Workng on Final

 This weekend's homework was to make progress on the final. I modeled out two new areas of my game in UDK. I did just the set pieces which are the walls and floors. I couldn't do much on Maya due to it continually crashing, but I did manage to add a few new items to my lab equipment Modules.

Biology Lab Floor 

Chemical Lab

Containment Cell/Hall Way

Level Design - Lab Room Rough Draft

 For homework we had to work on our final projects. We had to start up a rough draft for a room of our choosing and do modules in Maya and other pieces in UDK.

Single Player Level Design | Midterm Begins

Today we discussed what the difference between a multiplayer and a single player map was. We address things such as story line and strong gameplay. We also talked about how important it is for a story to be translated through each map in order to maintain player immersion.  We also talked about giving the player power of choice and also how to allow them to utilize the map in different ways. For home work we had to finish reading the next chapter and begin coming up with floorplans, and documentation for our midterm.

Multiplayer

In the last class we covered multiplayer level designs, and the do's and don'ts of designing areas for this specific category. For homework we had to choose a multiplayer title and write 2 good and 2 bad examples with in said work. For my study, I choose Journey, a PS3 network game about a nameless protagonist that is joined in a vast dessert by another robed figure, as they try to make their way to a mountain in the distance.  The hardest part of this project was picking out bad examples because this game was very uniquely formatted and was highly polished, so it was hard to pinpoint faults. 

Floor Plans

Monday's homework was to drawn up two floor plans in illustrator  One in is suppose to be an abstract map and the other is suppose to be a realistic map. The hardest part of this project was deciding on what assets to place on the map because depending on what you chose you could end up messing up a realistic theme.

Realistic Mountainside Ascent map

Abstract Underwater Exploration Map

Floor Plan Doc

Sea Cave Level

               Section A

The player is dropped into the level from a hatch. The character falls into the water and will be forced to dive to find the exit. Section A contains one of two exits. Directly above the first exit is a gap with a jet stream sucking in and blowing out at intervals. At the back wall of the gap, behind the jet stream is a wall of sea anemones that shock and paralyze.  Below the entrance is a solid wall that continues into section C. Once the player steps through entrance, immediately, the floor should give way to another room. In this room is a chest and an enemy.

If the player continues to follow the main path, they will come to a fork in the path that runs up and down. At the top is an anemone and a path that continues into section B. the road that runs downward will have a jet stream blowing out from a gap at the bottom; leaving a small place for a chest.

Section B

              

               When the player enters section B they will enter from section A. there is a cross bar that splits the room in half. At the far right is an isolated room containing an enemy and a chest sitting on a ledge. This room is accessed by following the main room down avoiding two anemones on the wall of the room partition. An enemy will be patrolling back and forth, between a gap and an anemone. Two rooms flank this gap. The one above will be guarded by an anemone and contains a chest. The room below will have two anemones flanking either side of the room. If the player continues on the main road they will hit a floor, and will have to choose to swim right to the isolated room or left into section C.

Section C

               In order to find the entrance to section C, the player will have to follow the wall coming from section A down to the bottom of the map. This area is guarded by three enemies. The solid wall should eventually give way to an entrance guarded by anemones. The player will have to swim through six anemones flanking the walls of a narrow path. This route leads directly to the exit room; which has a jet stream blowing from directly above it. There should also be an anemone guarding the exit room entrance.

               The exit door is locked and can be opened by obtaining a key in a room just above the path infested by anemones. This room should be large and have an enemy patrolling in and a key in the far corner of the room.

              

Mountainside Ascent Level

Section A

·        Player enters on rocky road.

o   2x falling rock traps separated by small clearings.

·        Path dips east and bends west.

o   A small fork in the road is located in the center of the bend.

§  Entrance is blocked by fallen/loose rocks

§  Small path leads to small round clearing

§  1 x enemy encounter

·        Following the path west.

o   Further in; near the end of the path is a hatch to a ladder

o   Small room at bottom of ladder

§  Enemy encounter

§  Healing herbs

o   Road bends back east.

§  Enemy encounter on the bend

o   The road going east is clear and leads to section B

Section B

·        Road leading from the east bend of section A runs into a fork

o   East and west roads are choked by branches and bushes

§  2x branches/bushes

§  West road loops behind main road

·        Encounter

·        Then a ladder up

·        Healing herb

·        Player must jump down from a wall.

§  East road

·        Small path leading to a clearing

·        Hatch sitting behind enemy encounter

·        Ladder down

·        Small path the leads to a section C

·        Main road leads north and bends west

o   Is clear until east bend that takes road east.

