DAMN! Nation
DAMN! Nation is a Rougelite Bullet Heaven built specifically for mobile devices. Built off of the old assets from a cancelled Kickstarter title (Demons Ate My Neighbors!), this title was able to be developed quickly due to a majority of character assets being completed.
However, the source code for the original title was completely lost, so development had to restart on that front. Even so, there was a lack of content actually made for the original title beyond a tutorial environment and some music.
Due to this, it was yet another title where the challenge was being restricted with both a tight deadline (and this time only being able to reuse assets). The only new assets created were graphics for items, since we barely had any to work with in the first place and they were only a single sprite.
Alongside this, the project was funded by GUDChain, a Web3 Blockchain. I've worked in the Web3 Space before on Highstreet, so I was no stranger to the concept. At the very least, things were less about making a bunch of money from the typical Web3 methods of Pay-to-Win, and more about getting some traffic. Even the Land NFTs are completely free to earn, and only serve to give the player an increased chance to earn tokens, instead of allowing them to break the game.
Designing a Room-Generation System that had to be compatible with the Blockchain was an interesting challenge, but we were able to get past it by having all the room data built into the game, rather than the game having to consult the chain every time somebody played.
All-in-All, a fun title, and I hope someday we'll be able to create the original vision of the game. Hopefully players will enjoy a glimpse into this long-awaited IP, even if it isn't what they came for at first.
There's currently no trailer for DAMN! Nation, so here's a trailer for the original DAMN!
Excerpts of Work
Category title
A write-up that details the titles that mainly inspired DAMN! Nation's gameplay philosophies. These titles showcased things that worked, that we wanted to make an effort to learn from.
Combat and Player
Featuring a screenshot from much earlier in the game's development, this document details all aspects related to combat and the player. This includes elements such as the player's health, stats, and abilities that they're able to collect during a run.
DAMN! Room NFTs
This document details "DAMN! Rooms NFTs". Whilst not included in launch due to delays within the blockchain sponsoring the title, randomized rooms were created with the idea of NFT Metadata in mind. This includes various attributes such as the floor, room layout, and possible items to be found within the room. To prevent long load times, the rooms were built to have all of their data stored internally within the title, with the NFTs reflecting that data.
Philosphy & Inspiration
Game Design
Category title
This details the currencies players will encounter whilst playing the game. Ranging from a simple in-run currency, to a meta-currency used over all runs, to a cryptocurrency that had to be designed to prevent players from being able to easily farm it.
Gameplay Monetization
This document details the Philosophy & Inspiration for DAMN! Nation. It serves as a write-up and analysis of the three primary titles that inspired the gameplay and aesthetic of the game.
Main Menu
This document details the Main Menu of DAMN! Nation, "The Treehouse". It documents all features available within it, alongside flows showing how the energy system within works.
Economics
Category title
An excerpt of the "DAMN! Nation" GDD. This portion showcases an overview of the project, detailing it's aesthetic, gameplay, and included features.
In-Game Hud
An excerpt of the "DAMN! Nation" GDD. This details the In-Game HUD of the title, showing the on-screen controls alongside the features of it.
Temporal Runs
This excerpt goes over how players navigate the current "floor" whilst playing the game. The formatting in this PDF is a bit odd due to how google docs works. We went through several different versions of floor formats, but we ended up deciding that a floor that funnels players upwards was the best way to keep players moving along and avoid them becoming confused and spending too much time backtracking.
Overview
VHSending Machine
This document details the "VHSending Machine". A section of the game's main menu in which players can use accumulated meta-currency called VH$ to unlock various items by purchasing them.