PixelGrinder is a single-player, browser-based top-down pixel art RPG that emphasizes level-based progression and flexible character builds. Journey through distinct zones, battle challenging mobs, and grow your character’s power step by step—all within your web browser.
- Current Build
- Game Concept
- The World
- Player Progression
- Character Customization & Stats
- Core Mechanics
- Equipment & Loot
- Key Features
- Planned Features
- Tech Stack & Implementation
- How to Play
- Roadmap
- Contributing
- License
- Missing or Suggested Information
- Character creation flow (name, stat allocation, skin, game mode).
- Local saves with autosave + new game reset.
- Combat loop with skills, cooldowns, targeting, and damage flow.
- Mob AI with pathing, leashing, casting, and debug tools in Admin panel.
- Inventory, equipment, vendors, loot window, and gathering nodes.
- Minimap, chat log, skill bar, and in-game UI menus.
- Admin panel lets you tune player stats, mob behavior/skills/loot, and live debug states.
- Hardcore mode available at character creation (permadeath).
- Current build is a prototype focused on sandboxing difficulty: easy or aggressive mobs, fast or slow progression.
PixelGrinder combines classic RPG elements—like leveling up and stat allocation—with a modern twist on flexibility and skill-based growth. Rather than locking you into a class, you can freely mix and match skills, weapons, and armor to create your ideal playstyle.
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Level-Based Zones
- The world is divided into zones (e.g., Starting Location, Forest of Trials, Desert of Desolation), each with a recommended level range.
- Zones are designed for sequential progression, but you can revisit previous ones for additional loot or Skill Stones.
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Starting Zone
- You begin in a level 1–5 zone designed to teach you the game’s basics.
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Mob Scaling
- Enemies generally match the recommended zone level (±5).
- Different zones feature unique monsters with distinct loot tables.
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Experience & Leveling
- Defeat mobs close to your level to earn experience.
- Leveling up raises your base stats (Health, Mana), makes tougher zones more accessible, and grants additional attribute points you can spend on INT, STR, DEX, or CON.
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Flow of Progression
- Kill mobs → Gain XP → Level Up → Allocate Attribute Points → Move to next zone
- Most initial progression and gear acquisition comes from mob grinding.
- Equipment drops are intentionally rare, encouraging players to explore and defeat more mobs.
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Future Progression
- Gathering and crafting systems are planned for later updates, providing alternative progression paths.
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Attributes
- At character creation, you receive 5 attribute points to distribute among:
- INT (increases magical prowess, damage, or healing effectiveness)
- STR (boosts physical attacks, overall strength)
- DEX (improves accuracy, agility, possibly crit rate)
- CON (raises health pool and survivability)
- Each time you level up, you gain additional points to invest in these attributes, shaping your character’s growth.
- At character creation, you receive 5 attribute points to distribute among:
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Any Armor, Any Skill
- Unlike traditional class-based systems, you can freely equip any armor or learn any skill.
- Armor types (robe, heavy, leather, etc.) have stat bonuses that synergize with different playstyles.
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No Holy Trinity
- Everyone can learn healing spells (if they find the right Skill Stones), so each build can include sustain or support abilities if desired.
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Level-Based Zones
Venturing into zones appropriate for your level is recommended. Tougher zones carry higher risk but yield better rewards. -
Top-Down 2D Pixel Art
Classic retro style with modern, responsive controls. -
Replayability
Each zone features unique mobs and loot tables, encouraging repeat visits to farm rare items. -
Skill Learning & Improvement from Mobs
- Basic Weapon & Attack: You begin with a basic version of each weapon type (staff, bow, dagger, one-handed sword), which provides a simple auto-attack skill. This lets you fight the first mobs in the starting zone and earn your first Skill Stones.
- Skill Stones: Rare drops from mobs that unlock entirely new abilities—ranging from melee combos to healing spells.
- Skill Shards: Another rare drop that upgrades already learned skills (e.g., increases damage, reduces cooldown, adds area-of-effect, etc.).
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Tab-Target Combat
- You must target a mob with your cursor before using skills.
- Each skill has its own attributes, including:
- Range: Close-range (melee) or long-range (spells, bows).
- Type of Attack:
- Magic (staffs, spells)
- Piercing (daggers, bows)
- Slashing (one-handed & two-handed swords)
- Different attack types may have advantages against certain mobs or synergize with specific buffs.
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Weapon Types
- Staff: Magic-based attacks for spells or healing.
- Daggers: Dual-wielding for quick, piercing strikes (DEX-oriented).
- One-Handed Sword: Balanced slashing option for STR builds.
