Top-down action
AI top-down shooter maker: arenas, waves and bosses from one sentence
Updated
Quick answer
Say what you pilot, what comes at you and how a run ends, and Teleplay builds a top-down action game seen from above, with the keys shown on its page. The examples here are real builds you can open before deciding anything. Making a new game needs Pro or Extreme.
Top-down action games to open
What a good top-down shooter needs from your sentence
Four answers decide most of how these games feel, and each one fits in a few words. You don't need all of them, but the more you give, the fewer guesses the build makes.
1.Who is moving
A drone, a tank, a witch on a broom. Size and weight imply speed, so a heavy tank and a tiny drone get different handling.
2.What fills the room
Name two enemy types with different habits, one that rushes and one that keeps its distance. Two habits beat ten reskins.
3.What changes over time
Endless waves, a set number of rooms, or a timer. This is the difference between a score chase and a game with an ending.
4.What you earn
Upgrades between waves, a stronger weapon, a dash. Leave it out for a first version and add it in the editor later.
The sentence behind PRUNEBOT 9
A real prompt from one of our own launch games. It answers all four questions in one line, with nothing about code or engines.
Pilot a tiny maintenance drone through endless waves of mutant spore pods and thorn crawlers in an overgrown glass dome, bolting on new upgrades between waves.
This prompt made PRUNEBOT 9: Greenhouse Panic
Which aiming to ask for
| Style | Words to use | Best on |
|---|---|---|
| Twin-stick | aim with the mouse, move with WASD | A computer |
| Auto-aim | shoots the nearest enemy by itself | Phones, and quick casual runs |
| Facing | fires the way you are walking | Simple keyboard controls |
Where it falls short
- Aiming with a mouse and moving with keys works on a computer. On a phone the game draws its own touch controls, which suit simple aiming better than precise aiming.
- A very long weapon list in the first sentence tends to give you shallow weapons. Ask for two that feel different, then grow the set.
- Shooters for friends are real but stay 2D and hold 2–4 players a room, and nobody can be matched with strangers.
- Nothing leaves the site: there is no project file to open elsewhere and no export.
Questions
What is the difference between top-down action and a twin-stick shooter?
Twin-stick is one kind of top-down action, where one control moves you and another aims. Top-down action also covers games where you face the way you walk and swing a sword.
Can I choose keyboard or mouse controls?
Say so in the sentence or the editor. The game's page always lists the controls it ended up with.
Can it make a boss fight?
Yes. Name the boss and how it attacks. A boss with one clear pattern usually plays better than a boss with five vague ones.
How long does one take to build?
About half an hour from pressing Create, the bot's play-through included: most take 18 to 35 minutes. A game with many systems can take longer.