Paper Cut - What I Did
This is a list of what I worked on for Paper Cut, the title I worked on from August 2015 to December 2016 and took to PAX West in 2016 & 2017. It is by no means comprehensive and should not be taken as a full accounting for everything I did. Gameplay Physics Playground When the project started, I was working full time on another title, BREACH. During this first semester, my time was limited, and the project I was given was to "make the gameplay fun". We already had a character controller, so I made a physics playground for the player. It involved a see-saw, cardboard blocks to knock over, a catapult, and platforming. The see-saw and knocking over cardboard blocks evolved to the fold-able flaps in game. I also came up with the idea for the Pull tab system which became our major mechanic while working here, but upon hearing about it, a full time member wanted to make it, and I was busy with my full time team.
Diorama Aesthetic
We were debating whether to make the levels largely 2D with a little depth or allow full 3D exploration. Since we already had the cardboard aesthetic, I came up with the diorama aspect. I created a "world box" for the level to take place in and created several sample levels using this aesthetic as a proof of concept. Part of this aesthetic was also the camera system. "Zero" Camera
The camera system we had in game was mostly just a camera stuck to the player at a certain distance. I evolved this into a full system where the camera moves to match the player, and included the ability to enter new regions and change the camera follow distance and speed. I also experimented with a rail camera system and cinematic cameras, but the added polish actually removed from the aesthetic feel of a cardboard diorama. The low capability of the camera caused a number of issues with more complicated levels, but it was better to design around such a limitation. Reducing UV Asset Size
At one point I noticed the project was a much larger file than it should have been. I realized that our UV's were poorly made, with the important part only taking up a fraction of the 2048x2048 asset. I redid the UV's for all of our assets, and reduced the size to 512x512 (1/16th of the size) without any noticeable quality difference. This dropped the asset size from almost 6 MB a piece to less than 500 KB, and our total project size dropped to roughly 1/4th its former size. Narrative Design
Throughout the project, we had a hard time deciding upon a single narrative for the story. After a certain point, I took it upon myself to come up with the story myself. I still went through several iterations, but the premise stayed the same: The player meets with the scientist, scientist tells of an incoming disaster, and the player has to convince the people to save the city by performing certain tasks for them. Much of the specific writing was split by everyone on the team, including myself. Lighting
I spent a considerable amount of time working on lighting to make the world feel less flat. I had to come up with several different plans, both for inside and outside lighting. Ultimately, much of my work had to be scrapped due to an unfortunate problem and time constraints. Because our pullout tabs regularly shifted large portions of the world, baked lighting left a "Scooby doo" effect where the movable pieces were noticeably different in color/lighting. Rendering during real time was a problem due to the high poly cardboard pieces. Still, the work I did here can still be seen in the Abandoned Lab, Warehouse, Scientists Lab, and scattered throughout the rest of the game. Project End Producing As the project came towards its end in the final month or so, the producers became busy with other work, both on the game and for other classes. I stepped in and ensured that we were still on target to hit our release. This included taking a full accounting of what we still had to do, and assigning the tasks to different team members. I ensured we had all the sound assets we needed and they were attached, and added the final polish, lighting, and optimization check for each level. Levels: Junkyard
This was originally conceived of to be a full maze before the end of the game. I wanted it to be a full labyrinth of junked out versions of previous assets we saw in game as a send off, and the launch pad would come after. However, as the project came to a close, it was clear we wouldn't have time to make smaller mazes elsewhere as a warm up, as well as to make junk versions of each asset. I stripped down the concept to be a straight forward pull tab puzzle. I managed to make something that left playtesters feeling like it was complicated, but that they reliably got a feeling of accomplishment at solving, and nobody had any problem solving the puzzle. The camera system here was somewhat complicated, and had to briefly reset to default between transitions. Allowing adequate visibility of the player in a more 3D space is something we didn't really do elsewhere in the game and provided a unique challenge. The result is a number of cameras from the basic follow, to a severe downward angle, to static cameras, and a slow moving follow as the ship takes off. Morthison Bridge
We needed to introduce two different things in this level: the pull tab system and the spin jump. Having a character explain it to the player was a no-brainer, but we added in a little in-joke by having the character be a teacher at the school. In fact, all 3 NPC's are based off teachers at the school. This whole area is in jokes, but I think most still work even when the player doesn't have the inside knowledge. I struggled a bit here with making it easy for the player to fail the hover jump, but it seems to have worked out in the end. Scientist Street
This was an early sample of the diorama aesthetic, used to prove it as a concept. Originally created as a "connector level", it allowed for multiple exits to other levels. It evolved over time to include a pull tab puzzle, get rid of the exit in the background and an underground stairway, and another designer introduced a hidden platforming section to a secret area.
Sewer
This was an early experiment with platforming and depth. I wanted to test out both, and see if we could alter the direction of depth to maximize level size. When that ultimately failed, I made it a more straight forward platforming section. This level has the least "diorama box" feel to it in the game, a result of it being underground, but still fits in with the rest of the game world. The platforming remains somewhat awkward, a result of me trying to use a light rig to project shadows under the player rather than forcing a strong one, but the player is giving plenty of opportunities to skip the platforming. It actually becomes a point of pride for most players to get over it, and they'll try until they can do it. I also created a water launcher for this area and for a fountain in the Heart of the City. It works by having 2 objects: the launcher and a target. The launcher is given a fire rate and a launch angle. It then automatically calculates the force it needs to propel a projectile at in order to hit the target at the given launch angle. I initially had come up with a number of elaborate fountains and pipes that would launch items at the player, but these were all cut for being too distracting. Water Works
I went through many iterations of this level to determine how to maximize space and utility. This was initially meant to be a "connector level", with the player initially coming in from the sewer, but able to leave to the left, right, and background. When it was decided this area would be a dead end, I closed off the extra areas, and put a pull tab system in place. The pull tab system here is a cheat, as the unfolding cardboard passes through itself, but it happens too fast to be noticeable to the player. The box hitting the broken fence is actually a reference to an earlier main story plotline, where the scientists machine explodes and you have to find the parts. This area also served as the initial test for the side quests. The dialog of the gangsters trying to find their "friend" was all worked out using conversation triggers, and was meant as an easter egg for players who looked hardest. Once we settled on the side quest system, it was made more obvious. Interestingly, this is probably the most "advanced" area of the game: a self-contained side quest, requiring hovering, pull tab system, dialog state changes, and one of the few areas where I was able to get more involved lighting working to a satisfactory level. Cut Levels: Duckpond 2
The original Duckpond was initially planned as the finale of the game, a passion project of a team member who left. We realized pretty early on that it wasn't going to work, as it was too large and sprawling, and didn't fit with the aesthetic of the game. There was no real way to make it fit any better either, a result of there being a planned horse race around the pond. I shrunk the entire area to make it more utilitarian while still making it feel open and grand. Ultimately it was still too large and frankly, not necessary in any capacity. When we decided to make the finale involve launching a ship into space, this area was scrapped pretty quickly. Many of the elements here got added to the outside of the Mayors House to make it feel less empty. City Center
The City Center was supposed to be the main world hub where the player would return repeatedly. The scientists lab was supposed to be just off, and we would have 4 other directions the player could go in. We initially thought these areas would be themed mechanically, such as a pull tab area, a folding flap area, and a maze area, before opening up a "final challenge" area, but none of this really panned out. Ultimately the whole area felt both too open and too small, with not enough life to make it feel important enough to be the main hub. This area went through at least 3 more iterations after this before we decided on a final design.
