Premise/Parameters:
Premise:
- This was the second project for a level design course, in which I had to research sidescrollers and create a level inspired by another game.
- I had some restrictions over the levels design and mechanics.
- This project was a chance to challenge myself with what I had learned from the Location Study Project by creating something I have not seen yet which was a 2.5D sidescroller based around D&D's Underdark.
Project Parameters:
- Perspective: (Sidescroller 2D) with permission I was allowed to do 2.5D.
- Player mechanics: (Platforming mechanics with self-made additional mechanic), except it could not be a walking sim or template.
- Environment mechanics: (Hazards with another self-made additional mechanic)
- Deadline: 4 weeks from June 13 to July 9 to finish the project.
Ideation/Reference Materials:
Ideation:
For this project, I used this as an opportunity to test my understanding and knowledge of level design using a unique perspective as well as an interesting aesthetic. This was my first time doing any kind of sidescroller as I have cultivated knowledge on the genre for a very long time with this case being more focused on creating as many unique sections as possible while slowly introducing mechanics along the way.
The initial ideation of the level was to make a sidescroller based around D&D's Underdark, which gives me a vast amount of creative freedom with reference art illustrating the locations and allowing me to take creative liberties wherever I see fit. However, I knew I could not just have it be 2D, so I made it 2.5D letting the player have full directional autonomy whilst constraining them to only one side of the camera to maintain the side scroller feel.
Reference Materials:
My process begins with gathering information on sidescrollers games that pertained to the kind of sidescroller I wanted to exemplify in this project. I gathered inspiration from 3 games being Rayman Legends, Speedrunners, and Oxenfree. I took the ideation of variety, level flow, and intensity ramping from Rayman Legends. In addition, I was inspired by the use of perspective in Oxenfree due to how the game is set in a 2D space, yet the environment creates a 3-dimentional effect.
Gymnasium/Mechanics:
Gymnasium:
Similar to the Location Study Project, I didn't create a gym due to the levels blockout taking priority over the simple mechanics that would be implemented in later iterations. Also, I was focusing on how to approach level design using both 2D and 3D principles at the same time to convey information as well as the layout of the level itself.
Mechanics:
- The player primarily interacts with the environment by walking, dashing, jumping, activating checkpoints, using an occlusion mask for tunnels, and interacting with mushroom jump pads.
- The primary mechanic in priority is technically the combination of two mechanics being the walking and jumping. Due to the level's length, the spaces needed to feel appropriate for the movement because the player is an D&D adventurer navigating unknown terrain that leads to the Underdark.
- The secondary mechanic in priority is technically the combination of two mechanics being the dashing and interacting with mushroom jump pads. These were the additional mechanics needed for the level to fulfill the parameters of the project. The mushroom jump pads had to be fine tuned in order for them to not over shoot the player and the dashing needed to be powerful enough to manage gaps in later sections of the level.
- The tertiary mechanic in priority is activating checkpoints. In platformers, checkpoints are a necessity for players to learn the level's design, gameplay mechanics, etc. If checkpoints were not present then it would be a significantly more difficult level for players to finish and most importantly enjoy.
First Iteration:
After creating the proposal, I began constructing a mountain backdrop environment with a waterfall to help create a sense of scale and as the first section of the whole level in Unreal Engine 5. In addition, I needed to rethink how information was given to the player since I was adding the difficulty of another dimension which lead to me using vignettes to clue the player whilst the camera only truly moving on a 2D plane.
Details from D&D are spread throughout to make the level more authentic to the world such as the word "Death" spelled in angular Drow Elvish above the entrance to the tunnels and the tunnel system itself is actually meant to be Wormwrithings (which are carved tunnels left behind by purple worms in the D&D universe).
Feedback/Takeaways:
Player Feedback:
- Asks question about entrance and jumping portions inside tunnels need more clarity.
- Occlusion mask moves too fast, adjust blocking volumes to not stick to players, and gravity is too low.
- Confused on movement, likes waterfall and vignette, likes checkpoints and fog.
Observational Feedback:
- Went for the starting death jump repeatedly and gets stuck on blocking volumes.
- Goes left instead of right at start skipping the first checkpoint and tries jumping over tunnel death pit multiple times.
- Goes for starting death jump and goes past tunnel death pit.