§  Rockwall  on west side

§  Road going east is blocked by loos rocks.

o   Path going east bends north after a few yards and goes into section C

Section C

·        Entered from hidden path in section B

·        Path leads to room

o   Encounter x 1

o   Healing Herb x 1

·        Ladder on back wall lead up

·        Room entered from ladder hatch

·        Path winds wests

o   Rock traps separated by encounters

§  2 x encounters

§  2 x fallen/loose rocks

o   Path ends in bushes/branches

o   Path dips into small clearing which leads to ladder

o   A clearing after the ladder

§  Encounter

§  Rock trap at exit

·        Small path leads to north bend that takes players to the exit.

o   Encounter stands in front of it

o   Loose rocks fall as player rounds the bend.

Level concepts Relating to level Design

Our homework was to research concept art from a current generation title. We also had to look at the artists' diaries and see how they generated those ideas. I choose to do skyrim, and luckily found a production diary called 'Completely Blue Sky'. where the artists talked about how they first came up with the concept and how the director of the game helped narrow out a theme. They also talked about what they aimed to portray and what they missed out on doing.

I found that the hardest thing to do was to pick out which levels to research  because skyrim is a huge game. But after seeing what concept art they had to offer, choosing became much easier. I also found that filling the limitation sections and the requirements section were a little tricky and I had to refer to the chapter several times before I could flesh out those sections.

3 Level Design Doc

Amanda Torres

Level Design

Prof. Charlie Williams III

10/19/12

Level Document

Level Concept #1

This level would begin with a small pathway, which leads to the first obstacle. The first obstacle is in the form of some type of gushing river; which intersects with the path, barring the player from progressing. The player then must navigate across by stepping upon stones and carefully crossing thin logs that have been washed down river; these are prone to break if stood upon too long. Some stones may also be slippery, causing the character to sometimes fall into the river. The player then must swim back to stable ground if he falls. Touching the ‘river’ causes the player to lose health. If all health is lost, the character is swept away.

Once across, the player will encounter the second obstacle in the form of a tree maze that is filled with traps. Within the forest maze the character will encounter things intended to hinder movement and progress. There will also be segments of the maze that include climbing obstacles that will require the  player crouch and/or jump over to get around. These obstacles will look like low hanging branches or piles of foliage that have thorns and rocks in them, and make it impossible for the character to run through the piles. Throughout the whole maze will be ‘trigger tiles’ placed on the floor in random areas to cause monster/battle encounters to happen.  This level ends when the character reaches the door at the end of the maze, steps through and triggers a boss fight.

Layout Concept to #1

The character will jump a few stones before reaching about half-way across the river. Here there will be a large gap from one stone to the other. A large log should float down river when the character reaches this stone and become wedged between that stone and the next forming a small yet feeble bridge for the character to cross over.  Between the first log and second sits a single stone, to make jumping from log to log a little more difficult. After the second log bridge the character should be able to reach the other side of the river, where there is a hill covered in rocks and vines that the character will need to jump and climb over to reach the second half.

The mountain maze in the second half is composed of a large winding path to the top as the main component. It has five bends on the overall route. As the character enters the maze, he will encounter a fork in the road. The route that goes west is covered by fallen rocks the character must leap over to get through, which leads to a small dead end and a monster encounter trap. The route that continues north keeps the character on the major path, and around the first bend. As the character approaches the second bend they will come to another fork in the road. There will also be another monster encounter trap waiting at the end of the road; this monster trap conceals a hatch that goes underground. If the character take the hatch to the underground room that will encounter another monster and find a treasure chest. If the character continues on the main road, going northeast, they will come to a suspicious spot in the road that has three forks but conceal two of the alternative routes. All of these routes lead to the exit.

The route that runs west is concealed by low hanging branches the character must crawl under to get through, which leads to a narrow path. This eventually takes the character back up north where they will come to a ladder and another monster encounter. After climbing the ladder there will be a treasure chest and a rock slide trap that can be activated by the character and used to reduce to health meters on the monster encounter sitting below on the main road.  Once the trap is released the character can jump down and continue on the main road. If the character chooses to continue on the main road, they must avoid the falling rock trap and fight the monster encounter. If the character takes the route leading east, they will have to crawl under a set of low hanging branches and follow a small path to a hatch sitting in the center of a clearing. The hatch down leads to a ladder and another small path to a room with a monster encounter and a treasure chest. From this room the character can exit through a ladder that leads to a narrow pathway and gauntlet of fallen rock obstacles and monster encounters. At the end of that narrow path is a second set of low hanging branches that must be crawled under. From that the character will emerge on a ladder that is set closely to the exit of the level. From here the character fight another monster encounter and jumps one last fallen rock obstacle coming to the exit of the level.

