Monkanics - A Third-Person, PvP, Arena Shooter in the Making - Devlogs

Demetrius_Dixon · February 24, 2025, 10:32pm

Hello there. The name’s Demetrius Dixon. (You’ve probably seen me before on this forum)

I’m a game designer and programmer who’s been on a mission for my vision over the past 6 years and only now has the balls to attempt it publicly. This is not my first rodeo, for game development AND content creation.

I enjoy playing PvP arena shooters, and I’ve always wanted to develop my own project. Monkanics is that project.

Note: I’m also making video devlogs that detail the same info here. Check it out.

So what is Monkanics?

Monkanics is the combination of the words, “monkey” and “mechanic”. That’s because you play as cyborg lab monkey escapees who blur the line between smart and stupid while building weapons of mass misconstruction.

Monkanics is a new take on the PvP, arena shooter genre. One where you build your own weapons via the planned invention system, and perform monkey-like parkour where you can climb most anywhere on the map.

My goal with this project is to fulfill the “Monkey Mechanic” fantasy you never knew you wanted. You move like a monkey and build like a monkey. For better or worse.

But Demetrius, you don’t have any lick of graphics or finished gameplay of the game. That’s a blue monkey pill! Yeah. I know, and that’s the point.

You see, this game is in its earliest stages. I only have the foundational movement netcode finished so far. Let me quickly explain why this is, there are multiple reasons:

There is no such thing as a perfect concept. Especially one written in a Google Doc that’ll be outdated in less than a day. The only way I can truly know what works and what doesn’t is execution.
I want to show that world that I am committed to this project. Because the truth is, I’ve already been committed for 6-ish years already. I want to make Monkanics real. Not just real for me, but real to whoever sees it.
I want to lock my lifestyle in. This reason is a bit personal. For the past few years, I’ve been on another mission to improve my life and reprogram my bad habits. Making Monkanics devlogs, whether the game is ready or not, will allow me to stay on track and never miss a work day again. I want to prove to you, and myself, that I can be a reliably hard worker.

Ok, so with that spiel out the way, what’s next on the development chopping block and when will the next devlog release?

So my goal this week was to make Monkanics real, and I did that. Now, for my next devlog, I need to prove that I can make sufficient progress in about 2 weeks.

My goal is to finish Monkanics’ foundational gunplay netcode. Meaning the following:

A health system (+ a temporary death system)
A networked hitscan weapon.
A networked projectile weapon.
A networked melee weapon.

(These three are the foundational damage types for Monkanics and cover all gameplay scenarios, regardless of design changes)

Create the foundations for basic PvP combat.
Plan how I’ll implement Monkanics’ actual game mechanics.
(Invention creation system, player moveset, climbing, etc)

If I prove to myself that I can make enough progress in a week, within that 2 week period, I’ll make my devlog release schedule weekly instead of bi-weekly. But we’ll see.

Anyways, this is the end of devlog #1. This has been a really big moment for me even though I’m starting from 0. It’s the point of no return.

If you’d like to see Monkanics go from nothing to a fully playable game, make sure to subscribe to my devlog channel, like the post/video, and share with your friends.

I’ll see you in my next devlog.

– Demetrius Dixon

pauldrewett · February 25, 2025, 11:53am

Good luck with your project Demetrius, I hope it goes well. Don’t be too harsh on yourself with timetabling though, especially for YT. That can become quite a grind otherwise, and just making a game is a tough enough challenge by itself.

Especially one that is an online multiplayer. That is a very long journey. I don’t think I would be brave enough to embark on that journey alone. About as difficult as it gets when it comes to gaming.

I look forward to seeing your devlogs and progress.

Best wishes,

Paul.

Demetrius_Dixon · February 25, 2025, 1:14pm

Thanks. I’ve got a whole lot to do, but thankfully, I have spent the past year+ to build my lifestyle to support development and I have a crystal clear roadmap of features to implement + how to do them. This isn’t my first rodeo.

I also plan to network with other developers/artists to get the much needed help. Eventually having other team members, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Thanks again for your support.

Demetrius_Dixon · March 11, 2025, 10:10am

I have a video version of this devlog on my channel. Feel free to watch:

Hey there, 2 weeks no see. I’m glad to be writing/recording this again on time.

Since devlog #1, I’ve been tracking my overall productivity and doing what I can. I didn’t run into any “issues” per say, but I did plan a little haphazardly and wasn’t as focused as I could be. I didn’t get what I wanted to get done in the 2 week period.

Speaking of: 1 week was definitely not enough time to get anything substantial done. So, I will now be dedicated to making devlogs every 2 weeks. Meaning the next devlog will be on March 24th.

Since I didn’t get a lot of showcaseable features implemented, I’ve decided to use this devlog to set the stage for what’s coming next and have a more concrete plan.

Firstly, what DID I get done:

I started on implementing Monkanics’ combat systems. More specifically, melee combat.
I got the design doc for Monkanics’ gameplay done. Meaning I can actually explain the core game loop concisely and have a guide for what to develop.
I did a bunch of misc things, like upgrade the project to Godot 4.4 and such.

