[Defense / Survival] Caravan Crawler, A Dark Escort Journey.

[Wrathaur]

Caravan Crawler, A Dark Escort Journey.

Caravan Crawler is an open-air dungeon crawler focused on escort gameplay.


"Your ship is destroyed after crashing into rocks during a violent storm.
You manage to survive and swim to the shore of a strange land.
While walking along the coast, you encounter something unusual:
a dark carriage, escorted by wounded warriors.


Your journey begins here."

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Gameplay​	Core Mechanic​	Concept​
Choose a hero and escort the haunted carriage to its destination. The road ahead is mysterious and ever-changing. There are 2 routes leading to the first checkpoint And 3 routes leading to the second and final checkpoint Each path offers different encounters, enemies, and outcomes.	The carriage controls the flow of the journey: During the day, the caravan moves forward During the night, it stops And when it stops… things get worse.	Caravan Crawler blends: The exploration of a dungeon crawler With the tension of an escort mission In an open and dark environment The road itself is your dungeon.

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So the run is structured something like this:

Route → City → Fork (Forest / Mountain) → City 2 → Mid Route → Fork (Cemetery / Swamp / Dark Forest) → City 3 → Destination


Since I’m still very early in development, I’d like to ask for suggestions.
What would you like to see in a game like this?

An open beta will be available soon in a new project tab, and your idea might end up in the game.

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So far, I’ve completed the initial routes and the first fork with its two paths

There are enemy spawners along the routes that target the caravan.
You can destroy these spawners to stop enemy waves, but doing so means leaving the road and exposing the carriage.

This is just one of the features currently in development.


For now, I’m using the classic Warcraft heroes, the carriage model by @Maximal , and the health/mana bars by @stan0033 .

Spoiler: Screenshots

 

[Panasdafa]

This seems to have a lot of potential, good luck!

 

[Wrathaur]

This seems to have a lot of potential, good luck!

Thanks a lot!
I’m currently adding some survival elements like campfire items and tents to give the journey more depth.

Also planning for the game to support up to 3 players per run. That said, if you’re playing solo, additional heroes will be available to you, similar to a campaign-style experience.

 

[FallenStar]

The atmosphere you're going for feels cozy and adventurous at the same time which is why I'm curious about one thing:
Is this project intended for singleplayer or multiplayer? (or maybe both?)
From the way you presented it, it feels like something that could be amazing to experience with a friend.
The escort focused gameplay and the dungeon crawler vibe seem like would translate well into a co-op experience?

Do you have any estimation for when you'd like to finish the project or have a playable mission available?

 

[Wrathaur]

The atmosphere you're going for feels cozy and adventurous at the same time which is why I'm curious about one thing:
Is this project intended for singleplayer or multiplayer? (or maybe both?)
From the way you presented it, it feels like something that could be amazing to experience with a friend.
The escort focused gameplay and the dungeon crawler vibe seem like would translate well into a co-op experience?

Do you have any estimation for when you'd like to finish the project or have a playable mission available?

Thanks a lot for the kind words!

I’m mainly designing the map as a co-op experience for up to 3 players, but with full support for singleplayer as well. In solo mode, I plan to offer additional heroes throughout the journey, somewhat similar to a campaign-style progression.
I feel like this mix of escort gameplay and dungeon crawler elements can bring something fresh, both for me as a developer and for the players experiencing it.

My free time is a bit unpredictable, but I’d say in about 2 to 3 months I should have something playable ready. Even if it's simple, I want to release a beta with all the core systems working properly first, and then expand from there with side quests and additional content
I believe these side quests will be key to making the map feel truly alive, instead of just following the caravan and fighting enemies.