minijam-167-runner/notes.md

# Mini-Jam 167 Submission Idea/Concept

## Theme
Cyber

## Limitation
Unknown choice from the following list:
- Two at a time
- Nothing is stationary
- Interconnected world
- Zero gravity
- Revolving around the player
- All at once
- Inconsistent timing
- No death
- One button, two functions
- Speed is key
- Not as it seems


## Concept
A "runner" game. The player's perspective is of an endless hallway before them.
Thematically, it's wire-frame with neon blues, and a grid behind it. The player
is a wire-frame humanoid that is stuck to one of the four walls. As the game
progresses, the player must align with objects in the play-field to get them.
These objects can represent points, power-ups, and so on. The objective of the
game is to run for as long/far as possible.

### Meta: Development
Current plan is to use the TIC-80 and Fennel.

### Meta: Perspective
The perspective of the game and player never needs to change. The world can be
statically drawn, and the player can be dynamically positioned along any of the
walls. Objects can be sprites that grow as they get closer. In this sense, there
is only the object that needs to be drawn, and adjusted, as play progresses.

### Design: Handling the Limitation

#### Two At A Time
The player can have two runners at a time. The Up/Down/Left/Right buttons can
control one, while the Z/X/A/S (A/B/X/Y) buttons can control the other. Losing
one runner doesn't lose you the game, and power-ups can restore and even protect
the runners.

#### Nothing Is Stationary
This seems already accounted for. This is a runner game, and thus nothing is
stationary already.

#### Interconnected World
A recursive runner. Getting to certain blockers requires diving into a deeper
cyber-realm layer, doing a short run, which unlocks the blocker, and then
returns you to the original layer.

#### Zero Gravity
This seems somewhat accounted for. The game world is a "cyber-realm", as as such
has no gravity. Perhaps this could be emphasized or implement into game play
better.

#### Revolving Around The Player
This seems already accounted for. Perhaps, instead of the player moving around
the walls, the world rotates around the player. Otherwise, the entire game-play
loop revolves around the player.

#### All At Once
Instead of the player moving between the various walls, there is a player
representation on every wall. All four move at the same time. Pressing the
corresponding directional button makes them phase or jump or otherwise avoid an
obstacle.

Alternatively, they phase by default, and pressing the corresponding directional
button makes them "real," allowing them to collect points and objects.

#### Inconsistent Timing
Something with glitching? "A glitch in the Matrix" type thought.

#### No Death
Instead of dying, the player loses progress. Could be represented by the color
of the world, or the speed of running.

#### One Button, Two Functions
Something with movement also being tied to specific power-ups: moving left also
activates the left power-up, right the right one, etc.. Uses the same actual
button.

Alternatively, you have default powers, and the power-ups change them. 

#### Speed Is Key
Gotta go fast! It's a runner. The more points collected, the faster you go,
until you reach fast enough to get to the next level or win.

Alternatively: speed is _the_ key! At blockers, the player must enter in a
quick-time key combo to unlock it, or fall back.

#### Not As It Seems

### Design: Including Limitations By Default
Some of the limitations above work well together. `No Death` fits into the game
already: instead of "dying", the player just slows down. Which then factors into
`Speed Is Key` and `Nothing Is Stationary`. `Two At a Time` and `All At Once`
can be game modes: you either control two runners, and use their corresponding
face or directional button to move them; or you have 4 runners, and use the
directional buttons to choose which ones activate or deactivate.

The idea of `Interconnected Worlds` meaning mini-runners fits into any of the
game play ideas.

In fact, taking from the limitations above: the game play has
the player trying to move fast enough to break free (`Speed Is Key`, `Nothing Is
Stationary`). They must gather enough points to activate all four of their
processors (`All At Once`), which they can toggle on or off to avoid hazards. At
certain points, the individual processors may be required to complete a
"mini-game" run, of a set length and challenge (`Interconnected Worlds` and
possible `Inconsistent Timing`), which then fully powers up that processor. This
could mean the player is running two different courses simultaneously (`Two At A
Time`). The player never dies, they just slow down when they fail (`No Death`).

I like the four "processor" idea. Each side of the inner square is a processor,
and each processor charges up. Like the charge pads in F-Zero. When a pad is
available, you need to activate the processor, and when it is not available,
power gets drained instead. While charging, the secondary runner of the processor
goes. Completing the secondary runner fully activates the processor. Failing the
secondary runner reduces that processor's charge. When all four processors are
fully activated, you win. The inner runner is just on or off. The outer runner
is then something different, like avoiding obstacles.

