Game Design Document — Project Hades

Engine: Roblox Genre: Isometric Roguelike / Action Perspective: Fixed isometric (top-down) Inspiration: Hades (Supergiant Games) Internal Codename: Project Hades Status: In Development

1. Game Overview

Project Hades is a co-op isometric roguelike on Roblox. Players clear rooms of zombies and supernatural enemies using a combination of weapons, magic spells, and passive relics that stack into powerful synergistic builds — inspired directly by Hades's boon system. Each run rewards players with relics from defeated rooms; no two runs feel identical.

The game blends:

Roguelike itemization (stackable relics with set bonuses)
Action combat (directional dodges, melee combos, ranged weapons)
Tower defense layer (placeable barricades, spike traps, turrets)
Anime-inspired spectacle (Jujutsu Kaisen–themed legendary abilities with cutscenes)

2. Core Design Pillars

2.1 Every Run Feels Different

Relics are the heart of the game. With 22+ relics, each stackable up to 3–5 times, and set bonuses that unlock at max stacks, players build completely different characters across runs. A run might focus on crit-stacking with Silver Ninja Stars, sustain tanking with Cheeseburger + Riot Shield, or burst mana cycling with Korblox Spell Book + Overcharged aura.

2.2 Moment-to-Moment Combat Is Expressive

Combat is not just "click enemy." The dodge system rewards timing (Perfect Dodge mechanic), weapons have multi-hit combos with precise hitbox windows, and magic abilities have meaningful cooldowns and positioning requirements. Players must choose when to commit to an attack and when to evade.

2.3 Risk / Reward Escalation

Each cleared room presents a relic machine (vending machine) offering new relics. Players spend coins earned from combat to acquire them. Building out toward a set bonus is a risk — spending coins on stacks of one relic means forgoing others.

2.4 Cooperative, Not Competitive

Enemy HP scales with player count. Shared room-clear rewards (relic machines appear at each player's position). The build system is per-player (barricades, traps, turrets are owned by the builder). Assists count toward progression statistics.

3. Gameplay Loop

Spawn → Clear Room → Collect Drops (coins/mana) → Relic Machine Appears
  → Purchase Relic → Next Room → (repeat)
      ↓
  Dungeon Event (e.g. Merchant Shop)
      ↓
  Boss Room → Run Complete → Persistent Progression (EXP, unlocks)

3.1 In-Room Loop

Players enter a room; the RoomService registers their ActiveRoom attribute and fires entry bonuses (Pot of Gold coin grant, Teddy Bloxpin heal).
Zombies spawn continuously up to a per-player cap (MAX_ZOMBIE_COUNT_PER_PLAYER = 6). Spawn locations are chosen within 60 studs of a random player.
Players fight using weapons, magic, and buildables.
When all zombies are eliminated, a relic machine drops at each player's position.
Players spend coins to buy relics, then move to the next room.

3.2 Dungeon Events (Between Rooms)

After certain rooms, a dungeon event triggers:

Merchant Shop (implemented) — Offers 5 relics per player for purchase via ProximityPrompt teleport.
Treasure Hunt (planned)
Wheel of Fortune (planned)
Corrupted Mobs (planned)

4. Player Systems

4.1 Base Stats

Stat	Default Value
Max HP	100 (expandable via relics)
Walk Speed	18 studs/s
Jump Power	0 (no jumping; isometric)
Jetpack Speed	27 studs/s
Max Mana	100 (expandable via relics)
Crit Chance	5%
Crit Multiplier	1.5x

4.2 Currency

Currency	Earned By	Spent On
Coins	Killing enemies, room entry (Pot of Gold relic)	Relics, builds
Gems	Meta-progression (shop/unlock purchases)	Cosmetics, unlocks
Tickets	Dragon Lantern relic (+50% gain)	TBD

Starting coins: 100. Starting gems: 25.

4.3 Inventory Slots

Slot	Key	Content
Primary Weapon	1	Melee or ranged
Secondary Weapon	2	Melee or ranged
Magic Slot A	3	Spell
Magic Slot B	4	Spell
Build	B	Barricade / Trap / Turret

4.4 Dodge

2 dodge charges, each recharging in 3 seconds.
Directional: 8-way relative to the camera.
Distance: 15 studs over 0.25 seconds.
Grants invulnerability frames during the roll (AfterImage visual).
Perfect Dodge: If a zombie attack lands during the dodge window, the Experimental Jetpack relic effect triggers (launch into the air), and "Perfect Dodge!" text displays to the player.

4.5 Status Conditions

Condition	Source	Effect
Burn	Fire Blast magic	5 ticks over 5 seconds: `clamp(maxHP × 2.5%, 1, level × 25)` per tick
Slowed	Aura system	Reduced walk speed

5. Combat

5.1 Server Authority

All damage is calculated server-side (DamageService). The client fires requests; the server validates, applies modifiers, and replicates results. This prevents exploit-driven one-shots.

