Nuclear Throne
A fast roguelike top-down shooter.
Where Nuclear Throne comes up2 episodes and tests
Gcreator of Game Maker's Toolkit testHow to Make a Good 2D Camera
Gcreator of Game Maker's Toolkit testRoguelikes, Persistency, and ProgressionNuclear Throne shows two design choices that worked for a fast shooter. Its camera centers between the character and the cursor, so lookahead follows where the player aims. Its unlocks add new characters that trade strengths for weaknesses and are no more powerful than the starting one. Lesson: show players what they intend to see, and reward progress with variety, not raw power. The sources give no numbers.
- 1Player aims cursorCursor shows what they want to see
- 2Camera sits midwayHalfway between character and cursor
- 3Lookahead follows aimOffset tied to player control
- 4Player sees targetWithout asking for it
From Mark Brown on Nuclear Throne's camera
What was said about Nuclear Throne
Nuclear Throne aims the camera between the character and the cursor. The camera sits midway between the character and the aiming cursor, so the lookahead follows where the player is aiming. The player sees what they are shooting at without asking for it.
Mark Brown lists it beside Sonic Generations, which pushes the camera further ahead as Sonic builds speed, and Luftrausers, which only leads when the throttle is held. His takeaway is to tie the camera offset to something the player controls. He calls it "a very natural way of responding to the player's intention and framing what they obviously want to see."
Nuclear Throne unlocks balanced characters, not stronger ones. New characters unlock with play, and none is more powerful than the starting character. Each trades advantages for disadvantages, so unlocks add variety instead of raw power.
Holding most characters back as unlocks works like old roguelike character classes with a reward schedule on top. Mark Brown's line: "They just provide different ways to play."
How to Make a Good 2D Camera
Centres the camera between the character and the cursor, so lookahead follows where the player is aiming.
Nuclear Throne aims the camera between the character and the cursor. The camera sits midway between the character and the aiming cursor, so the lookahead follows where the player is aiming. The player sees what they are shooting at without asking for it.
Mark Brown lists it beside Sonic Generations, which pushes the camera further ahead as Sonic builds speed, and Luftrausers, which only leads when the throttle is held. His takeaway is to tie the camera offset to something the player controls. He calls it "a very natural way of responding to the player's intention and framing what they obviously want to see."
Roguelikes, Persistency, and Progression
Unlocks balanced new characters, each trading advantages for disadvantages, so none is more powerful than the starting one. It works like old roguelike character classes.
Nuclear Throne unlocks balanced characters, not stronger ones. New characters unlock with play, and none is more powerful than the starting character. Each trades advantages for disadvantages, so unlocks add variety instead of raw power.
Holding most characters back as unlocks works like old roguelike character classes with a reward schedule on top. Mark Brown's line: "They just provide different ways to play."
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