Game Studio Production

Final Progress of Bounce House Brawl

Bounce House Brawl came a long way and has ultimately come to an end now since we have reached the end of the semester. I was the game lead for the team as well as a level designer. I'll focus more on level design in this post, but I will talk about few things I did as a project lead as well. 

Since last time I went ahead and made two more levels for the game. I showed the annotated map for one of the levels which was the jungle level and there were a few changes that went into the level. The other level I have made a map for but I haven't posted it here before.

Here is a look at the two new levels that I made:

The first jungle level I made revolves mainly around the water and logs of the level. This is a two player only map due to how hectic it would be with 4-Players. Ultimately players want to try and stay up within the top area to avoid being close to the water. However, if they are fighting and get knocked down they have a decent chance of landing on a log that will save them. Players will want to get directly back up to the other platforms as soon as possible to stay away from death but your opponent will most likely be coming in to secure the kill.

I actually ended up doing the water for this level too. If you guys are curious about how I did it, basically I wanted a more stylized/cartoon water. So I went into photoshop and created a water texture that tiled fairly well. The size was 2048x2048. After it was painted I then dropped it into Unity and made some planes. I put the texture on the planes and added a simple UV scrolling script to it so the texture would move. After I did that I duplicated and dragged a few out to create the water that you see in the scene.

The second jungle level revolves more around stagnant hazards which are the spikes in the corners and the middle of the room. I did a level that didn't require any work from programming that way it would lighten up the load on our programmers. This level can be played with up to 4-Players and has a lot more room to it. 

I was going to add a particle effect to the eyes of the tikis in this level because I think it looks aesthetically pleasing and helps the environment pop a little more but ultimately I scrapped the idea because I was concerned it would confuse the players in thinking that it was a hazard. 

The other two levels that I had shown earlier in my progress had some tweaks and changes made to them too.

For the first forge level with the lava, I went ahead and did a texture swap because we were just using temp art for it. I actually did some color changes to the water texture that I had made and applied the same logic I did for the water to the flowing lava. I also went ahead and added some chains to the environment to give it some more life. 

I also changed it so the walls stay open longer and more frequently on this level, which gives players more opportunities to kill the opponent. I then widened the level up a little bit to give players more room as well because it felt a bit cramped before. Then I also changed the level so that eventually two doors start opening instead of just one.

For the second forge level, I did a texture update so that the conveyor belts match the forge level more. I also went ahead and added the chains to this level as well. 

We initially changed the grates so they heated up and played a fire particle effect when they were on but near the end of development the level kept crashing, so we ultimately scrapped the particle effect and made it so they grew much brighter. The particle effect made it a lot more clear to the players that it was a hazard but we had to cut it because we couldn't figure out why it was crashing the game. 

I also brought in the platforms because players would often get stuck in the two bottom right corners which was frustrating, so I pulled them in to prevent that from happening.

Besides the four levels that I worked on, I was mainly focused on managing the game and getting it to where it needed to be at the end of the semester. The last few weeks we spent a lot of time polishing and bug fixing to make the gameplay as smooth as possible.

Ultimately my overall vision of the game changed and adapted as the semester went on to accommodate our skill levels and the limited time we had. However, I think the game overall turned out pretty well for creating it in a little over 3 months. Other people seemed to think so as well because it got 1st place at the Excellence in Computer Graphics Awards this year.

I appreciate my team's hard work and dedication this semester. I couldn't have made the game without them. I learned a lot during my time as a project lead and am looking forward to using that knowledge in my future projects.

But you guys can check out the final product here: https://cagd.itch.io/bounce-house-brawl

I posted dev blogs and patch notes regularly there too if you wanted to check out how the game came to be and the timeline of our progress.

Progress 4/12 - Bounce House Brawlers

Bounce House Brawlers has come a long way since my last blog post. I'm continuing to lead the team to help make the game the best it can be. We have gone through another couple of iterations of the game and made some decent progress. However, I'll be going over the level design I have been doing for the game and how that has been implemented thus far.

