Superposition

Superposition is a high-octane, survivor-like bullet hell with a neon-vector aesthetic where surviving requires phasing between different layers of reality. Channeling classic arcade energy, you defeat relentless enemy swarms to earn EXP, level up your character, and master reality-bending combat.

Game Title

Superposition

Role: Lead Gameplay Programmer & Co-Producer

Producer / Project Manager / Lead Developer

Quick Stats

• Genre: Bullet Hell / Survivor-Like / Classic Arcade

• Engine & Tech Stack: Unity 6, C#, DOTS, ECS

• Team Size: 1 Developer, 1 Audio Engineer

• Development Cycle: Ongoing

• Player Count / Modes: Single-player

• Core Systems Built:

  • Unity entity-based combat systems

  • DOTS/Burst-friendly systems design

  • GPU instancing and draw call optimization

Game Overview

The Vision

Superposition is a neon-vector, survivor-like bullet hell where dodging endless enemy swarms means dynamically shifting between different layers of reality. Harness classic arcade nostalgia as you blast through relentless waves, stack EXP, and level up your build to survive the chaos. 

Key Features:

• Shift between layers of reality: Enemies exist on different planes of reality; shift between them to fight the hordes.

• Endless spawning of enemies: Fight to survive endless waves of enemies with constantly increasing difficulty.

• Random weapon/stat level-ups: Upon leveling up, choose from a random selection of powers. Each level-up is vital to your run.

• Boss Fights: Stages present unique bosses that mix up the action and keep the pressure on.

Technical Architecture

Key Features: Engineering the Mechanics

1. Shift between layers of reality

1. • Enemies: Enemies spawn on one of three layers of reality.

   • Attacking: The player can only attack on one layer at a time, with controls to shift between layers at will.

   • Defense: Enemy bullets can damage the player regardless of layer.

2. Endless spawning of enemies

1. • Spawning: Enemies spawn continuously via a weighted spawn system, allowing granular control over wave frequency.

   • Difficulty: Enemy stats scale dynamically at spawn, increasing the challenge over time.

3. Random weapon/stat level ups: 

1. • Random Selection: When the player levels up, they are presented with a random selection of stat and ally upgrades.

   • Stats: Players can upgrade stats such as movement speed, bullet speed, projectile lifespan, attack angles, and more.

   • Allies: Allies can be upgraded to assist the player with offensive or defensive abilities.

4. Fight Bosses: 

1. • State Machine: Bosses utilize custom ECS-based state machines to manage attack and movement behavior.

   • Engaging Gameplay: Bosses feature distinct visual designs, attacks, and behavioral patterns, making them significantly more challenging than standard enemies.

Performance Optimization

• CPU Optimization: Built on the ECS/DOTS framework, this project streamlines how data is structured and processed by the CPU, enabling efficient multithreading and entity management.

• Burst Compilation: Compiles C# into highly optimized machine code, significantly increasing script execution speed.

• GPU Instancing: Combines multiple copies of identical entities and materials into a single draw call, lowering CPU overhead. This optimizes performance when rendering and spawning hundreds of on-screen enemies and bullets simultaneously.

Results & Links

Outcome

• The game is currently in active development.

• Received positive feedback during showcases at game conventions.

Links

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