Roblox 2.5D Survival Defense Game Development
Budget: £5,000 – £10,000 GBP
CRIMSON CITADEL – Roblox 2.5D Survival Defense Game
Project Type: Game Development (Roblox Lua)
Platforms: PC + Mobile
Target: MVP Build for Closed Testing
Overview
Crimson Citadel is a dark-fantasy survival defense game inspired by Vampire Survivors, Cult of the Lamb, and Octopath Traveler.
The game blends roguelike combat, tower defense, and day/night survival mechanics, built within the Roblox ecosystem using a 2.5D aesthetic (2D sprites on a 3D plane, with a fixed, slightly tilted camera).
Players gather resources by day, fortify their base, and fight off waves of enemies by night—growing stronger and progressing through increasingly difficult stages and zones.
Core Gameplay Loop
Players begin in a 3D social hub/lobby (20–30 player capacity).
From here, they can:
Start a solo run
Queue as an invader to join other players’ runs
Purchase microtransactions such as skins, classes, pets, weapons, and boosters
Each Zone (e.g. Forest, Plains, Wasteland) includes multiple Stages of escalating difficulty.
Within a Stage:
Day Phase: Explore the map, gather materials (wood, stone, rare ores), defeat mobs, and gain XP.
Night Phase: Waves of enemies attack the central base and soul core.
Build and repair towers, walls, and traps.
Survive the assault to progress.
If the player or base core is destroyed, the run ends.
At the end of a Zone, a boss encounter concludes the run.
A post-boss “enrage” phase spawns extra enemies for high-score chasers before extraction back to the hub.
Progression:
Defeat bosses to unlock new zones and tower types.
Earn permanent upgrades and leaderboard rankings (kills, waves survived, score).
Visual Style and Tone
Setting: Grim, medieval fantasy world featuring a gothic citadel and blood-red sky.
Mood: Eerie and atmospheric, inspired by Dark Souls and Vampire Survivors.
Aesthetic: 2D sprites rendered in a 3D world, similar to Cult of the Lamb or Octopath Traveler.
Camera: Fixed, slightly tilted top-down perspective.
Key Systems
Combat: Survivors-style auto-attacks and random upgrade selections.
Base Building: Towers and fortifications upgraded with gathered resources.
Enemy AI: Pathfinding-based swarms that scale in power.
Day/Night Cycle: Controls lighting, spawns, and ambience.
Invasion Mode: PvP mechanic where one invader can join another player’s solo stage.
Microtransactions: Classes, cosmetics, boosters, pets, and particle effects.
Technical Details
Engine: Roblox (Lua)
Perspective: 2.5D fixed camera
Architecture: Modular client-server setup using RemoteEvents
Data: ProfileService or DataStore persistence
Networking: Server-authoritative damage and cooldown validation
Target Devices: PC and Mobile
Development Goal
Produce a fully playable MVP demonstrating the complete gameplay loop, including:
Day/night system
Combat and leveling
Base/tower mechanics
Enemy AI and waves
Lobby and stage transitions
Basic UI and persistence
After MVP testing, the game will expand with additional content, classes, cosmetics, and monetisation systems.
Deliverables (for Quoting)
MVP implementation of the core gameplay loop
Day/night cycle with lighting and spawn control
Tower placement and upgrade systems
Enemy wave logic and base defense
Resource gathering and progression
Lobby → stage → return flow
Data persistence (ProfileService or equivalent)
Basic UI and leaderboard
Developer Requirements
Experience developing Roblox games in Lua
Strong understanding of client/server replication and optimisation
Ability to implement 2D sprites in 3D environments or top-down camera systems
Experience balancing combat and tower defense mechanics
Good communication and use of version control (Git preferred)
Preferred Skills
Experience with the Knit framework or modular architecture
Prior work on survivor-like or tower defense Roblox titles
Basic pixel art or VFX capability for polish and testing
Budget and Timeline
Flexible depending on experience and approach.
Seeking realistic quotes for end-to-end MVP delivery, with phased milestones and regular test builds.