During this time I have actually gone through and implemented two of my forge levels from the last blog post. The levels that were implemented were the levels with the heated grates and the level with the moving walls that open up sections of the lava pools.

Here is a look at the two levels:

Implementation of these levels wasn't too hard but they definitely still need to be balanced a bit more. One of the issues we ran into was the weekend that I needed the level mechanics from programming, my programmer had to work on another extra project of the weekend for Lidar Scanning. So he wasn't able to get me the level mechanics in working condition by the time I needed them. Ultimately he got the mechanics to work and in the build, but I was not able to tweak and adjust them for balance.

A couple of the things that I'm currently in the process of changing to balance the levels are making the grates heat up faster in the first forge level. I'm also making it so the two conveyor belts on the right move the player to the right instead of the left. I've moved the two platforms inward so they player doesn't get stuck under them as easily when they are fighting. Lastly, I have made the grates stay on longer. It also needs some visual changes because players weren't clear on when the grates were on and could kill you. So I've talked to Xavier about displaying a particle effect of fire when they turn on and a particle effect of smoke when they turn off.

I went ahead and made this particle effect for when the grates turn on:

For the second forge level, I need to make sure that there is a wall open pretty much at all times. So, I'm considering having two walls move at a time to give players more options because the matches tended to go fairly long. Players overall seemed to really enjoy the mechanic of this level and enjoyed having to switch up where they were fighting to kill the enemy player.

Our modelers are pretty much done with the assets for all the other levels. So, I have been drafting up ideas for new level themes. One of my teammates suggested that we do "Origin" levels for the characters and I thought it was a really good idea so I went ahead and drafted up a quick map of my idea of the origin map for Boxzilla. 

Here is a look at that:

The idea is that you are in a Jungle like theme because Boxzilla is much like a gorilla. However, another goal of mine was not to introduce too many new level mechanics because that all has to be programmed in. The wooden platforms will sway back and forth depending on how the player gets knocked into them and jumps on them. The logs at the bottom will move to the left constantly throughout the match making it so players can land on them, this is to give players a final chance. The blue represents the river which is the hazard of the level that players can be knocked into.

I've made an asset list for the level as well as introduced a couple of new themes that we could do for the game. 

Currently I'll be working on implementing this level this weekend and hopefully, we can get the origin maps in for the other characters soon. I'll also be balancing and tweaking my other levels accordingly.

The game is coming along pretty well so far and I'm happy with the direction it's heading. If you want to check out more updates on the development of the game head to:  https://cagd.itch.io/bounce-house-brawl 

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!

Starting A New 495 Semester

So this is a new semester of 495 and this semester I'm a leading a project for 495 as a game designer. However, I'll still be doing level design for the game as well.

First off to start the project, my team and I created a document defining all the categories of the game level design, animation, programming, 2D art, and 3D art. This was to make sure that we were all on the same page for the design and vision of the game. The game is called Bounce House Brawlers and here is the core concept:

Bounce House Brawlers is a 2-4 player couch co-op arena fighting game. Players fighting each other are using a basic kit (Block, Basic Attack/Charge Attack, Uppercut, and Jump). Every punch/attack will knockback your enemy instead of doing your traditional “damage”. The more “damage” the players have taken from enemies attacks the more drastic the knockback becomes, progressively stacking until the player dies. The player’s goal is to knock the other players into the hazards on the map, the hazards will kill the player in one hit. Players will have 3 lives in a round whoever is the last one standing will win the round/stage.

This document that we worked on can be seen here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TX-NuJ-AW-8wBG1_XuKTw3YzPIFlGQvIZcqYcijZMIo/edit?usp=sharing

After the core concept of the game was nailed down we headed directly into paper prototyping to test out the core concept of the game. The main thing we wanted to test was the bounce mechanic within the game. This was actually relatively hard to replicate for a paper prototype because it's hard to replicate the physics of the game but we gave it our best shot.

Ultimately the game was kind of like a rock, paper, scissors fighting game. Where the player would flick their quarter at their opponents quarter to try and knock them into hazards.