5.2 Melee Weapons

All melee weapons use a 3-hit combo system with per-hit hitbox delay, animation delay, and VFX timing.

Weapon	Type	Rarity	Damage Range	Walk Speed
Wooden Bat	Sword	Uncommon	35–40	12.5
Dragonbone Katana	Sword	Uncommon	45–55	12.5
Jujutsu Cleaver	Sword	Uncommon	45–55	12.5
Samehada Greatsword	Greatsword	Uncommon	80–100	10.5

Hitboxes use RaycastHitbox (sweep-based), ensuring accurate collision even at high frame variance.

Enchantments: None, Looter (additional enchantments planned).

5.3 Ranged Weapons

Projectiles are simulated with the ProjectileCast library (ballistic, gravity-affected).

Weapon	Rarity	Damage	Fire Rate	Ammo	Reload
Ruger SR9 (pistol)	Uncommon	30–40	0.30s	20	1.5s
MP5K (SMG)	Rare	40–50	0.175s	45	2.5s
AK-47	Epic	50–60	0.20s	80	2.5s

5.4 Damage Modifiers (Applied in Order)

Base weapon damage (random in damage range)
scalarMultiplier (item level scaling)
Relic modifiers (Linked Sword, Murder Knife, Phoenix Bow, Hyperlaser Gun, Fluffy Unicorn)
Aura modifiers (Frenzy, Overcharged)
Critical hit roll (5% base + relic bonuses)
On-hit procs (Portable Justice / Jail, Volleyball, Trick Or Trap pumpkin drop)

5.5 Critical Hits

Default: 5% chance, 1.5× multiplier.
Silver Ninja Star adds +10% crit chance per stack.
At 5 stacks of Silver Ninja Star: additional +25% crit damage multiplier.

5.6 Ragdoll

Heavy hits and certain relics/spells can ragdoll enemies and players:

Applied with a BodyVelocity knockback of 25 units.
Auto-recovers after 2 seconds.
Players with 5× Riot Shield are immune to ragdoll.
Players in super armor (Domain Expansion) are immune during ability duration.

6. Magic System

6.1 Overview

Players equip up to 2 spells (keys 3 and 4). Spells are cast in the direction of the mouse cursor. Each spell has its own cooldown, mana cost, and damage type.

Mana regenerates passively and via the Korblox Spell Book relic (weapon hits restore mana). The Overcharged aura procs when mana is full with that relic equipped.

6.2 Spell Roster

Spell	Rarity	Type	Damage	Cooldown	Special
Wind Bomb	Common	Melee AOE	100–125	12s	Knockback 350, ragdolls
Fire Blast	Rare	Ranged projectile	125–150	12s	Applies Burn status
Lightning Shatter	Epic	AOE burst	50–60 ×3	5s	3 sequential hitboxes
Divergent Fist	Rare	Melee thrust	150–175	3s	JJK-themed
Hollow Purple	Epic	Ranged beam	200–250	4s	Long range, step-cast
Domain Expansion	Legendary	AOE field	15–25	35s	6.5s duration, super armor, cutscene
Susanoo Armor	Legendary	Aura summon	25–35	45s	25s lifetime, attacks every 3s, cutscene

6.3 Legendary Ability Cutscenes

Domain Expansion and Susanoo Armor trigger client-side cutscenes (camera transitions, animation sequences) before the ability activates, creating a cinematic moment in the midst of combat.

6.4 Relic-Triggered Magic (Internal)

These are not player-equipped spells — they fire automatically from relic procs:

Source Relic	Triggered Ability
Trick Or Trap	Pumpkin Explosion / Big Pumpkin Explosion on enemy death
Summer Fireworks	Periodic AOE fireworks projectiles
Ghost Dragon	Periodic % max HP damage to nearby enemies

7. Relic System

Relics are the roguelike's core identity — passive items that stack and combine into powerful builds.

7.1 Acquisition

Dropped by Relic Machines (vending machines) that appear at each player's position after clearing all zombies in a room.
Offered by the Merchant Shop dungeon event (5 relics per player).
Purchased with Coins.

7.2 Stacking Rules

Rarity	Max Stacks
Rare	5
Epic	3
Unique	1

A player is only offered relics that still have available stacks (their pool excludes fully-stacked relics).

