Torre del Tiempo

So my son has been wanting to build a video game and to an extent so have I. I told him about an old idea I had and he seemed up for it so without any experience what so ever we launched into building our first game. At the current pace this is slated for a 2035 release and that might be pushing it a bit. However it is still fun to work at learning the basics behind the various aspects that go into building a 3D game. Right now I'm on building a 3D character which is a learning curve that I haven't experienced up until this point. But I am moving forward. Finn is working on designing a title screen. If we get to the ability to turn the game on and move a character around we will have hit a major milestone.

Below are essentially the notes on my idea for the game. I don't really know how to design a game, but this seemed logical to me when I put them together:

Meso-American tribes theme

So the game starts in 1800 and the main character is a farmer in Mexico protecting himself from a vicious volcano god and dies. He falls to the bottom of the tower of time and must climb out before the gods catch him or he will be lost to time and never get back to his family.

The tower of time has 9 levels relating to different time periods and different tribes:

600 bc Mayan Boss: Cizin (God of Death)

300 bc Olmec Boss: Olmec Dragon (God of Earth)

0 ad Husatec Boss: Ehecatl (God of Wind)

300 ad Zapotec Boss: Pecala (God of Dreams)

600 ad Totonac Boss: Chichini (God of Sun)

900 ad Toltec Boss: Quetzalcoatl (God of Creation)

1200 ad Mixtec Boss: Dzahui (God of Rain)

1500 ad Aztec Boss: Tezcatlipoca (God of Night)

1800 ad Mayan Ruins Boss: Xiuhtecuhtli (God of Fire)

Each level of the tower are set in a circle like a Mayan calendar, and are explored metroidvania style. Our hero must fight to climb up the tower, but can only use weapons of each time period as he rises. So starting with a club he has to defeat the first boss (found in the centre of each tower floor in a large circle) then move up to get more powerful weapons as time progresses. He can return down below and use the more powerful weapons to access things he couldn’t before.

Each floor has 4 rings of rooms. The outer ring has 20 rooms in total 5 per quadrant. The second ring has 16 rooms in total or 4 rooms per quadrant, the third ring has 12 rooms total or 3 rooms per quadrant. Then a final boss room in the centre which is a giant circle. Each floor in the tower of time then has 49 rooms.

Our hero can fight around the rings or through depending on what doors or options are available to him. Going up and down are options after he has beat a level boss.

The time changes as the tower is climbed and each level also reflects the tribe culture and the god boss of that level, but each quadrant also refers to an element, so fire water, earth and wind.

Very much a Zelda inspired game so I need to work out the weapons and armour per level and time period as our hero ascends. Perhaps it would be better to stay away from this. I'm just assuming there are a million and one Zelda clones out there.

Note:

Maybe not a fella, but a grandmother (Esperanza) who constantly says she needs to get back to Anselmo the love of her life. She constantly refers to him like her husband and calling him unable to look after himself or make food etc. Feels like she is chastising a lazy husband and it turns out to be her dog.

Weapons

Now we thought it'd be funny if the base weapon for our granny would be to take her slipper off and beat enemies with it. We'll see if we get there.

Wooden Club

Quauhololli (Club/mace topped with rock or copper)

Bow and Arrows (different arrow tips)

Tematlatl (Sling with polished stones)

Atlatl (Spear Thrower)

Tepoztopilli (Spear can use different tips)

Tlaximaltepoztli (Tomahawk – stone copper bronze, jade?)

Macuatuitl (Club with obsidian teeth)

Knife

Armour

Ichatuipilli (Padded quilted armour)

Cotton Doublet (Salt strengthened tunic)

Wooden helmet

Wooden shield

Head dress

Items

(God of earth level) Sandals (Let’s our hero run)

(God of wind level) Cape (Let’s our hero jump up one level if he has beat his current level)

Each god gives up a life potion that can heal our hero in one go

Each god gives up a link back to our heroes family

Skulls are dropped by each enemy they can be used like a currency to upgrade weapons through sacrifice at alters throughout the tower

Health

Represented as a circle with health around the outside, as he is hit it removes health. As he is not hit it slowly refilled. The last 10% of life sees our hero enraged and deals more damage.

Strength

Like health this is represented in a circle and has our hero attacks it is drained and it slowly refills when he is not attacking.

Both health and strength refill faster the higher level he gets in the tower.

Heads up display has the health and strength meter, a mini map and number of skulls