RUNAWAY

This is a university project for which we were asked to create a 3D platformer with 2 levels that explores the best practices in the 3D platformer genre and follows the gameplay styles found in titles such as Spyro, Crash Bandicoot or Croc.

The area of research we are currently focusing on is how to develop engaging level designs that require the use of mechanics and puzzles to progress.

Player controller

• Must be Third Person.
• Unlockable Abilities

Game Mechanics

• AI Enemies / NPC’s
• Movement / Patrols for AI
• Respawning / Checkpoints
• Destructible Environments
• Interactable Buttons / Levers / Doors
• Dynamic Camera Controls

The abilities are supposed to let you progress through the game; without a certain ability the player should not be able to move onto next area. Using combinations of abilities to traverse is desirable. The game and flow should feel good for the player and feel polished.

Deadline is 17th May 2021.

Theory Explored

I decided to take inspiration from Crash Bandicoot as I like the way some of the levels are designed in the top down going forward. It allows for me to limit paths and set a clear goal of where the player is to go and what to do, if it were super open like Spyro for example, I think the way my game would be being a city it would create a mess of visuals if it was an open area that’s why it was better for me to create smaller and thing pathways. It allows for player to focus more on the gameplay, instead of fiddling around with the camera and dealing with awkward camera angles. Although my paths are just going straight, I have however decided to work in some separate paths in my levels to make the level feel bigger and give some nonlinearity to the game to get to give illusion of more choice to the player.

I also explored ways to motivate the player through my gameplay. Through exinitic, intrinsic and narrative methods. My extrinsic way is giving the player points from killing enemies and chests around every main area to give them reason to explore further. The extrinsic is the gaining new skills and collecting collectibles. The intrinsic is learning the new skills and trying to master them. The narrative of course is trying to get to the end of the game as well as also collecting the collectibles hidden around.

Although visuals are the smaller number of marks. The game I decided to create requires some extra visuals.  I explored some ways in which to make my games more visually appealing through the lighting since the story is set in a cyberpunk city. Through my research I found that lots of signs and lamps all around Is the best to make a pretty and effective lighting for cyberpunk. Lighting also in an instant can add level of contrast to the space, which is what I wanted - The bright lights of the signs contrasting the darkness of the city. It is also useful in highlighting doorways, paths, objects to pull the eye towards it. I used this for one of my pathways hidden away to get a collectible object.

Lastly, I also wanted to explore different ways of onboarding a player. A good, short but informative tutorial is important as users are eager to just get straight into playing the game. If the first minutes are spent reading through bunch of text, they might not even bother playing the game at all. It is important for a good experience and understanding the mechanics in a simple way without breaking a player out of immersion. Using User interfaces is the most intrusive but probably the best way of informing the player as you can show the most information on a UI screen however I wanted to avoid this at all costs. It is a direct messaging from the developer and pauses the game taking the player out of the immersion and can end up being very frustrating if the player is constantly getting taken out of the experience because a new skill has been unlocked. Another way to onboard would be through sound. I would have loved to do this approach. It is probably the best one out of all as it does not take the player out of the game and it feels more diegetic to the game world as it would be a character saying it in context to what is happening. In the end chose a bit of mix of user interfaces and an object within the game world to inform the player. It is not a direct menu however but, a little floating telecom. If I had the recording equipment, I would have loved to make it a little talking robot that throws information at the player through the dialogue, instead of showing text on the screen. It is still a bit of a message from the developer however it is so much more diegetic and does not take player out of the experience. It also allows for the player to take a little bit more of a hands-on, trying out the newly introduced skill straight away as soon as they have read the controls as they are short and snappy bits of information at a time instead of being thrown at the player straight away at the beginning of the game.