Prepared by Kenneth Preston
Roguecraft is a vertical roguelike space shooter prototype built for web view on mobile and desktop, with optional standalone app support. The game follows a Vampire Survivors-inspired formula: survive against endless waves of enemies for a set time period to achieve victory.
Primary Goal: Create a streamlined, addictive survival shooter with progressive difficulty, meaningful upgrades, and a focus on moment-to-moment decision-making during intense combat.
- Immediate Action – Drop players straight into gameplay, no tutorials
- Clear Progression – Linear level unlocks based on survival victories
- Simple Economy – Single currency (Credits) used for all purchases
- Escalating Challenge – Enemies start slow and ramp to overwhelming hordes
- Satisfying Victories – Clear win conditions with meaningful rewards
- Compelling Loop – Die/win → upgrade ship/buy new ships → try harder level → repeat
- Select Level – Choose from unlocked campaign levels
- Battle – Survive against endless enemy spawns for 3-7 minutes
- Level Up – Collect XP, choose upgrades during battle
- Win or Die – Survive the timer to win credits, or die and earn nothing
- Upgrade – Spend credits on new ships or building upgrades
- Repeat – Tackle the next level with better stats
- Survive for the level's required time (3-7 minutes depending on level)
- Earn credits reward (100-400 depending on level)
- Unlock next level (if not already unlocked)
- Progress is saved
- Health reaches zero
- Return to main menu
- No credits earned
- Stats still recorded (kills, time survived)
- Can retry immediately
- You're not expected to win first try
- Each attempt makes you better at the game
- Credits from wins let you buy new ships for variety
- Buildings provide permanent stat boosts
- Enemies spawn continuously throughout the level
- No predetermined waves or patterns
- Spawn rate accelerates over time:
- Starts at 1 enemy every 2 seconds
- Ramps to 1 enemy every 0.3 seconds by 2 minutes
- Creates natural difficulty curve
- Early (0-2 min): Mostly basic drones and wasps
- Mid (2-4 min): Mix of drones, hunters, tanks
- Late (4+ min): Heavy enemies, bombers, complex types
- Each level has a difficulty multiplier (1.0x to 2.5x)
- Higher multipliers = slower spawn rate but tougher enemies
- Creates distinct feel between levels
- Earned by winning levels (100-400 per victory)
- Used to purchase new ships (250 credits each)
- Used to upgrade buildings
- Removed gems/gacha system
- All ships purchaseable with credits
- Clear, fair progression
- Start with Ace (Cannon ship)
- 11 additional ships available for 250 credits each
- Each ship has unique starting weapon and innate ability
- Provides variety and replayability
- Permanent stat boosts (HP, speed, weapon slots, etc.)
- Costs increase per level
- Provides long-term progression
Every weapon ties to a passive and evolves into a visually powerful form. Each starting character corresponds to a weapon and has an innate passive ability that is unique and additive.
| Weapon | Damage Type | Passive | Evolution | Effect | Character | Innate Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon | Physical | Ballistics | Railstorm Gatling | Rapid triple-barrel cannon emitting shockwaves | Ace | +10% pickup radius per level cleared |
| Shotgun | Physical | Weapon Speed Up | Auto Scatter | Wide-arc auto-fire filling half screen | Club | -15% incoming damage |
| Gun Buddy | Physical | Drone Bay Expansion | Drone Swarm | Five orbiting drones firing volleys | Heart | +1 passive slot, -1 weapon slot |
| Lightning | Nature | Critical Systems | Storm Nexus | Arc lightning chaining indefinitely | Diamond | +20% crit chance on Nature damage |
| Ice | Cold | Thruster Mod | Cryo Lancer | Piercing ice lances shatter into shards | Queen | +25% attack speed for Cold weapons |
| Fire | Fire | Overdrive Reactor | Combustion Core | Explosions trigger chain reactions, screen flashes | Jack | All projectiles bounce once |
| Water | Cold | Pickup Radius | Tidal Surge | Giant wave rippling across screen | Pair | Weapons fire twice but deal 50% less damage |
| Earth | Nature | Ship Armor | Tectonic Bloom | Pulsing ground cracks spread fractally | Joker | Generates small shield every 10s if stationary |
| Dark | Control | Evasion Drive | Shadow Legion | Converts enemies into permanent allies | King | 10% chance enemies revive as allies |
| Laser Beam | Fire | Energy Core | Solar Lance | Beam widens and intensifies into screenwide burn | Ten | +15% damage at max heat, slower overheat |
| Ricochet Disk | Physical | Ballistics | Pinball Vortex | Multiplying bouncing disks create chaos | Spade | +1 ricochet bounce, +10% projectile speed |
| Missile Pod | Fire + Physical | Salvage Unit | Nova Barrage | Splitting missiles blanket screen | King of Clubs | +1 missile per salvo, +10% explosion radius |
- Evolutions create strong visual spectacle
- Each character's innate passive shifts playstyle tone
- Card theme implies rarity and hierarchy (Ace–King)
| Passive | Effect |
|---|---|
| Ballistics | Increased Physical Damage |
| Weapon Speed Up | Increases fire rate across all weapons |
| Ship Armor | Flat damage reduction or regenerating shields |
| Energy Core | Increases projectile size and range |
| Pickup Radius | Larger magnet for XP/currency |
