Runnin' Hot
January 2021 - May 2021
University team project
My roles: Level designer, production assistant, QA
Inspirations: Geometry Dash, Subway Surfers, Hover, Tireless: Prepare for the Adrenaline
Genres: 3rd person action platformer
Platforms: PC, MacOs
Engine: Unreal Engine 4.24.3
Tools: Unreal Engine 4, Blender, Trello, GitHub, Microsoft Office tools, Google Workspace
Team size: 8
Pre-production
For the concept of the level design I took inspiration from existing maps of games I played in the past. I researched Mario Kart 8, specifically the "Grumble Volcano" map for its aesthetic. The second game I looked into was Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil and its level "Empty Sea of Tears". The protagonist named Klonoa must traverse certain levels on a surfboard, avoid environmental obstacles, collect gems, and jump over ravines. Finally, I researched Geometry Dash, aesthetically the closest game to the final product, contains plenty of obstacles and set the tone for the desired difficulty set by the team.
Blockout and development
I made a first pass at a prototype map with several platforms that were all short and required many jumps. However, it was quickly understood that the level needed to be much larger, the paths needed to be farther away from each other, and I needed to make the level itself longer to increase play time. The platforms had to be elongated as it was very hard to jump well with an incredibly high speed. The movement speed needed to be heavily increased as well if the platforms were to be longer.
Here is a video of the first blockout.
Some work went into the blockout after the initial feedback from the team.
The programmers implemented some necessary mechanics into the the new level and the team playtested the game. We all ended up with some ideas for improvements:
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The platforms and tunnels were too large and made the traversal of the level feel sluggish. No obstacles that required sliding were placed (at the time no animation or logic for sliding was implemented), so their placement wasn't heavily taken into account.
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Running and Jumping worked okay with the distances between platforms but some platforms still needed to be elongated more. There were too many instances where the player was required to jump, but it was easily fixed by making platforms longer and connecting more of them together.
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The level was a bit hard to pass but not impossible. It featured two paths and it was a test to see if the level would be more fun by making it less linear. Since the idea was popular, I went ahead with it.
I then created a new prototype blockout that ended up being iterated on until the project was completed. I noted down some path ideas on paper and made the blockout using Supergrid for platforms and obstacles. In this blockout, the platforms were still placed in a way that enforced too much jumping and not enough running. I then evaluated whether the player should collect all the game's collectibles, the water droplets, or a minimum amount in order to pass the level. This would influence how to build the level: in the former case, the player would require a way to loop back around from a secondary path. By forcing the player to collect a minimum amount of droplets, I'd be able to encourage player choice and not worry them with having to loop back into the golden path. The only issue with that approach was to balance the level correctly, make sure all paths are viable and offer a balanced challenge for each choice. The pros were more player agency, potential for strategy and mastery of particular paths.
For the second playable prototype, I iterated on the feedback I was given, implemented assets by our 3D artist, created more and better pathing that took advantage of the movement and placed collectibles around the level, ensuring all paths would grant at least the minimum amount of water droplets required to beat the level. The level was also encapsulated in a box to make it feel like it took place underground.
Some playtesting indicated that it was hard for some players to figure out where to go, specifically because of the amount of side paths. Without textures and signs, it was common for players to go on one path and end up going back towards the start.
The fountain, placed as the level's end, had a beam that could be seen from most parts of the level and it worked as a weenie to indicate where the end was. The beam's brightness was too low and it was fixed later by the team.
Here is a video of the second playable prototype.
The level went through several iterations with playtesting, adding new or better meshes for the platforms, and finalising mechanics.
Many adjustments were made so that the platforms would be tightly attached to one another.
After finalising the level, I worked on a tutorial level. This level was supposed to have dialogue between the main character and the antagonist, as a way of showing the player the mechanics of the game into a small and streamlined level.
The video below shows the final version we delivered of the project.
Final thoughts
This was my first big scale project that featured a team full of designers, artist, and programmers, mentored by Outplay Entertainment. It was a very rewarding journey, but a rough one. I was able to learn a lot back then, thanks to my research and my team members. It ignited a passion for what I do today, as well as established relationships that still go strong today.
Screenshots
