9.1 KiB
9.1 KiB
Bullosseum — Game Design Document
Living document.
?marks open questions.
Elevator Pitch
You are the bull. Waves of cowboys, matadors, and gladiators pour into your arena — each with their own tricks to dodge or counter your charge. Survive, wreck things, pick upgrades. Every run is different. Goofy low-poly mayhem.
Art Direction
- Style: Low-poly, chunky geometry, flat or minimal shading
- Tone: Goofy and physical — think Gang Beasts meets Vampire Survivors energy
- Camera: Third-person, spring-arm collision avoidance
- Palette: Warm sand/terracotta arena, vivid faction colours (red/gold for matadors, brown/blue for cowboys, iron/purple for gladiators)
- Particles: Stylised cartoon puffs — dust, impact sparks, ragdoll stars
- Audio direction: ?
Confirmed Mechanics
- Third-person bull locomotion with momentum (walk, charge)
- Wide committed turning arc during charge — charges feel like commitments
- Visual turn lag (body leans)
- Spring-arm camera with zoom
- Sand dust particles at hooves (walk = small, charge = big)
- Jolt Physics backend
Run Structure (Vampire Survivors-inspired)
Start run → Wave spawns → Kill enemies → Wave cleared → Pick upgrade → Next wave → ... → Die or achieve target
- No hard time limit per wave — pressure comes from enemy density escalating
- Upgrade picks between waves — choose 1 of 3 options (stat, ability, passive synergy)
- Fail state is soft — getting overwhelmed is a death spiral, not a timeout. You stop being able to charge effectively and get cornered
- Run length: ? (15–25 minutes for a full run feels right for web)
- Meta progression: ? Unlock new starting abilities or bull cosmetics across runs
Wave Escalation — Faction Ramp
Factions are introduced one at a time so each mechanic gets space to teach itself before mixing begins.
| Waves | Faction makeup | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Matadors only | — |
| 4 | Matadors only | El Presidente |
| 5–7 | Matadors + Cowboys introduced | — |
| 8 | Mixed (matadors + cowboys) | Sheriff |
| 9–11 | All three factions introduced | — |
| 12 | Mixed (all three) | Centurion |
| 13+ | Full chaos — all factions, escalating density | Repeat bosses + ? final boss |
- Each new faction's first wave is a "pure" wave so the player can learn the pattern before it mixes
- Bosses appear solo — the arena clears before a boss spawns, making it feel like a duel
- ? After wave 12, does a loop begin (harder repeat) or does a final boss end the run?
Enemy Factions
Matadors (the classics)
The trickiest faction — they're designed around baiting your charge.
| Enemy | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Matador | Waves red cape to draw your charge, sidesteps at last moment. Must catch them off-guard or predict the dodge |
| Banderillero | Plants slow-flags in the ground — charges into one stuns the bull briefly |
| Picador | Mounted on horse, tanky, slow. Horse must be hit first before the rider is vulnerable |
| ? El Presidente (boss) | Summons matadors and teleports around the arena in bursts |
Cowboys
The herd faction — individually easy, dangerous in groups.
| Enemy | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Cowboy | Throws lasso to root you for 1–2s, then runs. Easy to hit, just annoying |
| Wrangler | Herds other enemies toward you — a force multiplier |
| Mounted Cowboy | Circles you on horseback, throwing dynamite. Must cut off the riding arc |
| ? Sheriff (boss) | Shotgun blast that staggers the bull; spawns deputies on death |
Gladiators
The armour faction — charge angles matter.
| Enemy | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Legionary | Front shield absorbs charges completely. Must hit from the side or behind |
| Net-thrower | Long-range root that holds you in place for 3s |
| Archer | Stationary on elevated platform (arena wall edge), fires slowing arrows |
| ? Centurion (boss) | Buffs nearby gladiators, has a charge-reflect shield that bounces you back |
Ability System
Three slots total — always the same structure, filled differently every run.
