Oasis is a 3D adventure action game with puzzle solving elements. The games design philosophy is to run on low end machines but have a high quality game experience. With that design philosophy in mind the levels where designed to be low poly but stylish and appealing to the eye. The end goal is to produce a game for budget gamers that both plays and looks great but won't bog down your hardware or your wallet.
Check out the game here.
https://angrycomputernerd.itch.io/oasis
The game is currently in very early alpha but does have a playable build. Most of the zones are in development and unfinished. Check back regularly for new updates. The game is updated daily as new content is added in.
The minimalist game design philosophy. This philosophy is how I approach game development. The idea is simple. It means to use the minimal for controls , mechanics and graphics but still deliver a high quality , challenging and rewarding experience.
The control scheme is designed around the modern Playstation and Xbox controller. Where you have dual joysticks , 4 top buttons , 4 front buttons , a direction pad and the back plus start buttons. All together that's 16 button options (18 if you include the joystick buttons) plus two joysticks. If a game requires more than 16 buttons and two joysticks that it's probably overly complex , poorly designed or both.
Although the game is designed for home computers with a keyboard and mouse. I built the controls around the game pad model to ensure the button usage was kept to a minimal.
The game mechanics are individually simple but can also work together to produce more complex effects. The mechanics that aren't a part of the core player controls are attached to items. Each new item is introduced one at a time. This way the player can learn and master one concept at a time. Each new item builds off or complements the previous item. The goal is to start off simple and build slowly into more complex combat and puzzles.
Graphics don't need to complex or high poly to be interesting. To keep the game running smooth I've chosen low poly models with a bright and cartoon-ish style. I've also tried to keep shader usage to a minimal. Shaders alone can make or break a games performance. Additionally to make sure things run smooth I've included a simple in game graphics control. The graphics control allows you to adjust the render quality and most importantly the draw distance for different entities.
With these things in mind I set out to make Oasis. Thanks to everyone who helped out on my journey so far. I want this to the first of many great games to come.