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Shred 2 Death

Duration: 5 Months

Focus: Core gameplay loop, weapon balance, mechanics 

Project Info: Momentum driven skateboarding arena shooter where movement directly fuels combat power. 

Design Focus​

  • Movement driven resource economy 

  • Velocity based collision systems

  • Asymmetric weapon roles

  • Feedback loop architecture

Gameplay Trailer

I designed a combat economy where tricks generate ammo and abilities, forcing continuous motion as the optimal survival strategy. The project focused on building a self sustaining feedback loop that reinforced speed, spectacle, and player flow under escalating wave pressure. 

Core Gameplay Feedback Loop

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Movement generates resources → Resources enable combat dominance → Combat creates space → Space enables further movement.

Tricks are not cosmetic. They generate both ammunition and Trick Resource, which fuels mobility and weapon abilities. Combat success depends on maintaining motion, reinforcing the core pillar:Momentum equals survivability.

Trick Resource Sytem

Trick Resource Economy

Preforming tricks generates: 

  • Ammo (weapon dependent consumption rates)

  • Trick Resource (A deteriorating mana style system) 

Resource begins decaying immediately after generation, creating constant pressure to stay active. Abilities consume resource in escalating cost tiers, preventing hoarding and reinforcing intentional play. 

Ability Cost Hierarchy

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Boost functions as a low-cost velocity maintenance tool. Aerial Boost enables vertical repositioning. Weapon ultimates require significant investment, creating meaningful opportunity cost between survivability and burst power.

Resource Decay Model

Trick Resource decays continuously and is consumed in discrete chunks when abilities are used.  

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This ensures: 

  • No Passive resource stockpiling

  • Constant re-engagement with trickable surfaces

  • Continuous movement reinforcement

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Velocity Based Collision System

The Problem

High enemy density initially caused body blocking, breaking the core fantasy of high speed traversal. 

The Solution

Instead of removing enemy collision with the player, I implemented a velocity threshold rule:

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  • Below threshold → Standard collision

  • Above threshold → Enemy is launched into ragdoll state

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This preserved momentum while rewarding skilled boost usage. Speed became a mechanical solution to spatial pressure, reinforcing the game's identity as a momentum driven combat system. 

Weapon System

Weapon Design Philosophy

Both weapons were designed to support different engagement patterns with the shared trick economy and shared ammo.

Shotgun

Dual Pistols

Crowd Control / Area Denial

  • High ammo cost

  • Wide spread

  • Strong vs clustered enemies 

  • Ultimate: AOE bullet hail

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Encourages proactive positioning and area control.

Precision / Sustained Pressure

  • Lower ammo cost 

  • Higher fire rate

  • Greater precision 

  • Ultimate: Radial suppression spin for emergency space recovery. (Overwatch reaper ult )  

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Encourages target prioritization and reactive survivability. 

Abilities scale in cost, reinforcing decision making under pressure. 

Enemies

Enemy Design Philosophy

Enemies were built to challenge movement patterns rather than simply inflate DPS.

Ground Demon 

Predictive Zoner

  • Fires trajectory predicted projectiles based on player velocity

  • Chases player and fires within a long attack range.

  • Can jump onto building and over long distances. 

  • Punished linear speed play. 

Flying Demon

Aerial Disruptor

  • High speed dive attack

  • When in range of attack curls into a ball and dives at player giving time to dodge. 

  • Chases the player in air

  • Punished prolonged aerial safety

Wave scaling increased difficulty through overlapping pressure vectors rather than pure health scaling.

Flow Reinforcement

Supporting Systems

  • Aerial slow motion aiming for readability without stopping momentum

  • Nose-dive mechanic for vertical repositioning and counterplay. 

  • Enemy head bounce mechanic enabling mid-air trick chaining

  • Environmental rule: A trickable surface is always in sight

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Each Mechanic was evaluated against one core question:

 

Does this preserve velocity?

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If not, it was redesigned. 

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