The concept of the level is supposed to be a knight (the player) is rescuing a princess from a dragon (a giant spitter) in a tower. I unfortunately only finished a quarter of the level, and I ran out of time before I could add the scene for the tower and more gameplay in the first part of the level. I plan to add much more before the next class, so I can ask for feedback for a more complete level, rather than a desperate attempt to turn something in before the due date.
The things that went right were:
Players were drawn to the tower.
Players liked the concept of jumping on rocks across the water.
Players thought the rocks looked really good.
- Players knew to step on the pressure plates and hit the switches even though they didn’t really know what the plates and switches did.
The things that went wrong:
- Players didn’t notice the rocks coming up from the water when stepping on pressure plates.
The plane was too flat.
The players could climb up the big rocks and completely avoid getting the pressure plates.
Players didn’t notice the side entrance.
Spitters can’t be scaled without glitching the game.
Ways to improve:
Make the rocks that appear a different color from the rest of them, as well as add an infozone that draws the player's attention to the water.
Use the polybrush on the plane, and add scattered buildings leading up to the tower.
Change the big rocks to be more like castle walls so the player can’t climb them.
Change the terrain in that area to something different that makes it look like there’s something worth exploring.
Instead of a giant spitter, use a giant chomper that has a spitter attached to it to simulate the fire coming from the dragon.
The challenges presented did not measure up to a hard level. The enemies were relatively
difficult to kill, but there were more enemies than what players would come across. I didn’t add any health crates or checkpoints and most players didn’t need them to begin with. Adding a mix of weaker enemies in a cluster and stronger enemies that stand alone will help with creating more of a dynamic difficulty throughout the level instead of just enemy after enemy.
The critical path was clear enough to the player. The players were drawn to the tower, so the players wanted to go there. Since most players didn’t notice the rocks coming up from the water, it was a bit unclear as to how to get to the tower. Players still knew to step on the pressure plates and hit the switches before going to the tower. Making the rocks be more obvious when they come out of the water will help make the path more clear.
The overall flow wasn’t that great. There wasn’t a whole lot of gameplay, so players were a bit bored. One player described it as “a lovely stroll through the countryside” which was both hilarious and sadly true. There is a lot of room to add more gameplay than what is already there, which will drastically improve the level. Creating a more enjoyable experience will also encourage players to want to explore and possibly find the secret entrance to the tower. Also blocking off the spots where the player can bypass the water will help add more immersion and force the player to experience more of the level, which would help the level be more immersive and make the flow better. There was also no clear end to the level, so there was no real reward for completing it.
