ExploreNation - A Level Design Project
ExploreNation was a game I created in Unreal Engine 4 during my first semester of Senior Year at DigiPen Institute of Technology. It was created for the purpose of making a single large level for the player to explore, and relied on basic game mechanics and a simple upgrade system to ensure players felt like they were getting better.
Colour Language:
The decision to differentiate what platforms could be reached by upgrade achieved was part of the initial design concept. I decided early on I wanted to make the game colour-blind friendly as much as reasonably possible. I was working with using different shapes and symbols to denote differences, but ultimately decided to limit myself to simply using colour since I was otherwise working with several colour-blind developers and had them available as a resource and didn't need to play it as safe.
Red was decided to be the "danger" colour, and from there I figured out 3 others that looked distinct enough. I then set about making the game world in a way that all cyan regions could be reached by default, and yellow as a stand in for "middle" (yellow lights, for example). I wanted the end of the game to use all of the colours to make it feel vibrant and allowed the purple to be the dullest, appearing almost foreign in the game world. Finally, I determined the player should match the colour of what areas they could reach at that point, and altered the material slightly to make the player stick out from the background.
AREA 1:
This is the tutorial area of the map. It's important to not only train the player, but to reuse what we've trained the player in. Because of the minimal mechanics of the game, I mostly needed to train the player in the limitations of their jumping (distance and height) as well as to be chasing after the AI character, which served as both a fail-safe if ever the player was unsure of where to go and as story content to give the player motivation.
AREA 2:
I introduce the player to a gap they can't jump across so that they look for alternate paths. The yellow orb is glowing and draws the players attention. The orb gives the player an upgrade, multiplying their speed and jump height by 1.5x. Once collected, the player's colour is changed and the jump they struggled with is now easily crossed. I then introduce precision platforming in a series of jumps. Regular checkpoints keep the difficulty curve low, but increasing. I provided a brief respite inside the church before introducing a new mechanic.
AREA 3:
I introduce and use up a train platforming section. I started off easy with the player just dodging obstacles, but then require jumping as well. The player is then given a short break on the platform before tackling the harder section. On the 3 train section, obstacles were broken into 3 sections of increasing difficulty. While the train riding is not used again, avoiding obstacles while moving will show up later on.
AREA 4:
After the trains, I wanted a fairly easy section of low risk. The platforming here still requires some concentration, but is not overly complicated nor does it require any timing.
AREA 5:
I wanted to give the player a segment that seems difficult but is not an increase in difficulty, so a broken bridge concept was put in. This also is positioned to give the player a great view of the starting area and all the areas of where they've been. I then make it clear where the player is to go, and iterated heavily to ensure that moving down the elevator shaft doesn't prove too stressful.
AREA 6:
I created a spiral platforming section gives the player the opportunity to test their new (purple) upgrade. Long platforms allow the player to see how their speed has changed, and large gaps make the player feel like they are more powerful. The gaps between buildings give the player quick views of where they've been as well as where they are going. It was important for the player to be able to see where they wanted to go ahead of time here.
AREA 7:
I wanted to let the player know they are close to the end, so I left the AI waiting for the player on top of the purple block on the right. When the player approaches, it jumps to the top of the tower, drawing the player to stop and look at it for a second. The player then has to climb it, avoiding a series of obstacles. These obstacles start at the top and slow down as they reach the bottom, making it grow more difficult for the player as they progress. I included 3 checkpoints to give the player a chance to rest. Upon reaching the top, the AI provides the player with a choice, and the game ends. This was originally supposed to be an elevator that lifted the player out of the level, but feedback suggested this was confusing, and was changed at the last minute.