How to Apply
When submitting your proposal, please include:
A short message summarising your understanding of the project
Links to previous Roblox projects or playable experiences
A rough estimate of development time and cost for the MVP
Project Type: Game Development (Roblox Lua)
Platforms: PC + Mobile
Target: MVP Build for Closed Testing
Overview
Crimson Citadel is a dark-fantasy survival defense game inspired by Vampire Survivors, Cult of the Lamb, and Octopath Traveler.
The game blends roguelike combat, tower defense, and day/night survival mechanics, built within the Roblox ecosystem using a 2.5D aesthetic (2D sprites on a 3D plane, with a fixed, slightly tilted camera).
Players gather resources by day, fortify their base, and fight off waves of enemies by night—growing stronger and progressing through increasingly difficult stages and zones.
Core Gameplay Loop
Players begin in a 3D social hub/lobby (20–30 player capacity).
From here, they can:
Start a solo run
Queue as an invader to join other players’ runs
Purchase microtransactions such as skins, classes, pets, weapons, and boosters
Each Zone (e.g. Forest, Plains, Wasteland) includes multiple Stages of escalating difficulty.
Within a Stage:
Day Phase: Explore the map, gather materials (wood, stone, rare ores), defeat mobs, and gain XP.
Night Phase: Waves of enemies attack the central base and soul core.
Build and repair towers, walls, and traps.
Survive the assault to progress.
If the player or base core is destroyed, the run ends.
At the end of a Zone, a boss encounter concludes the run.
A post-boss “enrage” phase spawns extra enemies for high-score chasers before extraction back to the hub.
Progression:
Defeat bosses to unlock new zones and tower types.
Earn permanent upgrades and leaderboard rankings (kills, waves survived, score).
Visual Style and Tone
Setting: Grim, medieval fantasy world featuring a gothic citadel and blood-red sky.
Mood: Eerie and atmospheric, inspired by Dark Souls and Vampire Survivors.
Aesthetic: 2D sprites rendered in a 3D world, similar to Cult of the Lamb or Octopath Traveler.
Camera: Fixed, slightly tilted top-down perspective.
Key Systems
Combat: Survivors-style auto-attacks and random upgrade selections.
Base Building: Towers and fortifications upgraded with gathered resources.
Enemy AI: Pathfinding-based swarms that scale in power.
Day/Night Cycle: Controls lighting, spawns, and ambience.
Invasion Mode: PvP mechanic where one invader can join another player’s solo stage.
Microtransactions: Classes, cosmetics, boosters, pets, and particle effects.
Technical Details
Engine: Roblox (Lua)
Perspective: 2.5D fixed camera
Architecture: Modular client-server setup using RemoteEvents
Data: ProfileService or DataStore persistence
Networking: Server-authoritative damage and cooldown validation
Target Devices: PC and Mobile
Development Goal
Produce a fully playable MVP demonstrating the complete gameplay loop, including:
Day/night system
Combat and leveling
Base/tower mechanics
Enemy AI and waves
Lobby and stage transitions
Basic UI and persistence
After MVP testing, the game will expand with additional content, classes, cosmetics, and monetisation systems.
Deliverables (for Quoting)
MVP implementation of the core gameplay loop
Day/night cycle with lighting and spawn control
Tower placement and upgrade systems
Enemy wave logic and base defense
Resource gathering and progression
Lobby → stage → return flow
Data persistence (ProfileService or equivalent)
Basic UI and leaderboard
Developer Requirements
Experience developing Roblox games in Lua
Strong understanding of client/server replication and optimisation
Ability to implement 2D sprites in 3D environments or top-down camera systems
Experience balancing combat and tower defense mechanics
Good communication and use of version control (Git preferred)
Preferred Skills
Experience with the Knit framework or modular architecture
Prior work on survivor-like or tower defense Roblox titles
Basic pixel art or VFX capability for polish and testing
Budget and Timeline
Flexible depending on experience and approach.
Seeking realistic quotes for end-to-end MVP delivery, with phased milestones and regular test builds.
How to Apply
When submitting your proposal, please include:
A short message summarising your understanding of the project
Links to previous Roblox projects or playable experiences
A rough estimate of development time and cost for the MVP