Devlog#2 - Hazmat Hunt - Player Mechanics

After creating a functioning Geiger Counter I decided to work on the player, and the kind of mechanics I wanted to implement in the game. 

Since the main mechanic of the game involves fighting hordes of enemies, the combat system had to be somewhat interesting. At first I`ve created a shooting mechanic, simply instantiating bullets to damage the enemies. I have created an ammo system, which could be replenished by collecting the essence of fallen aliens. The mechanic seemed to work well, until you realised that if the player missed all their shots, they no longer had the ammo to keep fighting. 

Therefore the best fix I could come up with was creating a melee attack. And to my satisfaction it has proven not only to fix the issue of running out of ammo, but opened up a whole new play style. This led to another idea; letting the player choose their own play-style, through an experience / upgrade system. (Also, after a few sessions of playtesting I have decided to improve the melee combat style, by adding regeneration of health on successful hits)

When the player destroys a portal, they level-up and choose which part of their kit to upgrade. I have created 4 stats which can be upgraded: 

- Melee attack damage (for close combat enthusiasts)

- Movement speed (for players who want more manoeuvrability)

- Shooting speed (for the marksmen play-style)

- Maximum health (if the player wishes to be more durable)