Here is a look at the rule sheet for the game:

We also made 3 arenas for the playtest so players could play at the same time and could test multiple levels. I split the team up into three groups of 4 to make all three levels.

Here is the level I helped make with my teammates:

The playtests went pretty well overall but the biggest issue was that some people problems flicking the quarters well. Other than that playtesters seem to enjoy the game and thought it was a good core concept for the game. 

After paper prototype, we moved directly into the electronic prototype. I delegated all my team tasks to do so that we have a good vertical slice of the game. Right now we are planning for one level to be in the electronic prototype but we are hoping to get more in. We still have a week left so only time will tell but during that time I have also made annotated maps along with my other level designers so that we can start discussing concepts for arenas within the game.

You can check out links to my first three maps explained here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a14BUJBwcccW3BByO4Vjech-o9yB1Ico0Md-kNNmuNU/edit?usp=sharing

Here is a link to another map that I did last week:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uBrPyDPfp9VE7WCP0XKuusKkm1qYOduVKr_MU21kYa8/edit?usp=sharing

The other level designers have also made assets lists and color palettes for modeling and 2D art that way they can start working on assets and backgrounds.

Overall we are on track to finish up the electronic prototype soon. Tomorrow I'll have a better idea of where we stand as far as how many levels we can get into the prototype but the core loop should essentially be done. From there we can spend this next week polishing, implementing the levels, and adding in assets that modeling has finished. The first level should be relatively complete because we already have the concept that we want to do and I have the team working on assets, backgrounds, etc. for the level. So the first level should be pretty polished. I'm excited to see how the prototype goes and look forward to sharing the progress and feedback.

Progress from 11/7-12/7

Since the last blog post the game has come to the end but I'll catch everyone up to speed on what we did until then. 

First off we fixed some issues that we saw from the final playtest on 11/7. Many of these fixes were visual because the overall layout of the level was pretty concrete at that point. 

These fixes were:

• Fixing any snapping spacing issues
• Adjusting mechanics that would send you into environmental pieces
• Removing environment pieces to improve gameplay and flow throughout the level
• Changing the tiling of the floor to make it in the direction the hallway was going
• Took a look at the enemy sections because some players were having issues with them

One of the larger changes that we made was adding the mechanics onto environmental pieces to make them feel like they belonged better throughout the level. We added these all throughout the level to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

The other large change that our lead suggested was changing the floor tiling to match the direction of the hallways and rooms. So went through and changed all the sections that didn't match up correctly. We had to extend some hallways and do a couple of tweaks for certain sections to make it work but we got everything matched up correctly now. This made the level more aesthetically pleasing too.

I also took a look at the fighting areas initially to make sure the enemies we presented weren't too difficult for the players but we realized that the issue was more so that the player's hits weren't registering rather than the enemies being too difficult.

For the 11/7 playtest we also had to do runs of our levels for the new scoring system that was in place. So I did about 40 runs of our level and plotted out the scores for the different rankings within the level. This should promote the speedrunning aspect of the game and encourage players to combo the mechanics throughout the level a lot more.

Here is an example of what that looks like:

 

We also implemented a few small tweaks that the project lead recommended like adding a couple of level mechanics to specific routes and adding assets in particular places to make the level look and flow better overall or to slow the player down on the lower pathways. 

For example we added these gates to one of the lower paths to slow the player down while also making the environment overall more interesting. 

Other than those larger changes we just spent a lot of time polishing and tweaking the level. Our lead had us run through our level multiple times and had us fix z-fighting and gapping issues. We also adjusted some of the colliders on specific objects as well as fixed some problem areas where the player could get outside of the map.

We also reorganized our hierarchy a bunch and made sure that everything in our scene was a prefab to get it ready for sound in the game. 

There were a couple bumps along the way to the final product as well. Daniel and I ran into an issue where one of the other Level Designers pushed up an asset pack that overrode some of our current prefabs. So I had to go back and re-export our old prefabs from an older version of collab and re-import them. 