[Charge ──────────] [Medium □] [Ultimate □]
always on 1 slot 1 slot
Slot 1 — Charge (always on)
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Charge | Hold to build, release to sprint. Committed arc, hard to steer. The foundation everything else is built around |
Slot 2 — Medium Ability
Cooldown ~8–15s. Tactical, reactive, fills gaps that charge can't. One equipped at a time.
| Ability | Description | Good against |
|---|---|---|
| Stomp | Slam front hooves — short-range AoE stun | Matador clusters, anything close |
| Gore | Upward headbutt — launches a single target | Shielded gladiators (bypasses front shield) |
| Tail Whip | 360° sweep behind and to the sides | Cowboys lassooing from behind |
| Bull Roar | Knockback shockwave — no damage, pure space creation | Net-throwers, tight groups |
| Ground Pound | From a jump, landing creates a shockwave crater | Mounted enemies (dismounts them) |
| Counter | Narrow window — if you charge as an attack lands, explosive ricochet | Picadors, centurion reflect |
Slot 3 — Ultimate Ability
Cooldown ~35–50s, or requires a full charge meter. High impact. One equipped at a time.
| Ability | Description | Good against |
|---|---|---|
| Stampede | ~5s of zero deceleration — can't stop or steer well, flattens everything in the path | Boss phases, dense waves |
| Enrage | ~8s berserk: charge speed +60%, hitbox wider, ignores all slows and roots | Lasso/net-heavy waves |
| Red Mist | Every enemy on screen gets a red target marker and is pulled slightly toward you — brief guaranteed hits | Matador dodge phase |
| Thunder Horn | Next charge is electrified — chains damage to up to 4 nearby enemies on contact | Gladiator formations |
| Call of the Herd | Summon 3 ghost bulls that charge in parallel alongside you for 6s | Any — pure chaos |
Card Pick Screen (between every wave)
Game pauses. Three cards shown — pick one.
| Card type | Examples |
|---|---|
| New medium | Swap current medium for a different one |
| New ultimate | Swap current ultimate for a different one |
| Stat boost | +charge speed, +turn rate, −medium cooldown, −ultimate cooldown |
| Passive modifier | Changes how your current ability behaves (see below) |
| Synergy | Unlocks a cross-ability combo effect |
Passive modifier examples:
- Stomp → "Dust Blind" — stun cloud also blocks enemy vision for 2s
- Gore → "Pinball" — launched enemy bounces off walls and damages others on landing
- Stampede → "Aftershock" — leaves a trembling ground trail that slows enemies for 5s
- Enrage → "Bloodlust" — kills during enrage reduce remaining cooldown
Synergy examples:
- Charge + Stomp = "Seismic Run" — charging for 2s+ turns your next stomp into a ground wave
- Gore + Thunder Horn = "Lightning Rod" — electrified gore sends a chain to the whole group
- ? Others to discover during design
Arena Design
Each faction maps to an arena environment. Mixed-faction waves could transition the arena or blend themes.
| Faction | Arena | Hazards |
|---|---|---|
| Matadors | Sand bullring, wooden barrier ring | Flags slow movement, open centre is the danger zone |
| Cowboys | Frontier rodeo grounds, hay bales, fences | Lasso posts (rope traps), horse stampede lanes |
| Gladiators | Roman colosseum, stone floor, iron gates | Archer towers on walls, spike traps, wet stone (slide) |
- ? Does the arena change mid-run or is one arena selected at run start?
- ? Destructible fence/barrier sections throughout?
Core Loop Revisited
Move → Spot threat pattern → Position approach angle → Charge/Ability → Chain hits → Wave clear
↑ ↓
Dodge/react to debuffs (lasso, net, slow-flag) Pick upgrade (1 of 3)
The positioning step is where skill expression lives: which enemy to hit first, what angle to approach a shielded gladiator, whether to charge the matador or fake him out.
Open Questions
- Meta progression — cosmetic unlocks only, or do you unlock new starting medium/ultimate options across runs?
- Arena change — single arena per run, or does the arena theme shift when a new faction is introduced mid-run?
- After wave 12 — infinite loop with scaling difficulty, or a final boss that ends the run cleanly?
- Ability replacement — when you pick a new medium/ultimate card, does it always replace the slot, or can you upgrade an existing ability through repeated picks (level 1→2→3)?
- Web scope — vertical slice (matadors only, 4 waves, one ability tree) or full 12-wave game?
References
- Vampire Survivors — wave escalation, upgrade pick loop, run length
- Gang Beasts — ragdoll slapstick commitment
- Katamari / Donut County — simple core verb scaled through variety
- Superhot — charge-as-commitment, every move mattering
- Cult of the Lamb — faction variety with distinct visual languages