Takeaways:
1. Players liked the sense of scale and the environment details of the level.
2. Players were confused on how the movement worked due to the initial impression of it seeming to appear as a normal 2D sidescroller.
3. Players needed more clarification on where to actively go and easier time to effectively navigate some spaces.
4. Blocking volumes are positioned in a way that players are getting stuck on them and must be altered.
5. Starting death jump and death pit were attempted by players as planned to make them try alternatives.
Second Iteration:
For the second iteration, I added more details to the map to make it more legible for the player to understand certain aspects of the environment and added another section to the level hinted by the ending of the first iteration. The second section of the map is meant to be inspired by Baldur's Gate 3 and other renditions of the Upperdark, which is the first level of the Underdark. The broken bridges are meant to be in the style of Drow architecture that I got inspiration by looking at official/fan art.
Alterations/Solutions:
After analyzing the feedback/takeaways, I made alterations that correlated to them and refined the level's experience overall. Below are the problems with their solutions to the feedback/takeaways and how those solutions worked.
Problem(s): Players were confused on how the movement functioned, more clarification on where to actively go and an easier time to effectively navigate some spaces.
Solution(s): I altered some of the blockout to create more clarity on how the levels movement/navigation functioned. At the beginning, when the player eventually turns left after attempting the impossible first jump, they can more easily see where they can view the starting point of the ramp with a part of the fencing being removed as well as it being clear that there is no place to go further on the left due to a rockslide being present. In addition, I made sure player was placed on top of the first checkpoint to ensure they had some safety precautions while moving the player character more forward to not have the player immediately go in the other direction.
Problem(s): Blocking volumes are positioned in a way that players are getting stuck on them and must be altered.
Solution(s): The blocking volumes were sometimes at slanted angles along the player path which caused players to sometimes get stuck on them, especially when they jumped in a diagonal direction. I altered them to be more vertical with some being inward as well to prevent players from getting stuck on the blocking volumes
Feedback/Takeaways:
Player Feedback:
- Depth perception was a bit difficult and colors can be a tad too bright.
- Likes tunnel vision, asks about mushroom jump pad, adjust mushrooms in the environment.
- Likes the simple designs, tunnel vision, and the use of vignettes throughout the level.
Observational Feedback:
- Noticed vignettes, went past death pit with first mushroom jump pad, and gets bored between sections.
- Figured out pathing, but was confused on what mechanics were available.
- Went for starting death jump, gets confused on tunnel jump and direction of Upperdark level start.
Takeaways:
1. Players still enjoyed the sense of scale, the tunnel vision mechanic, and the environment details of the level.
2. Players were understanding the vignettes more as well as the pathing.
3. Depth perception became a problem in the Upperdark portion with the mushrooms.
4. Mushroom jump pads need to be fine tuned in terms of placement in the level and the mechanic's power.
Final Iteration:
For the final version, I added another section to the map being the Middledark based around Dark Lakes which are essentially vast oceans underground while adding any final touch ups where it was needed across the entire level. I then added/used sound design to really bring the level together to produce the final product with the sound design elements being acquired from my university's sound library/repository. In addition, this project was the first time I had ever done sound design being present in a level to really enhance the atmosphere.
Alterations/Solutions:
After analyzing the feedback/takeaways, I made alterations that correlated to them and refined the level's experience overall. Below are the problems with their solutions to the feedback/takeaways and how those solutions worked.
Problem(s): Depth perception became a problem in the Upperdark portion with the mushrooms.
Solution(s): I altered the second section of the level to be careful about perspective since trying to have the player do tasks when they are constrained to one perspective can be annoying for the player. Leading me to only making the primary challenges stay in a horizontal configuration while aspects of simple traversal can be applied in every direction. I then changed some of the mushrooms positions present in the second section to help aid with the issues of depth perception occurring while making sure the camera isn't clipping through objects as well.
Problem(s): Mushroom jump pads need to be fine tuned in terms of placement in the level and the mechanic's power.
Solution(s): The mushroom jump pads were unfortunately inconsistent in terms of bouncing power with majority of cases providing the correct amount of power while others somehow gave too much. I then made sure to dial the power to be more consistent and have the position of the mushroom jump pads avoid certain angles that could create these issues to continue.