Another issue we ran into was someone in programming pushed up a fix, to optimize some lighting in level 1 and it messed up the lighting for levels 2, 3, and 4. We fixed this in our level by placing a directional light back in the scene and rebaking the lighting but for the other levels, this didn't fix the issue, unfortunately.

Lastly, Daniel and I updated the annotated map for our level so now it matches the current level and layout. 

Here is an image of the overall annotated map, although it's hard to see without being the PSD file:

Other than all those changes we have just done a lot of polish and tweaking of our level to make sure everything looks good and works. We fixed a lot of bugs that came with incoming pushes from collab and got our level in good working condition. I also tried to help out the other level designers with their levels when they were having issues, such as fixing lighting issues, playtesting, etc. 

But now the game has come to an end. The experience on this game has taught me a lot about cooperation and teamwork as well as what it takes to take a concept of a level from full start to finish. There were a lot of bumps in the road but overall I feel the class has taught me a lot and that I'm a better level designer because of it!

Progress from 10/22-11/7

Since the last blog post, Daniel and I have been very busy at improving Level 2: The Cathedral of the Dark Arts. After the last playtest we were tasked with identifying five issues with our level again and fixing them. 

The five things that we chose to fix were:

• Better Implementation of Wall Jumps into the Level
• An attempt to try and further fix the collision issues
• We adjusted other routes to try and have a more drastic speed difference
• Adjusting lower paths to where the player has more to do if they fall
• Better usage of obstacles within the environment

We initially ran into the issues of players jumping over or going around wall jumps, so we decided to try and implement them in better ways within our level to be more of an aid to players rather than a nuisance. 

Here is an example of an area where we used wall jumps more to it's full potential:

We added wall jumps mostly to sections where the player needs to gain verticality. We also added them to sections where they incorporated into the mechanics better. 

Another issue that we attempted to fix was the colliders within the level. We did this by fixing the gaps within the invisible colliders but there wasn't much we could do to stop players from going through them. Inevitably if the player is going too fast they can go through most of the colliders within the game.

Although we were not able to really fix the issues of wall collision. We were able to fix some of the issues with the stairs by making their colliders overlap more. This fixed many of the issues with the player going through the stairs.

We also adjusted the alternate routes to have a more notable speed difference by taking out many platforming aspects within the higher routes. The alternate routes are almost entirely level mechanics now to really allow the player to get through the area more quickly. The lower pathways have more platforming now to slow the player down. 

Along with the changes that we made to the lower routes, we have also added more to do if the player falls so in many sections the player can now either get back up and right into the level mechanics again or they can stay on the lower path and do some slower and more basic platforming.

To fix the last issue we added more environmentally themed obstacles. We took out areas where platforming didn't fit as well to help the flow of the level feel better. We also added stairs to help with jagged jumping patterns and improve areas of platforming.

We have also made some more recent changes to the level. We replaced all of the placeholder objects with new models that we got.

First off we got in new models for floors and roofs in the cathedrals so we implemented those.

We also had to go through and redo the walls within the level because the new texture for our walls didn't tile as well as the old one did. So we talked to our lead and decided that it was best to scale the new wall up more so the seams weren't as noticeable within the level.

We also replaced the higher platforming sections with balconies now since the models are in.

We went ahead and made some changes to the overall design of the level. For some of the alternating paths, we were recommended to hide them with some of the stained glass windows. So we have level mechanics that send you into these secret faster paths now. 

Lastly, adjusted many of lower paths and higher paths to account for the scoring system within the game. So there are fewer higher scoring mechanics on the lower paths and more higher scoring mechanics on the higher paths. 

Daniel and I spent a good amount of time replacing all of our placeholder assets within the scene as well as making overall level tweaks and changes over the past couple weeks. 

I've completed all the tasks that our lead has assigned me so far. Next, we will be working on fixing some of the issues that we saw in the playtest today but the overall level is pretty much set in stone now. Our lead told us that from now on it's going to be a lot of polishing and tweaking what we currently have. 

We will also have to start running through our levels to find out what times fit the six different rankings for our levels. As well as adjusting the different paths for the scoring system that is now within the game. 

We are in the home stretch of completing our level and I'm looking forward to how it turns out. 

