Robot Turret Defense

This game is heavily procedurally generated and has a significant "simulation" element underlying the gameplay.

The creeps are composed from a library of body parts and hull textures -- there are over 9 million variations possible. Each wave evolves its design based on the previous wave. Land creeps follow a randomly generated path that remains fixed for the duration of the game.

Air creeps are composed from a library, similar to land creeps, with even more possible variations. Air creeps generate a fresh path at the beginning of each level. Air creeps follow their path stochastically -- at each way-point there is a weighted probability of one of the following actions.

  • continue on to the next waypoint
  • skip the next way-point
  • double back to the previous waypoint

An additional element of randomness is added by using over sized detection triggers for the craft and the waypoints, which enables craft passing in close proximity to any waypoint to treat that waypoint as their current destination and adjust their course accordingly.

The landing craft is generated dynamically by creating a solitary air-creep, scaling it up, and adding a troop-carrier component on the bottom. Land creep paths are generated randomly at the beginning of each game.

The environment (water, terrain contour, terrain texture) is dynamically generated at runtime.

Mixed Gameplay

All waves triggered immediately (186 total enemy robots). Weapons shown include lasers (immediate effect, direct line draw), procedural lightning, projectiles (target leading), missiles (target homing, target re-acquisition via radar simulation). Enemies are dynamically generated using a component randomizer and mutation algorithm. Land vehicles follow fixed path. Aircraft follow a fixed path, with small probability at each waypoint of back-tracking, or skipping a waypoint node.
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Mixed Gameplay

Surface-to-Air and Surface-to-Surface missiles against mixed air and land creeps. There is an example of the probabilistic path-selection the aircraft use (one turns right and doubles back, whereas the rest turn left).

Lasers

Laser-beam weapons. These draw an immediate beam between weapon and target. Particle and light effects are generated at weapon and target. This is a test from an early version. The beam was not always draw for short-duration shots (< 1 frame). This has been fixed.

Lightning

Procedural Lightning weapons. These procedurally generate a lightning arc with varying perturbations. Lightning can arc to neighboring objects (probabilistic, decreasing per jump), but never arcs back toward it's origin. Lightning also spawns large arcs to the ground, and also spits out small lightning sparks that travel randomly through the air. Targets hit by lightning are frozen in place for a split second.

Surface-to-Air Missiles

Anti-aircraft missile system. These use a simulated radar to select targets. Missiles select new targets if the existing target is destroyed. Missile have physical properties, such as acceleration, turn rate, roll rate, perturbation rate, maximum velocity and maximum flight-time.

Minigun

Very high rate-of-fire weapon. Similar to all projectile weapons, this uses simulated radar to identify targets, plot velocity and compute correct "lead" to hit the target.

Anti-Aircraft Cannon

Anti-aircraft cannon. These use a simulated radar to estimate the target velocity. Then compute a firing solution based on distance, speed, elevation and the selected munition speed. The target position is predicted, the weapon aims, and fires.
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