7.3 Rare Relics

Relic	Effect per Stack	Set Bonus (max stacks)
Bloxy Cola	-10% magic cooldown	TBD
Cheeseburger	+25 max HP	TBD
Teddy Bloxpin	+3% max HP heal on room entry	TBD
Fluffy Unicorn	+10% damage vs Minibosses/Bosses	TBD
Gear Recycler	+10% mana orb drop chance	Spellburst aura on mana orb pickup
Phoenix Bow	+15% damage to distant targets	TBD
Wizard Orb	+20% magic damage	TBD
Hyperlaser Gun	+10% damage when above 85% HP	Damage bonus threshold drops to 65%
Linked Sword	+10% weapon damage	Frenzy aura on kill/assist
Murder Knife	+20% damage to nearby enemies	TBD
Pot Of Gold	+25 coins on room entry	TBD
Riot Shield	+10% damage reduction	Ragdoll immunity
Silver Ninja Star	+10% crit chance	+25% additional crit multiplier
Starblox Latte	+25 max mana	TBD

7.4 Epic Relics

Relic	Effect per Stack	Set Bonus (max stacks)
Experimental Jetpack	Jetpack on Perfect Dodge	TBD
Korblox Spell Book	Weapon hits restore mana; Overcharged aura at full mana	TBD
Dragon Lantern	+50% coins and tickets gained	TBD
Portable Justice	Chance to Jail enemies on weapon hit	TBD
Summer Fireworks	Periodic fireworks AOE projectiles	TBD
Trick Or Trap	Enemies drop explosive pumpkins on death	TBD
Volleyball	Every 3rd weapon hit fires a Volleyball projectile	TBD
Ghost Dragon	Periodic % max HP damage to nearby enemies	TBD

7.5 Auras (Active Buffs)

Auras are temporary, visually distinct buff states triggered by relic set bonuses or in-game actions.

Aura	Trigger	Duration	Effect
Frenzy	Linked Sword ×5 — kill or assist	10s	Damage boost (via DamageService modifier)
Spellburst	Gear Recycler ×5 — mana orb pickup	10s	Magic damage boost
Overcharged	Korblox Spell Book ×3 — full mana	Until mana depleted	Magic power enhanced
Slowed	Various enemy/status effects	Variable	Walk speed reduced

8. Enemy Design

8.1 Enemy Type Hierarchy

Normal → Elite → Miniboss → Boss

Miniboss and Boss types are defined in the enum system but not yet implemented as live enemy variants.

8.2 Current Enemy Roster

Enemy	Type	Base HP	HP per Additional Player	Damage	Range	Special
Walker	Normal	100	+1500	5	8 studs	Standard pathing
PotHead	Normal	200	+2000	5	8 studs	Standard pathing
Robombie	Elite	5000	+1000	5	15 studs	Can ragdoll players

8.3 AI Behavior

Pathfinding via Roblox PathfindingService.
Targets both players and buildables (barricades, turrets, traps).
Custom hitbox functions prevent server-side hit registration abuse.
Enemies drop coins and EXP on death via the LootPlan weighted loot system.
Death triggers drop rolls: 10% chance of a healing orb, remaining split between coins and mana orbs.

8.4 Spawn Rules

Spawn cap: 6 zombies per player simultaneously.
Spawn location: within 60 studs of a randomly selected player.
When all zombies are dead: relic machines drop for each player.

9. Build System

The build system adds a tower defense layer to combat. Players toggle build mode with B.

9.1 Buildables

Build	Cost	Max Owned	Max HP	Function
Barricade	500 coins	4	25 HP	Blocks zombie pathfinding routes, repairable
Spike Trap	750 coins	3	50 HP	Deals 50 base damage on trigger, multi-trigger
Turret	1,000 coins	2	25 HP	Auto-targets and shoots nearby zombies

9.2 Placement

Build mode shows a grid overlay. Player's own builds are highlighted.
Placement is server-validated (collision checks prevent overlapping or illegal placements).
Each build stores an OwnerId attribute (per-player ownership).
Zombie AI detects buildables as valid targets.

9.3 Build Persistence

Build levels load from player data on join (DataTemplate). Players can invest in builds across sessions (planned upgrade path).

10. Room & Dungeon Structure

10.1 Room Types

Type	Description
None	Transitional / lobby space
Standard	Regular zombie-clearing room
Miniboss	Features a Miniboss enemy (planned)
Boss	End-of-dungeon boss encounter (planned)

10.2 Room Entry Effects

On entering a room, the following fire immediately:

Pot of Gold relic: grants bonus coins per stack.
Teddy Bloxpin relic: heals % max HP per stack.

10.3 Workspace Layout

The game world uses a structured folder hierarchy:

workspace/
  Map/
    Buildings/        -- Environmental structures
    Buildables/       -- Player-placed buildables
    RelicMachines/    -- Post-room relic vendors
    Events/           -- Dungeon event zones
    SpawnLocations/   -- Zombie spawn points
  Boundaries/         -- Map edge colliders
  Walls/              -- Transparent-on-approach walls
  Terrain/            -- Roblox terrain
  MagicSpells/        -- Active spell instances
  IgnoreInstances/
    Zombies/          -- Live zombie models

10.4 Camera

The game uses a fixed isometric camera (not the default Roblox follow cam) implemented via a custom IsometricCamera library. Jump power is set to 0 — no jumping; the camera framing would break. The camera supports shake (CameraShaker) on hits and magic casts.