Progress from 10/10 - 10/22

I have been very busy the past couple of weeks making large adjustments to Level 2: The Cathedral of the Dark Arts. After the playtest there we were asked to identify five issues from the feedback we received on our level.

Here is a look at our current annotated map:

Our notes on the level can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bFdOpjmpJXC15mxf_b074lzNldNCLDrBvzBKBcwM2G8/edit?usp=sharing 

First off, we ran into an issue of players not moving their camera within the level. This resulted in players having a harder time traversing throughout the level. To fix this issue my partner and I had to go and readjust our level. We drastically reduced the harsh angles within the level and have more gradual turns, requiring the players to move their camera less.

Players also disliked the large groupings of pillars throughout the level. To fix this reworked the areas with pillars and used pillars more sparingly to make the level feel less repetitive.

Also, players every now and again would get lost within the level, usually within fighting areas because they would get turned around. This was partly due to it only being a block out and how things looked very similar. We are currently adding in assets to help landmark specific areas, so players are less likely to get lost. Some players also disliked the amount of platforming within the level and felt that it would disrupt flow at times. So we removed some platforming areas and tried to avoid putting level mechanics too close to walls that may disrupt the flow.

A lot of the past week has been adjusting the level and putting in assets that we got from modeling for our level. Putting in the walls and other assets in the level was very time consuming and I spent most of my time getting those in place. We are still waiting for a couple assets such as floors and a ceiling to make our level feel more complete. 

I also had to go through and place invisible walls around the frame of my level because the collider on the model isn't enough to stop the player from running through it. We have been running into issues with the player going through colliders in many instances, due to the speed of the character.

We also implemented battle areas from programming. This should significantly help with players getting lost within fighting areas because the battle area will lock people in that area, then after the player has defeated all the enemies they can continue through the rest of the level. 

The level isn't perfect and needs some touch-up but I've put a lot of hard work and many hours into the level the past couple weeks to get it to where it is. I'll soon be getting playtest feedback on the level and will be making improvements on the feedback.

Progress from 9/12 - 10/10

I have continued to work on level 2 and it's development. However, shortly after my last blog post, the game designer expressed that my level and level 3 weren't what he had envisioned for the game. So he asked us to start over with fresh levels and annotated maps.

Here is a look at my previous annotated map for my old level:



As you can see the map is very linear. The reason I made my first map this way was that the design document had an emphasis on linear progression and linear hallways within the Cathedral level. However, I had taken that statement too literally. The Game Designer didn't want linear levels but linear progression throughout the level with little to no backtracking/exploration.

The Game Designer said he wanted paths to split off into their own separate pathing, instead of just small splits. These paths would be quicker and more challenging.

My partner Daniel and I then set forth to make a new level 2 with more of what the designer had in mind.

Here is the new Level 2 Annotated Map we came up with (It's divided into upper and lower sections)

Here is the lower section:

Here is the upper section:

Here is a link to the Word Doc for the Map:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17xvIzN3u03E78QniQzzm1-FdD5iVh3qm-Vyx-aSQI-8/edit?usp=sharing

This map has much more of an emphasis on separate and more optimal pathing. Lower sections tend to consist of slower but easier platforming or dodging. While higher pathing is more challenging but much quicker. 

The overall emphasis of the level is to teach players how to combine level mechanics.

Initially, we had sections with Wall Rides but about a week ago we were told that wall rides were being cut from the game. So my partner and I took out the wall rides and replaced them with other level mechanics/platforming. However, we were told by our lead recently that they are now going to be back in the game. So, we will most likely update the map back with Wall Rides soon.

We were then told to block out our levels. I don't have screenshots of our initial block out but I can show you where we are at currently with the level.

After our initial block outs, we had an internal playtest with our fellow level designers. We all critiqued and received feedback on our levels.

The biggest issue that we were critiqued on in our level was that there wasn't enough to do if you fell. So we added in sections on the base floor where the player had to do platforming or dodging. Some of these sections consist of bobbing and weaving through pews, dodging groups of pillars, or simple platforming. We also updated our annotated map and word document based on our new changes.

