Antagony
In search of the precious resource Antagon, a group of diggers embark on an expedition into a dark cave system. While collecting resources, building defense systems and fighting hordes of charmingly drawn mutant insects, players experience a fresh new take on the tower defense genre.
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Goals & Specifications
Our design goal for Antagony was to create a tower defense game without the typical restrictions of the genre. We wanted to give players the freedom to freely roam the environment and build towers wherever they want, develop a resource system that rewards exploration and implement an accessible melee combat system. All this with full online multiplayer support for up to 4 players, an easy-to-use lobby system and, most importantly, some of the most charmingly disgusting enemies.
| Developer | Antagonist Games |
| Publisher | Games Academy GmbH |
| Genre | Online tower defense |
| Platform | PC |
| Input | Mouse + keyboard |
| No. of players | 2-4 players |
| Commercial release | No (free download) |
| Team size | 7 developers |
| Development time | 10 weeks |
| Project type | Student project |
| Position | Game designer |
My Tasks
Game Design
Conception: Establishing a vision for the gameplay.
Balancing: Fine tuning buildings, enemies and drop rates.
Dynamics: Developing a scaleable difficulty for multiplayer.
Level design: Iterating the map layout and building the level.
Documentation: Writing the GDD and balancing tables.
Development
Level art: Stepping in as an artist when a student dropped out.
Audio design: Finding and editing audio samples.
Video editing: Capturing footage and cutting the trailer.
Screenshots
Features
Ten Waves, One Goal
The basic premise is simple: survive ten waves of attacking insect hordes and prevent them from destroying the driller at the center of the map. In order to succeed, players need to scavenge for building materials and strategically place their defense systems, each of which is especially effective against a certain type of enemy. The goal stays the same no matter the amount of players, however the game dynamically scales its difficulty level in accordance with the party size.
An Extensive Cave
In Antagony, each wave consists of multiple enemy troops rushing to the player base via four lanes. Once defense systems are under attack, a radar indicates which direction the offensive is coming from. The map's layout is designed around an the idea of an inherent risk/reward mechanism, as precious resources and healing mushrooms randomly spawn in remotely located side shafts. It's up to the players to decide whether they take the risk to explore or stick to the base.
Close Quarters Combat
To supplement free movement and exploration, players have the ability to strike insects with their sword. While melee combat is quite effective against weak enemies such as ants, it's impractical for fighting larger groups. However, the mighty blowback it deals can be used to open an escape path through the surrounding masses.
Charmingly Creepy
Characters, enemies, defense systems, resources and props have all been hand-drawn and animated frame-by-frame to give Antagony an atmospheric, cartoony look. To maintain clarity on the crowded battlefield, the cave system is rendered in a simplistic 2.5D style.
Online Multiplayer
Thanks to the Photon engine, it's easy to set up multiplayer matches with friends. The built-in lobby system allows for public rooms as well private, password-protected sessions. As a client, each player can sort open rooms by name, ping or number of players.