Sluggerpunk Player Mechanics
Baseball and Bat
For Sluggerpunk, we had the interesting challenge to create abilities and weapons based off of sports items, and while designing the combat abilities I wanted to make sure that they remained unique to each other while being mechanics that could play off each other as well.
More details about Sluggerpunk’s main mechanics.
Baseball Recall
Baseball Recall is the first ability that I implemented into the game, an ability in which all baseballs stop their momentum, and redirect towards the player, essentially returning to them.
More details about Recall
This mechanic introduced a strategy that was employed by some players (including myself) in which you recall baseballs and then hit them, creating something akin a shotgun blast with baseballs.
I wanted to facilitate and enhance this interaction, since many players who discovered it thought it was one of the most enjoyable parts of the game.
To achieve this, the baseballs turn into homing projectiles that track the player on their way back, and they also slow down when they reach a certain distance from the players, making it easier to react and hit them.
Telekinetic Throw
This mechanic was born from experimenting with the Baseball Recall mechanic, since I had to test various ways of homing projectiles to the player. It throws/shoots all baseballs in play, regardless of their location, towards a target location.
More details about Telekinetic Throw
I then realized that I could use a similar idea, but in reverse. Instead of using the player as a point of convergence, I would use the aimed location.
This creates an effect in which baseballs that are already in play, converge at the spot the player is aiming at, which includes enemies. Some players would then combine this with Recall, and gain a great range of control over their projectiles.
Detachable Hurtbox (Artificial Heart)
The Artificial Heart item is an idea that I have wanted to do for a while now. The idea is that you use your hurtbox as a projectile that can be thrown to deal damage to enemies, but making it vulnerable after it stops moving.
One more touch I added was that every time the heart beats, it deals damage to nearby enemies, so it has a chance to defend itself at least a little. The heart walks towards the player until they fully return to them.
Enemy Design
Procedural Animation + Gameplay
The Ancient Head Boss (from Sluggerpunk) is an enemy that attacks using long, extendable arms made from spare tech parts. I implemented Inverse Kinematics to make the arms dynamically reach toward and follow the player.
One of the key challenges was procedurally generating the arm’s visual design—a long magnetic metal beam that pulls in trash. To bring this concept to life, I developed a system that spawns trash objects around the beam, forming a protective shield around the boss’s core.
Aaron Aguayo 