Functional Design

Game Flow Overview

1. Match-3 Phase (Preparation)

• The player is in a round managed by the RoundManager (Round 1 to 3).
• Players match tiles to earn attacks.
• Green tiles fill the Special Attack Bar.
• Once 30 green tiles are collected → Special Attack is triggered with a splash art animation.

flowchart TD
    A[Start Match-3 Phase]
    A --> B[Player Matches Tiles]
    B --> C[Count Green Tiles]
    C --> D{30 Green Tiles?}
    D -- No --> B
    D -- Yes --> E[Trigger Special Attack + Splash Art]
    E --> F[Lock Earned Moves]
    F --> G[Move to Fighting Phase]

2. Fighting Phase (Execution)

• Player uses earned moves.
• NPC enemy picks a random attack from a fixed pattern at each attack interval.
• Phase ends when one side's health reaches 0.

flowchart TD
    A[Start Fighting Phase]
    A --> B[Player Uses Earned Moves]
    B --> C[NPC Picks Random Attack from Pattern]
    C --> D{Someone's Health 0?}
    D -- No --> B
    D -- Yes --> E{Who Wins?}
    E -- Player Wins --> F[Next Round]
    E -- Enemy Wins --> G[Game Over]

3. Repeat the Cycle

• Win → Next round.
• Lose → Game Over.

flowchart TD
    A[End of Fight]
    A --> B{Did Player Win?}
    B -- Yes --> C[Next Match-3 Phase]
    B -- No --> D[Game Over]

---

Core Mechanics

A. Match-3 System

• Grid: 5x7.

• Tile Types:

  • Attack Tiles: grant attacks.
  • Green Tiles: fill Special Attack Bar.

flowchart TD
    A[5x7 Grid]
    A --> B[Attack Tiles - Earn Moves]
    A --> C[Green Tiles - Fill Special Bar]
    C --> D{Collected 30?}
    D -- Yes --> E[Special Attack Activated]

B. Fighting System

• Player executes previously earned attacks.
• NPC AI has predefined attack patterns and randomly selects one each interval.

Special Attack System

• Each player fills a Special Attack Bar using green tiles.
• Upon collecting 30 green tiles, a unique special attack is automatically triggered.
• Special Attack also shows a splash art animation.

---

UI Feedback

• Each player has a unique customized health bar UI.
• All enemies share a single health bar graphic.

---

Difficulty Scaling

• No timers, difficulty progresses via:

  • Character balancing (e.g., Icyka has lower base attack but higher special attack damage).
  • NPC AI becomes more complex per round.

• Health Regeneration was considered for all characters,

  • But was removed based on client feedback for increased challenge/balance.

---