunder' was an inspiration. Mentors asked to make the menu music more quirky. 

In-Game Music - Pizzocalypse

Menu Music - Pizzocalypse

5. Character Designs. 

The art style and the tonal design of the game dictated the design of the characters. Low poly, blocky and quirky were the keywords for the design. The main character’s design borrowed from popular tropes of post-apocalyptic stories/ games, a face covered by a cloth, protective gear, etc. The animalistic 'Temper' zombie was given disproportionate limbs. The blind 'Spitter' zombie had one eye missing and another one bloodshot, in addition to a perpetually open mouth to spit projectile vomit. 

Stay tuned for more updates!