spooky mansion
'Spooky mansion' is a third-person adventure game for the pc platforms.
THIS WAS A full sail university capstone project. I collaborated with A SMALL TEAM OF four other developers and four art students.
mY RESPONSIBILITIES have INCLUDED...
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producer
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LEVEL DESIGN
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GAME MECHANICS
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technical Design
LEVEL DESIGN!
tHE PROBLEM: PLAYERS NEED LEVELS THAT SERVE THE GAME-PLAY OR GUIDE THEM TO THE NEXT ENCOUNTER.
MY SOLUTION: CREATE LEVELS THAT GRADUALLY INTRODUCE obstacles and events that require the player to use their given mechanics. After the introduction, allow the player to practice those newly learned mechanics and obstacles until they are ready to master them in a more difficult challenge.
altering game mechanics!
the problem: our game mechanics allowed for the player to change into a ghost to pass through walls and a beast to break down walls. while designing the levels, I needed to incorporate challenges and obstacles for both of these abilities to shine.
My solution: after deliberation with the team and the instructors, it was decided that one of the shapeshifting mechanics needed to be removed and focus on the other heavily. We agreed that the ghost mechanic was the strongest of the two and that due to the time frame we had, the best for designing levels around.
introducing mechanics!
the problem: the player had a double jump, a dash, and the ability to turn into a ghost and travel through specific walls. We needed a way to teach the player how to utilize each of these core mechanics and eventually master them.
My solution: I sat with my team in video chat and shared my ideas for level design as I sketched them out to assist them with understanding. together we crafted engaging spaces in each level for the player to learn new mechanics or encounter new obstacles. With those spaces, new areas were designed to allow the player to practice those newly learned skills, where we could eventually test their mettle with difficult challenges in the final level.
checkpoints!
The problem: the levels of the game were decent in size and oftentimes the player would die and be required to start the level again. In playtesting, we noticed this was an issue.
My solution: I played through each level multiple times and even had testers screen share with me their playthroughs. This allowed me to place checkpoints that respawned the player if they happened to die past that area. Those areas just before a major danger zone were a priority for these respawn checkpoints. After placing in checkpoints, we conducted more playtests and garnered better responses.