Yikes. Now that I’ve typed that out, it doesn’t seem like a whole lot does it?

Nope. It isn’t.

I said last time I wanted to get the networked gunplay systems finished, but instead, most of the growth happened within me instead of the actual game itself.

But this was actually the best time to make this mistake. Now, I know exactly what to do to NOT be inefficient and make tangible progress.

Firstly, I spent WAY too much time thinking and WAY too little time doing. I have to actually be at my computer and get into the flow of working. And I have to do that EVERY SINGLE DAY! There’s a lot of personal nitty-gritty factors that go into this, but that’s the gist of it.

Secondly, this has to be routine. I have to wake up, do my hygiene, and start working. This also includes readers/viewers like you. Making a devlog every 2 weeks consistently is a lot better than making a devlog when I feel like it. Keeps me accountable, y’know?

Ok ok, enough about that. I do have more to say in regards to Monkanics itself.

As I said earlier, I got Monkanics’ game design doc done. So I can share what you actually do in the game and have a concrete development roadmap.

Monkanics’ Core Gameplay:

Monkanics is a PvP arena shooter about crafting, moving, and fighting like a mechanical monkey. With the main goal being to collect more Bean-anas (intentional name) than the other team.

In the game, you will be Crafting, Collecting, Moving, and Fighting:

Crafting/Repairing weapons and/or utility items known as inventions.
Collecting important resources like scrap, objective items, upgrades, and power-ups around the map to boost chances of survival and victory.
Moving around via a freeform climbing/movement system. Allowing seamless vertical and horizontal map traversal and interaction with diverse arenas.
Fighting enemies with all of the above to collect more Bean-anas.

That’s how I would summarize the core game.

Monkanics’ goal is also to fulfill the “Monkey Mechanic” fantasy. It’s less about a singular mechanic, but a unified experience:

Crafty, but crummy mechanical skills.
Items and objects are cobbled together with trash and stolen goods.
Fast and agile movement.
Chaotic fun with methods to the madness. (I’m leaning into a fun game rather than a competitive game)

I wish I had some way to illustrate this. However, I have no actual prototype gameplay ready yet. There’s a lot of nitty-gritty I have to work through as for how these mechanics actually work in game.

Great news is, now that you and I know this, I can go over the development roadmap! Essentially, what features and core systems I will develop first. These plans may change, but this is the general gist of it.

Monkanics’ Development Roadmap:

Step 1: Movement and Core Player Systems

This is where I’ll create the base movement systems and core player functions that’s used in the rest of the game.

Replace the development placeholders of walking and jumping with their in-game feel. Acceleration, deceleration, momentum, movement speed, etc.
Add core player functions. What specifically? I’ll have to confirm that with testing.
Add advanced movement systems, like climbing.
Other systems like health, UI, etc.

Step 2: Gunplay Systems

Once the movement’s done, I can make Monkanics’ gunplay systems. This includes:

Foundational Networked Gunplay: Making melee and projectile combat work over the network and intersect with my established netcode system.
The Monkanic Wrench: The universal melee weapon you have at all times with a few unique traits.
Inventions and the Invention Creation System: A completely modular weapon crafting system. Allowing the player to create the weapon of their dreams (or nightmares). Fitted within a toolkit (equivalent to a loadout) of 4 inventions.
Scrap and Durability: The core resource of Monkanics. Used to repair invention durability (equivalent to ammo) and regen health.

Step 3: Game Mode, Map, and Collectables

Once the movement and gunplay are squared away, there’s actually a game to play here. However, it needs a game mode to tie it together.

Monkanics’ core game mode.
A map to play on.
Collectables and resources on the map

Step 4: ???

Any essential feature not listed here. Could be anything.

Step 5: Releasing the prototype for public playtesting.

This is the most exciting step. My main goal is to reach this point so I can get real feedback by really playing the game loop in full.

Whether that feedback is good or bad doesn’t really matter to me. The point is that it’s real. Not in theory, but in practice.

I can use all the feedback I’ll gain to make improvements and additions. Then, release a new version. We’ll play that, get feedback, I’ll make changes, release a new version, repeat.

This is a live-service dev cycle. This is where I want to be.

I can iterate and add to Monkanics until it’s a fully complete game. However long that takes.

Closing Thoughts

So, that’s it for now.

My first objective after I finish the devlog is to start on player movement and core inputs. Hopefully, I’ll make some significant and showcaseable progress on that front.

My next devlog will be on March 24th.

I also want to mention the amount of support I got from posting my first devlog and showing Monkanics to the world. It was small, but very meaningful to me. I hope I can grow further from here. Thank you.

If you’d like to see me and Monkanics grow, make sure to like/subscribe and share devlog #2.

With that, I’ll see you in the next devlog. (Or maybe sooner, I might have some shorts up my sleeve) Stay tuned.

– Demetrius Dixon