Level Concept #2

For this level I would have the environment submerged in some form of liquid to allow the player to float up and down to navigate around. The level will begin by dropping the character into frame. To help guide the player through the level I’d place in-game rewards near each obstacle the player needs to get through in order to finish the level. Within this submerged, or ‘floating’ level, I’d put in some type of flying or swimming pursuer, that chases after the player and damages the character’s health meter to add  a sense of urgency and a need to escape from the first part of the level. There will also be bubbles or cloud like objects that encapsulate and trap the character throughout the entire level. These will randomly spawn and the player will have to repeatedly tap buttons to escape.

The first obstacle will be a number of underwater tunnels or caves the player must navigate through, while be pursued by enemies and trapped bubbles. Along the walls are surfaces randomly placed, that will shock and cause the character to “flinch”. Meaning, the avatar will stop progress, flash and the player’s movement will be temporarily slowed. To up the difficulty of avoiding these shock patches, the character will encounter “jet streams,” or pulses of air, that will either push or pull the player into hazards. These will be placed around turns or corner within the cave-maze, and can be fought against if the player pushes the movement button in the opposite direction of the current. The level is ended when the character discovers a door hidden in the utmost back wall of the cave segment of the level.

Layout Concept to #2

The character will be dropped in the water from a hatch. From this section of the level the character will only be able to enter the maze from two entrances. The first entrance is placed between a gap on the wall on the right side, and a solid wall that leads south, where the second entrance is located. This entrance is blocked by anemones whose tendrils pulse in and every few second allow the character to enter if their timing is right. Near the bottom of the map is where enemies spawn and many will be near this door way. Beyond the first pair of anemones guard the door are a series of anemones that alternate on the sides of the walls. Taking this router will lead the character straight to the end of the level if they are able to time their movements correctly and get across without being stung to death.

The entrance under the gap at the top of the map can be reached by avoiding the jet stream that pulls the character toward the gaps which is filled with anemones. Once in the maze the character will come to a fork. If they travel south they will come to a dead end and a treasure chest and be chased by and enemy. If the character continues east they will follow a short path that comes to another fork. A jet stream will be coming out of the path going south, pushing the character north. Just under the reach of the jet stream is a treasure chest the character can attempt to get. If the character continues north they must dodge an anemone on the north wall and fool the path east. This path is wider and has a few compartments that hold treasure chests.

Following this path south will take the character to a three-way fork. The fork leading north is a dead end with a small room and two anemones on the walls. The path going west takes the character to a large room that is also a dead end. There is a key to unlock the door in here and also a boss encounter. Following the path south takes the character to the path that leads to the locked exit which is guarded by a jet stream pushing in the opposite direction and an anomie.  

Level Concept #3

In this level, the player will be fighting against time. The starting point puts the player at the center of a very large field. There will be a designated construction area, where player must find and gather pieces randomly hidden throughout the level. This area is flat and meadow like allow the character to view all other areas from this spot. The pieces will be hidden in other areas that the player will either have to dig, swim or solve to get through. The area for the pieces that need to dig for, will look like big clots of dirt on the ground, and will require the player to repeated tap the action button to dig. These dirt clods may also be boobie-trapped with an effect to slow down speed or digging effectiveness. For the piece that the character will have to swim for, the player will use the action button to dive and swim. These areas are pond or pool like and are filled with enemies that pursue the players. The puzzle for the locked areas will range from simple to intermediate picture puzzles.  These areas are all easily accessed by walking, but there will also be hidden areas beneath dirt-clods and near the bottom of the pools. These hidden areas, once found, will be the riddle or puzzle doors that need to be opened by solving it; allowing the character more access to pieces.

As time progresses the map will begin to cloud over reducing visibility. After fogging up to an extent; objects that cause damage will begin to spawn on the map temporarily. At this point, the player will have to construct a shelter from the pieces found in order to protect their character from being damaged. Extra pieces can also be found to craft weapons. Level is completed once Character survives through 5 ‘fog waves.’

Layout Concept to #3

               The character enters the level from the northeast side. The entrance area is grassland-like and flat. Here is where the character’s campsite is, and where they will find a small creature to help them sniff out and dig up pieces. There will be 5 other areas to explore. The first area the character can explore is a rocky, mountainous type area to the southeast. Here pieces will be hidden around rock walls and on top of two mountains in the area. The area to the west is forest like and will not contain many piece at all, this area is used as a partitioning for the map. To the south of this area is a beach like area where pieces will be hidden near the edge of the beach and by palm trees. The area above this leads to a lake where several pieces are hidden alongside the shore and within the lake itself. To the west are a second beach, and a small mountain where more pieces will be hidden. To the south of this beach is a small marsh where pieces will be hidden in swamp muck that must be trudged through and dug for.

