Core Loop
Cross lanes of traffic and rivers to reach home.
One sentence. One mechanic (movement). One goal (reach the other side). Complexity comes from the environment, not the controls.
Controls
- Directional input: Move in 4 directions (up, down, left, right)
- Hop: Grid-based movement with smooth visual interpolation
- No attack, no items at launch — pure movement mastery
Game Structure
Zones (Top to Bottom)
- Goal Zone (top): 5 home slots the frog must fill
- River Zone: Logs, turtles, lily pads moving laterally — frog must ride them
- Median: Safe strip between zones — breathing room
- Road Zone: Cars, trucks, buses moving laterally — frog must avoid them
- Start Zone (bottom): Safe spawn area
Lane System
- Each lane has ONE hazard type moving in ONE direction
- Adjacent lanes alternate direction (left, right, left, right)
- Speed varies per lane — outer lanes faster, inner lanes slower
- Gaps between hazards are ALWAYS passable (no impossible configurations)
Mechanics
Movement
- Grid-based: frog snaps to grid positions
- Visual interpolation: smooth hop animation between grid cells
- Hop arc: slight vertical arc for visual satisfaction
- Forward bias: moving forward is faster than retreating
Scoring
- Points per forward hop (10 pts)
- Bonus for consecutive forward hops without retreating (multiplier)
- Time bonus for reaching home quickly
- Extra life at score thresholds (10,000 pts)
- Filling all 5 home slots completes the level
Difficulty Progression
- Wave 1-3: Slow hazards, wide gaps, few lanes
- Wave 4-6: Medium speed, narrower gaps, more lane variety
- Wave 7-9: Fast hazards, tight gaps, all lane types active
- Wave 10+: Maximum speed, minimum gaps, hazard variety
Difficulty Curve Pattern
Tension ████████░░ (high traffic density)
Release ██░░░░░░░░ (median safe zone)
Tension ██████████ (river with tricky timing)
Triumph █░░░░░░░░░ (reaching home)
Enemy/Hazard Types
Road Hazards
| Type |
Speed |
Width |
Behavior |
| Car |
Medium |
1 lane |
Steady speed, even spacing |
| Truck |
Slow |
2 lanes |
Slow but long, blocks vision |
| Bus |
Fast |
2 lanes |
Fast and long, scary |
| Motorcycle |
Very Fast |
1 lane |
Unpredictable spacing |
River Objects
| Type |
Speed |
Width |
Behavior |
| Log (small) |
Slow |
2 cells |
Safe to ride |
| Log (large) |
Medium |
4 cells |
Safe to ride, more room |
| Turtle group |
Slow |
3 cells |
Submerges periodically! |
| Lily pad |
Stationary |
1 cell |
Fixed safe spot |
Death Conditions
- Hit by any road vehicle → squish (visual + audio)
- Fall in water (miss all platforms) → splash (visual + audio)
- Carried off screen edge by river object → splash
- Time runs out → fade out
Feel Parameters (Tunable via Blueprint)
HopDuration: 0.15s (time to complete one hop)
HopArcHeight: 30.0 units (vertical peak of hop arc)
InputBufferWindow: 0.1s (queue next input during hop)
InvincibilityFrames: 0.0s (none — arcade rules)
CameraFollowSpeed: 10.0 (smooth camera tracking)
RespawnDelay: 1.0s (pause after death before respawn)
TimePerLevel: 30.0s (countdown timer per attempt)
1---2name: frogger-design3description: Game design reference for 3D Frogger arcade gameplay, mechanics, and progression4---56## Core Loop78**Cross lanes of traffic and rivers to reach home.**910One sentence. One mechanic (movement). One goal (reach the other side). Complexity comes from the environment, not the controls.1112## Controls1314- **Directional input**: Move in 4 directions (up, down, left, right)15- **Hop**: Grid-based movement with smooth visual interpolation16- **No attack, no items at launch** — pure movement mastery1718## Game Structure1920### Zones (Top to Bottom)211. **Goal Zone** (top): 5 home slots the frog must fill222. **River Zone**: Logs, turtles, lily pads moving laterally — frog must ride them233. **Median**: Safe strip between zones — breathing room244. **Road Zone**: Cars, trucks, buses moving laterally — frog must avoid them255. **Start Zone** (bottom): Safe spawn area2627### Lane System28- Each lane has ONE hazard type moving in ONE direction29- Adjacent lanes alternate direction (left, right, left, right)30- Speed varies per lane — outer lanes faster, inner lanes slower31- Gaps between hazards are ALWAYS passable (no impossible configurations)3233## Mechanics3435### Movement36- Grid-based: frog snaps to grid positions37- Visual interpolation: smooth hop animation between grid cells38- Hop arc: slight vertical arc for visual satisfaction39- Forward bias: moving forward is faster than retreating4041### Scoring42- Points per forward hop (10 pts)43- Bonus for consecutive forward hops without retreating (multiplier)44- Time bonus for reaching home quickly45- Extra life at score thresholds (10,000 pts)46- Filling all 5 home slots completes the level4748### Difficulty Progression49- **Wave 1-3**: Slow hazards, wide gaps, few lanes50- **Wave 4-6**: Medium speed, narrower gaps, more lane variety51- **Wave 7-9**: Fast hazards, tight gaps, all lane types active52- **Wave 10+**: Maximum speed, minimum gaps, hazard variety5354### Difficulty Curve Pattern55```56Tension ████████░░ (high traffic density)57Release ██░░░░░░░░ (median safe zone)58Tension ██████████ (river with tricky timing)59Triumph █░░░░░░░░░ (reaching home)60```6162## Enemy/Hazard Types6364### Road Hazards65| Type | Speed | Width | Behavior |66|------|-------|-------|----------|67| Car | Medium | 1 lane | Steady speed, even spacing |68| Truck | Slow | 2 lanes | Slow but long, blocks vision |69| Bus | Fast | 2 lanes | Fast and long, scary |70| Motorcycle | Very Fast | 1 lane | Unpredictable spacing |7172### River Objects73| Type | Speed | Width | Behavior |74|------|-------|-------|----------|75| Log (small) | Slow | 2 cells | Safe to ride |76| Log (large) | Medium | 4 cells | Safe to ride, more room |77| Turtle group | Slow | 3 cells | Submerges periodically! |78| Lily pad | Stationary | 1 cell | Fixed safe spot |7980## Death Conditions81- Hit by any road vehicle → squish (visual + audio)82- Fall in water (miss all platforms) → splash (visual + audio)83- Carried off screen edge by river object → splash84- Time runs out → fade out8586## Feel Parameters (Tunable via Blueprint)8788```89HopDuration: 0.15s (time to complete one hop)90HopArcHeight: 30.0 units (vertical peak of hop arc)91InputBufferWindow: 0.1s (queue next input during hop)92InvincibilityFrames: 0.0s (none — arcade rules)93CameraFollowSpeed: 10.0 (smooth camera tracking)94RespawnDelay: 1.0s (pause after death before respawn)95TimePerLevel: 30.0s (countdown timer per attempt)96```
randroids-dojo