Here is a look at some screenshots of our level in its current state (These aren't screenshots of the entire level but different parts of the level):

Recently we were tasked with preparing our level as much as we could for the playtest on 10/10 this was assigned to us on 10/3. Our lead, however, needed the level by 10/8 at midnight so it could be put into the build for the playtest on 10/10. The most important factor was that our level was functional. During this time we updated the art assets and added lighting/roofing to our block out as seen in the pictures above. Our initial block out didn't have the updated art assets, the lighting or the roof. 

We received an updated build from programming on 10/7 that had the updated character controller. So I spent a lot of time adjusting the level for the new character controller, for the playtest on 10/10. 

So far those are all the tasks I have had so far. I've completed everything so far. It's been busy and I've been trying my best to make the level the best it can be. I look forward to the playtest and improving our level even further.

During the playtest on 10/10, we will observe people playing our level and will receive feedback. After that, we will most likely make adjustments based on the feedback received.

Progress from 8/24 - 9/12

The first thing I was tasked with for Level Design to get into the swing of things was creating an annotated map for Crash Bandicoot’s first level.

This was so our lead could see the how each person's annotations were and what we could improve on. That way we were prepared for the real project.

Here's what I came up with:

After completing it we all reviewed each other's maps as a group and pointed out the flaws and improvements we could make. Seeing this now and after receiving feedback. I could have done a better job of going into detail for other departments. 

After that we moved on to the actual project and all of level design was tasked with creating an annotated map, a word document explaining our thought process and specific parts of the map, a block out of our level, and a version of our level using the modular assets that were in the folder for Level 2 of Project Resurgence. 

I drafted up a level on pencil and paper first. Then I proceeded to do my block out for the level. 

Here is a look at my block out:

The theme is a cathedral that uses mostly linear hallways and large rooms for fighting sections.

I then moved on to creating my annotated map and word document explaining the map.

Here is a link to my annotated map for my level:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w8q4zThUe7pl-G41j-v-DC0poj_btpIEWQxgHMzRAHM/edit?usp=sharing

Then I moved on to making my level with some modular assets

Here are some images of the level:

A challenge that I faced with the modular assets was that they were made for a different level, so trying to make an indoor cathedral level was hard to do. But the purpose of this was to show our level idea and how it worked mechanically. So, I ignored the cathedral aspect and tried to make it fit into the modular assets we were given. 

Next, we showed off what we had and did a quick play through of it. Then our lead (Eric) decided which idea he liked best and thought was well executed. Our lead picked my level as the second level for the project. 

I was then assigned to add 4 assets to the asset list for the cathedral level, with image references and a short description of the item and how it could be used. 

Our lead then assigned me Daniel Kelly as my partner for level 2. 

I was then assigned making the changes I wanted to my level to improve it.

I identified some sections of my level that I wanted to change after receiving feedback from our Project Lead (Brendan). I wanted to add in more sections to where if the player fell from the top section they had alternate routes that were easier but a bit slower for the player. So, I tasked him with creating an annotated map for lower level sections throughout my map. 

After a couple days he got the annotated map for the lower sections back to me and I blocked out the lower level sections and implemented the mechanics for those sections. 

Here are some screenshots of the new lower level section changes:

Daniel also pointed out and annotated out another section that should be redone. The section is the bell tower within the cathedral. The bell tower is there to break up the horizontal linear movement of the level and challenges the player to use the mechanics to scale the bell tower vertically. 

My original section for this had the player stop and look at 90 degree angles. With the new version of the bell tower the player should flow through the sections more smoothly and the camera should be better suited for it.

Here is a look at the bell tower section changes and block out:

These were all the tasks that I've been assigned so far and I've completed all of them. 

In the upcoming week, some of the department is going to playtest the game so far and they will play through the level in its current state. I'm excited to get some feedback on the level. The level isn't quite as clean as I want it to be as far as environment, decorations, etc. but that should change once I start getting some assets for the level. I can't wait to start getting some cathedral assets and really start bringing the level to life.