| Evasion Drive | Small dodge chance |
| Critical Systems | Adds crit chance across weapons |
| Thruster Mod | Faster projectiles and acceleration |
| Overdrive Reactor | Attack speed burst after collecting XP |
| Salvage Unit | Spawns golden pinata enemies (more meta currency) |
| Drone Bay Expansion | Increases ally damage and attack speed |
| Building | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Hangar | Ship upgrade hub - base HP, speed, starting weapon slots |
| Research Lab | Unlock weapons and passives permanently |
| Forge | Upgrade rarity caps (level 4+, unique modifiers) |
| Command Center | XP/difficulty scaling, unlock Elite Mode |
| Power Reactor | Pickup efficiency and magnet radius improvements |
| Drone Factory | Adds passive companions/auto-collect drones |
| Training Simulator | Preview/test weapons before runs |
| Archive | Achievement tracking with permanent boosts |
- First Launch → Main Menu
- Start Campaign → GameScene (Level 0)
- Play → Survive or die
- Victory → Credits earned, next level unlocked, return to menu
- Defeat → Return to menu
- Upgrade → Buy ships or upgrade buildings
- Repeat → Try next level
- Players learn by playing
- First level (3 minutes) is forgiving
- Natural difficulty ramp teaches mechanics
- Death is cheap - just try again
- Campaign – Start playing (shows current unlocked level)
- Build – Upgrade buildings for permanent boosts
- Hangar – Buy and select ships
- Stats – View character performance stats
| Effect | Description |
|---|---|
| Freeze | Deals damage over time while slowing enemy |
| Fire | % of damage dealt as burning DOT |
| Nature | Causes poison DOT |
| Fire & Poison | Spreads to nearby enemies |
| Component | Technology/Approach |
|---|---|
| Framework | Phaser 3 + React + Vite |
| Art | ASCII assets for rapid prototyping |
| Input | Drag / multi-touch invisible joystick |
| Audio | Multi-channel mixing (music, UI, weapons, enemies, evolutions) |
| Build | Web view with offline support |
| Session Target | <5 minutes per level |
| Optimization | Projectile pooling, readable pacing |
By addressing observed friction while keeping what works, Roguecraft strengthens a proven genre loop. Removing redundant complexity and clarifying feedback loops create smoother onboarding and stronger retention.
- Faster comprehension and immediate satisfaction
- More readable combat with better differentiation
- Greater player variety through ship-based gacha
- Clearer long-term progression
- Simplified visuals may limit appeal
- Frequent upgrades could disrupt pacing
- Co-op syncing requires optimization
| Level | Name | Duration | Difficulty | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | First Contact | 3:00 | 1.0x | 100 |
| 1 | Rising Storm | 4:00 | 1.3x | 150 |
| 2 | Overwhelming Force | 5:00 | 1.6x | 200 |
| 3 | Endless Swarm | 6:00 | 2.0x | 300 |
| 4 | Inferno | 7:00 | 2.5x | 400 |
- Start with Level 0 unlocked
- Win a level to unlock the next
- Can replay any unlocked level for practice (but no credit rewards on repeat wins)
- Linear progression (no branching paths)
Default Configuration
- 4 weapon slots
- 4 passive slots
- Expandable via meta progression
Upgrade Paths
- Weapons and passives have 3 upgrade levels by default
- Special items can have custom upgrade counts
- Max-level combinations trigger evolutions
Level-Up Flow
- Choose between 3 random options:
- Level up existing weapon/passive
- Select new weapon/passive (if slots available)
- Evolution trigger: weapon + passive at max level
- Treasure chests grant evolution or random upgrades
- If nothing to upgrade, award meta currency
- Projectile system must be robust and performant
- Object pooling for all game entities
- Efficient particle systems
- Touch controls prioritized
- Clear, large UI elements
- Readable at small screen sizes
- Portrait orientation (540x960)
- Separate channels for:
- Background music
- UI sounds
- Weapon sounds
- Enemy sounds
- Evolution/power-up effects
- ASCII art style for rapid iteration
- Clear color coding for damage types
- Distinct enemy silhouettes
- Readable projectile differentiation
Unlockable Ships
- Ace (Starter - Cannon)
- King (Dark)
- Queen (Ice)
- Jack (Fire)
- Ten (Laser Beam)
- Joker (Earth)
- Spade (Ricochet Disk)
- Heart (Gun Buddy)
- Diamond (Lightning)
- Club (Shotgun)
- Pair (Water)
- King of Clubs (Missile Pod)
Unlock Methods
- First additional ship: Build first building
- Others: Gacha or direct purchase
- Each ship changes starting weapon and stats
- Vampire Survivors-style enemy spawning (continuous, accelerating)
- Win condition (survive for X time)
- Victory screen with credit rewards
- Defeat screen returning to menu
- Level unlock progression
- Single currency economy (Credits only)
- Ship purchasing in Hangar (250 credits each)
- Combo system that resets when hit
- Campaign levels with difficulty scaling
- No tutorial - direct gameplay
- Full weapon system (12 types planned)
- Passive abilities (11 types planned)
- Evolution system (weapon + passive combos)
- Character innate abilities
- Polish and balance
- Additional visual/audio feedback
- Building system expansion
- More enemy types and behaviors
This design document reflects the current Vampire Survivors-inspired implementation of Roguecraft, focusing on immediate action, clear progression, and addictive gameplay loops.