- Two-Handed Sword: High DPS slashing potential, best with high STR.
- Bow: Ranged piercing damage, scales well with DEX or hybrid builds.
- (A shield can be paired with a one-handed weapon for extra defense, though not a separate damage type.)
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Armor & Stat Bonuses
- Different armor sets (robe, heavy, leather, etc.) have distinct stat bonuses (e.g., INT-boosting robes, STR-boosting plate).
- You can mix armor pieces for a hybrid approach (e.g., wearing heavy gauntlets with a robe chest piece).
- All armor pieces have "defence" parameter, for robes it is lower than for plate armor.
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Armor Passive Buffs
- Each armor type may also provide passive buffs that support certain playstyles.
- Some buffs cannot be active together (e.g., Holy cannot coexist with Unholy, Poison conflicts with Bleeding).
- Initial Buff Types (either for active skills or passives):
- Holy (cannot stack with Unholy)
- Unholy (cannot stack with Holy)
- Elemental
- Physical
- Poison (cannot stack with Bleeding)
- Bleeding (cannot stack with Poison)
Examples:
- A robe might offer an Elemental buff, increasing elemental skill damage.
- Heavy armor might grant a Holy buff, boosting healing spells.
- Leather armor might provide a Poison or Bleeding buff, adding a DOT effect to piercing attacks.
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Rare Drops
- Equipment and weapons can drop from mobs, but the drop rate is intentionally low.
- Encourages repeated mob fights or boss runs to acquire desired gear.
- Browser-Based, Single Player: Play directly in your web browser without installation.
- Flexible Builds: Create a staff-wielding warrior or a dagger-throwing mage—your imagination is the limit.
- Boss Fights: Each zone may feature stronger mobs or bosses that reward special loot or skill items.
- Exploration: Hidden paths and secrets scattered across each zone.
- Crafting System
- Future updates will introduce gathering and crafting, offering alternative ways to obtain gear beyond rare drops.
- Questing & Storyline
- NPCs and quest lines for structured play and narrative depth.
- Further Zones & Bosses
- Continuous expansion of the game world with new areas and tougher encounters.
- Frontend: Since this is a browser-based 2D game, you could use:
- Phaser (a popular JS framework for 2D games)
- PIXI.js (for rendering)
- HTML5 Canvas with plain JavaScript or TypeScript
- Backend:
- A simple SQLite3 database to store player data (e.g., character stats, inventory, progression).
- Optionally use Node.js with Express (or similar) if you need server-side logic for saving states or running events.
Suggested Approach
- Phaser + TypeScript: Common, well-documented for browser games, easy to scale.
- Or pure HTML5 Canvas + JavaScript if you want more control (but you’ll handle many systems manually).
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Controls
- Movement: (WASD or Arrow Keys)
- Attack/Skill: (Left Mouse, Spacebar, or hotkeys)
- Inventory: (I key)
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Early-Game Tips
- Distribute your 5 attribute points wisely—decide if you want to focus on INT, STR, DEX, or CON.
- Target mobs within or slightly above your level for optimal XP gain.
- Rely on your starting weapons’ basic attacks to farm early mobs. Save up Skill Stones for abilities you truly want.
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Progression
- Invest Skill Stones to unlock new abilities; invest Skill Shards to upgrade them.
- Experiment with different armor sets and passive buffs to find powerful synergies.
| Milestone | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha 1 | Basic movement & combat in a browser-based environment | In Progress |
| Alpha 2 | Implementation of basic skill system, UI improvements | Pending |
| Beta 1 | Multiple zones & mobs, introduction of Skill Stones | Pending |
| Beta 2 | Crafting, gathering, advanced mob/boss mechanics | Pending |
| Release | Feature-complete version | TBD |
We welcome contributions! Whether it’s bug fixes, new features, or general feedback:
- Fork this repository.
- Create your feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/my-new-feature). - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add some feature'). - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/my-new-feature). - Create a new Pull Request.
Potential To-Do:
- Provide coding style guidelines or a Code of Conduct for contributors.
TBD
If you choose an open-source license (e.g., MIT, GPL), specify it here. Otherwise, detail usage restrictions for your code and assets.
- Story/Lore: Consider a backstory to enhance immersion.
- Additional Details on Stats: Clarify exact formulas or synergy (e.g., how INT affects spells or healing).
- Asset Credits: For music, sound effects, pixel art, etc.
- Testing & QA: Provide guidelines for reporting bugs or testing new features.
- Platform Compatibility: While primarily browser-based, note if mobile/tablet support is planned.