Oh, I have a much better presentation: each of the walls represents a processor.
On the border of each wall is the charge level. You can activate or deactivate
the processor, and when active it spawns a figure/sprite/representation above
it, which then must avoid hazards and gather points. The figure can be activated
or deactivated at any time: during certain times it will charge, but otherwise
it will drain the processor power. 

I believe the second design allows for the same `Inconsistent Timing` by having
the "charging" times be different from the "gathering" times, and in fact having
them completely disconnected in the logic.

Another point: activating 2 or more processors simultaneously creates a link
between them, allowing for special collection/clearing. For example, activating
the north and south processors created an energy beam between them, allowing to
cut special vertical slice objects and collect them. Same for east and west with
horizontal slices. Then each of the corners could also connect. Could be that
connecting corners takes precedence over connecting opposites, and so only `Two
At A Time` can be active to get the special slice objects.

All of this is a lot. Especially for a 72-hour game. Instead, keep it simple and
then evolve it from there.

### Development Strategy

The only thing that needs to move are the objects to be collected. Start by
drawing a simple map and drawing a simple player sprite. Then, build the logic
for objects to spawn and grow bigger over a period of time. Maybe every 2
seconds, double the object size. It starts as a small dot, moves to a proper
sized sprite, maybe 4x4. Then onto a bigger sprite, either scaling the 4x4, or
an 8x8. That might be sufficient, but one more step may also be possible. It may
be possible to step up in different intervals as well. Start with a point, move
to 3x3, then 5x5, then 7x7, then 9x9, then 11x11, and finish at 13x13. Creating
the sprites won't be hard, and I can start with just a simple cross.

When the sprite grows to full size, if the player sprite is in the same location
as the sprite, increment a score. Again, no hard stuff is required, no collision
checks. Just, on the tick, is both the player sprite and the object in the same
spot, and if so, points.

The idea is to have this be a square, but it could also be a flat surface. Given
the resolution of the TIC-80, it may benefit to spread things out. Then again, I
could easily pad the sides with information. I do like the idea of it not having
any text though. Everything is represented through elements of the game board,
so to speak.

### Reveal: Limitation

The limitation is "one button, two functions."

## Development

Considering the following:
- The direction buttons move the "avatar"
- The face buttons deploy the "proxy", or retrieve the "proxy"
- The "avatar" gathers charge, and the "proxy" deploys charge.
- The "spawner" (the rotating sprite in the middle) has a shield per quadrant. A
  full "proxy" charge removes the shield.
- While deployed, the "proxy" stops all projectiles down the quadrant it is in,
  and destroys the shield over time.
    - Note that the "proxy" does not need to destroy the shield in one go. It
    can be destroyed over multiple deployments.
- While deployed, the "avatar" must switch from collecting energy to avoiding
  energy. It also cannot go into the same quadrant as the "proxy".
- While deployed, pressing the face button of the quadrant of the deployed
  "proxy" will retrieve it.

The objective of the game is to go as far as possible. Destroying all the walls
breaks the player into the next level, speeding up projectiles and increasing
shield strength. Getting hit with energy slows the character down, possibly
knocking them into a previous level.

TO-DO:
1. Add level system, and logic associated with progressing and regressing.
2. Polish! Make graphics better, add sound effects, add music!

Draw the "tutorial" on the map, and progress through the information to start
the game.

Show a short "death" animation (sprites 400-420 or something), the

Objective:
As the RUNR gather energy from the SRC
Deploy the PRXY to destroy the SRC Walls
When Deployed, avoid energy or damage your AVTR

Gather:
As the RUNR, move between quadrants to gather energy and charge the PRXY

Deploy:
As the RUNR, deploy the PRXY to destroy the protective walls with gathered
energy.

Dodge:
When deployed, the PRXY can't protect your AVTR. Dodge the energy to survive!

- Setup next-level logic
- Add some sound-effects
- Add some music?
- Touch-up the game page
- Work on graphics

Handling walls differently:
- Quads table has entries for all walls, and they never leave
- Walls have a health and a stack value
- Health is always 4, stack 

This works very well. Weird display issue though, looks tied to a tick check,
maybe the apply damage one?

Remaining:
- Game Play
    - Increase speeds?
- Sound-effects
    - Moving
- Music
    - Menus
    - Game
- Graphics
    - Background rectangles aligned to game window
    - Energy movement alignment and timing
    - Deployed + Shooting reverse projectile?
        - Could have bullet and wall hit
- Meta