3 Level Concepts

Our next assignment is to take our 5 level concepts and narrow those down to 3 refined levels that meet the standards of the six pillars of level designing. I picked my forest level, my submerged/swimming level and an exploration level. I than drew level concepts by hand to help me remember and guide me when writing my over all layout for each level. I had trouble putting my level layout into words, but I did my best to word each level layout clearly, and the sketches did help me when writing up the layouts. When crafting my levels I tried to keep them simple yet fun, and give the player some choice when playing through each level.

Forest/Mountain Level Concept Map

Sea/Water Level Concept Map

Exploration Level Concept Map

Level Document

Amanda Torres

Level Design

Prof. Charlie Williams III

10/16/12

Level Document

Level Concept #1

This level would begin with a small pathway, which leads to the first obstacle. The first obstacle is in the form of some type of gushing river; which intersects with the path, barring the player from progressing. The player then must navigate across by stepping upon stones and carefully crossing thin bridges that are prone to break if stood upon too long. Some stones may also be slippery, causing the character to sometimes fall into the river. The player then must swim back to stable ground if he falls. Touching the ‘river’ causes the player to lose health. If all health is lost, the character is swept away.

               Once across, the player will encounter the second obstacles in the form of a maze that is filled with traps. Within the maze the character will encounter things intended to hinder movement and progress. For example, some parts of the floor within the maze are quick-sand like and suck the character down to slow their walking speed. There will also be segments of the maze that include climbing obstacles that will require the  player crouch and/or jump over to get around. Throughout the whole maze will be ‘trigger tiles’ placed on the floor in random areas to cause monster/battle encounters to happen.

Level Concept #2

For this level I would have the environment submerged in some form of liquid to allow the player to float up and down to navigate around. To help guide the player through the level I’d place in-game rewards near each obstacle the player needs to get through in order to finish the level. Within this submerged, or ‘floating’ level, I’d put in some type of flying or swimming pursuer, that chases after the player and damages the character’s health meter. There will also be bubbles or cloud like objects that encapsulate and trap the character. The player will have to repeatedly tap buttons to escape.

Further in the level there will be a number of underwater tunnels or caves the player must navigate through. Along the walls may be surfaces randomly placed that will shock and cause the character to “flinch”. Meaning, the avatar will stop progress, flash and the player’s movement will be temporarily slowed. To up the difficulty of avoiding these shock patches, the character will encounter “jet streams,” or pulses of air, that will either push or pull the player into hazards.

Level Concept #3

The 3^rd design revolves around the entire level build as a large slope with small obstacles placed upon the slope to hinder or throw the character off-track. As the player descends they will step upon surfaces that will force them down faster, causing the playing to have to think and react faster to oncoming obstacles. Obstacles on the route will include hidden pits beneath noticeably damaged surfaces, and ramps that will catapult the player backwards up the slope to reduce progress.

After a certain point, falling objects will be triggered; sending objects rolling down the slope side. Coming in contact with these rolling objects causes damage to health and the character to stumble and slow movement rate.

Level Concept #4

In this level, the player will be fighting against time. There will be a designated construction area, where player must find and gather pieces randomly hidden throughout the level. The pieces will be hidden in different areas that the player will either have to dig, swim or solve to get through. The puzzle for the locked areas will range from simple to intermediate picture puzzles.

As time progresses the map will begin to cloud over reducing visibility. After fogging up to an extent; objects that cause damage will begin to spawn on the map temporarily. At this point, the player will have to construct a shelter from the pieces found in order to protect their character from being damaged.

Level Concept #5

In this design, the player’s objective is to reach the end without being detected. The player must stand in areas that have cover or places that would cast a lot of shadow. By standing in these areas, players can avoid detection from objects on the map which gravitate toward the character when they are visible, and damage it when they come in contact with it.

On some surfaces throughout the map, it will be possible to open these surfaces to allow the player access to underground tunnels; which will help the players avoid being detected and allows them to travel short distances across the level.

Level Design | Class 1 |

In the first class we went over the syllabus and what activities we'd be doing throughout the term, which we will be learning how to build and light levels.  So far my first assignment is to document 5 different level concepts. I'm a little unsure of how to construct my levels as of yet, but I'm considering thinking up themes to help me generate ideas for obstacles for each design. I've decided to use a forest theme, an ocean theme, an icy field level, an environment based level, and a stealth like level; where players would need to remain undetected.