Walls and buildings between the camera and the player auto-become transparent (WallsTransparencyController, BuildingTransparencyController) to keep the player visible at all times.

11. Progression & Data

11.1 Per-Run Tracking

Stat	Tracked
Kills + Assists	Yes
Elite kills	Yes
Miniboss kills	Yes
Boss kills	Yes
Deaths	Yes
Coins collected	Yes

11.2 Persistent Data (ProfileService / DataStore)

Field	Type	Default
Coins	int	100
Gems	int	25
Tickets	int	0
CurrentExp	int	0
TotalExp	int	100
Level	int	1
Builds	table	{}
Weapon inventory	table	{}
Magic inventory	table	{}
Pets	table	{}
Cosmetics	table	{}
Missions	table	{}

DataStore key: TestData-098 (test key; must change before production launch).

11.3 Item Schema

Each weapon/magic item stores:

name — item identifier
level — item upgrade level
equipSlot — which slot it occupies
scalarMultiplier — damage scaling factor
enchantment (weapons only) — e.g., Looter

12. UI & Feedback

All UI is built with React (Lua port) + ReactRoblox, managed via Knit controllers.

12.1 HUD Elements

Element	Description
Player Vitals	HP bar and mana bar (ValueBar component)
Relic Interface	Currently held relics with stack counts (top-level HUD)
Build Toolbar	Buildable selection in build mode
Mobile Action Buttons	On-screen dodge and action buttons for mobile
Preload Screen	Loading screen before gameplay begins

12.2 Feedback Systems

System	Trigger	Output
Damage Indicators	Enemy or player takes damage	Floating number at hit location
Text Indicators	Status events (Perfect Dodge!, Burned!, etc.)	Billboard text
Drop Indicators	Pickup spawns	3D icon showing pickup type
User Notifications	System events (room clear, event starts)	Toast notification
Camera Shake	Taking damage, casting magic	Screen trauma shake
AfterImage	Dodging	Ghost trail on character

12.3 Mobile Support

The InputPlatformController detects the platform (PC vs mobile). Mobile players get on-screen action buttons. Certain spells have uniqueMobileIndicator flags for touch-compatible targeting UI.

13. Multiplayer

Co-op focused; all players share the same room and fight together.
Enemy HP scales linearly with player count.
Relic machines spawn at each individual player's position (no competition for drops).
Build system is per-player (no sharing or griefing of others' structures).
Round stats (kills, assists) are tracked per-player for post-run screens.
All server-side; no peer-to-peer. Authority lives entirely on the server.

14. Planned / Stub Systems

The following systems have enum definitions, collision groups, or partial service stubs indicating planned but unimplemented content:

14.1 Enemy Types

Miniboss — enum defined, no data or AI implemented yet.
Boss — enum defined, no data or AI implemented yet.
PotHead — data exists, not yet registered in the spawn service.

14.2 Dungeon Events

Treasure Hunt — enum defined, not implemented.
Wheel of Fortune — enum defined, not implemented.
Corrupted Mobs — enum defined, not implemented.

14.3 Build Upgrades

Build levels are stored in DataTemplate. An upgrade system is implied but not yet wired up.

14.4 Escort Missions

EscortObject collision group defined in the collision setup. Suggests a future escort mission room type.

14.5 Lobby System

A separate Lobby place (lobby.project.json) exists with Places/Lobby/ scripts but minimal content. Planned as a hub between runs.

14.6 Cosmetics & Pets

Both Pets and Cosmetics fields exist in the DataTemplate, no system implemented yet.

14.7 Missions

Missions field in DataTemplate; no mission service exists yet.

14.8 Twitter Codes

TwitterCodes field in DataTemplate; code redemption service not implemented.

14.9 Relic Set Bonuses (Partially Implemented)

Many relic set bonuses are described but their callback logic hasn't been connected. Priority completions:

Bloxy Cola × 5 bonus
Cheeseburger × 5 bonus
Fluffy Unicorn × 5 bonus
Pot of Gold × 5 bonus
Wizard Orb × 5 bonus
Dragon Lantern × 3 bonus
Portable Justice × 3 bonus
Summer Fireworks × 3 bonus
Trick Or Trap × 3 bonus
Ghost Dragon × 3 bonus

Document generated from codebase analysis — April 2026.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
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Places		Places
bfg-core @ 8c7eeda		bfg-core @ 8c7eeda
bfg-debug @ eb64d9c		bfg-debug @ eb64d9c
.gitignore		.gitignore
.gitmodules		.gitmodules
README.md		README.md
aftman.toml		aftman.toml
lobby.project.json		lobby.project.json
selene.toml		selene.toml

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