Bounce House Brawlers: Blog 2

Progress 3/14 - Bounce House Brawlers

We are still chugging along making Bounce House Brawlers, since my last post we have done quite a bit of work. So far we have gone through a couple iterations since the first electronic prototype. I've been leading the team to get the game to where I envisioned it. But here I'll focus on more of the Level Design aspects that I have been working on for the game. If you want to check out more development of the game you can check out the Itch.Io page here: https://cagd.itch.io/bounce-house-brawl

I regularly post development blog updates on the game there as well as patch notes for each iteration of the game.

For the early portion of making the game the other level designers and I have been at hard work making annotated maps for the game and getting the first couple of levels into the game. I've made about three new levels since my last post so I give you a quick rundown of them and the core concepts around them. All of my levels are based around a forge theme.

The first new level I made is this:

The core concept of the level is centered around the lava which is the orange on the map. Initially the lava stays below the platform and can't hurt the players. The main hazard during this phase is the fire bucket that players can get knocked into.

These platforms are also affected by player movement and they should swing according to how the player jumps on them. So they will often be swaying horizontally which should add some extra challenge for the players compared to the normal platforming in other levels.

After a short warning the lava should raise up, drastically changing how the level is played. The level becomes significantly more dangerous during this time and shifts the main combat areas to the top two platforms. The lava will continuously shift up and down until a player wins the round.

Here is a look at the next level I created:

This takes some concepts from the factory levels that may fellow level designer has made maps for. I wanted to make a forge theme map using some of the mechanics that were already in the factory level and repurpose them to fit the forge theme. This could be helpful if programming doesn't have a lot of time to make new level mechanics.

The main two mechanics of the level are the conveyor belts and the heated grates.

The heated vents will turn on at the same time and will become hazards when they are on. The periods when the vents are on should encourage players to knock each other into the vents. While the vents are off it should provide a good moment where players can duke it out and damage the other player as much as possible, that way they are extremely bouncy and are more likely to get knocked into a vent when they come back on.

All of the conveyor belts will be pushing the players to the left. This is intentional so that players are forced into a heated vent if they aren't careful or paying attention. It is also to make the bottom a bit more dangerous and to balance the level since there are more vents on top.

Here is a look at the last level I have concepted:

Players spawn in the middle of the room. There is a lava pool to their right and to their left. They are blocked off by walls in the beginning. During this time players should be able to beat each other up a good amount and increase the amount of bounce they are doing to the opponent.

After a short warning, the walls will go down opening up the lava pools around them. This will allow players to be hit into the lava pools and will kill them. The walls that go down will alternate and players will have to adapt accordingly to successfully win the round. This should also change the mains zones of conflict consistently depending on which walls go down.

This level is relatively simple but should provide some interesting gameplay and may be a good way to ease the player into the forge setting.

I have also been tweaking my annotated maps and concepts based on feedback from the lead level designer and my fellow level designers.

I've also been trying to help my fellow level designers on the team as much as I can through peer critiques as well as any help I can provide on their levels.

The first two levels that were implemented into the prototype so far are the first factory and first raceway level. I've been playtesting with them and providing feedback on improvements they can make such as lighting, hazard placement, platforms, etc.

I also went ahead and made a particle effect for level 2's tesla coils to help out. Here is a look at the particle effect I made:

It will need to be adjusted a bit for the level but it seemed to be a useful tool for the level.

We have been collecting feedback on the current levels and gameplay and are adjusting to make the game the best as it can be.

I've used the feedback to identify problems in my other peer's levels and have tried to think of solutions to help them solve the problems.

Other than my level design tasks I have been helping out the rest of the team as much as I can and managing them so we can achieve the best overall product.

Moving forward we will be implementing the last two forge levels that I've shown by the next internal playtest. We want to get both in but we'll see, it may depend on how much time my other team members have. I've also updated my asset lists for the levels to prioritize assets for the two levels we will be making.

If you want to check out the development of the game in multiple aspects such as animation, 3D Modeling, 2D Art, and other Game Design adjustments. You can check out my Development Blog here: https://cagd.itch.io/bounce-house-brawl

You can also get a more in-depth look at my annotated maps and levels here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uBrPyDPfp9VE7WCP0XKuusKkm1qYOduVKr_MU21kYa8/edit?usp=sharing

I look forward to furthering the progress of the game and I will keep you guys updated!