OWL: Orbial Watch Launcher

A Playdate game project for Duke GDDI

---

🎮 Game Overview

OWL is a missile defense–inspired arcade game for the Playdate handheld.
The player uses the crank and d-pad to aim a reticle and intercept incoming missiles before they reach the city at the bottom of the screen.

The name OWL is an acronym (Orbial Watch Launcher), used as the thematic anchor for the project.

---

🕹️ Core Gameplay Loop

1. Scan the sky — rotate and extend the reticle using crank + Up/Down (d-pad).
2. Mark a target — press Left on the d-pad to lock in a target location.
3. Fire interceptors — missiles launch from the base to the chosen point.
4. Protect the city — stop incoming enemy missiles before they hit (Pending).
5. Repeat — difficulty ramps with increasing wave speed and complexity (Pending).

---

🎯 Controls

• Crank → Rotates the reticle left/right.
• Up/Down d-pad → Zooms the reticle in and out.
• Left d-pad → Mark target & fire interceptor.

---

🏙️ Visual Design

• Playfield: 400×240 px screen.
• Base: Bottom-center of the screen.
• City: Stylized silhouettes along the bottom edge.
• Missiles: White streaks descending from random positions at the top.
• Interceptors: Bright projectiles launched from the base.
• Reticle: Movable “+” marker that shows target lock position.

---

📈 Progression

• Level 1: Few, slow missiles.
• Level 2+: Faster speeds, more simultaneous missiles.
• Later Waves: Multiple incoming angles, split warheads, surprise patterns.

---

📜 Credits

• Designer/Programmer: Rodney Aiglstorfer
• Course: Duke GDDI Program
• Platform: Playdate SDK

---