My intent for this level was to take these prompts and expand upon them to create a level that introduces mechanics without any explicit tutorials, to allow the player to naturally learn the mechanics through observation and trial and error. Essentially, letting the environment guide players through careful placement of objects and controlling the player's progression.
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When starting the level, the player begins in a small, constrained room, which I designed for only one intent: teach the player about the door-key system.
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The courtyard in the first floor features the main elevator, a set of two doors on either side and a moving platform to a set of balconies found on top of the doors. I created a small window to give players a preview of what lies inside, with the intent of enticing the player to explore further, utilizing the positioning of the balcony above as a hint of where to go next.
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The room opposite contains a small tutorial to familiarize the player with moving platforms. I made a small pit with a stairway just in case the player fails the jump.
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Now that the player is familiar with the platforms, they can now traverse to the next section, using the platform from the courtyard to take them from balcony to balcony.
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Entering the room above the player faces an obstacle with what I dubbed "The fiery walk of doom!", attempting to pass the fire pit without taking the speed boost causes the player to lose all their health, resulting in a Game Over.
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I wanted to make it a risk-reward scenario that implements the speed boost in a interesting way, having the player use it to its full effect while having their life depend on it. It also teaches them about 1 of 2 powerups.
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Finally reaching the sealed room, the player is not only rewarded with the door key and elevator access card, but they are also introduced to a healing platform that will cure their wounds from the hazard above. I placed the healing platform out of sight from the perspective to keep the player focused on the keys and not spoil the nasty surprise above.
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Leaving the room and going to the elevator after grabbing the items culminates this portion of the level.
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After successfully acquiring the elevator key, and utilizing it, the player is met by a new zone that mirrors the first floor; however, this zone introduces a new challenge in the form of a pressure plate.
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The pressure plate mechanic requires an object to be constantly on top of it to open its given door, requiring players to find an item to hold it down, all the while the window tempts them with their prize.
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I placed a small balcony on the opposing room with a box at the edge to draw players in as a possible solution to their problem.
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Entering the room with the box has players quickly realizing that the box is in an unreachable place. However, a solution is found with a jump powerup placed in front of the wall. A process that both has the player acquire the box as well as teach them about the second powerup.
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After successfully opening the door, players will enter into another risk-reward scenario where a hazard forces them to take damage to access the room. I made this to familiarize them with the collectible health item, with one these items placed on either side of the door.
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After acquiring the key the player open the final door, ending the game.
Platform: MS Windows
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Genre: Singleplayer, 3D
Role: Programmer, Level Design
Description:
This project formed part of my midterm project for the Videogame Programming I course and it represents my first experience working with the Unreal Engine’s Blueprint system. Developed over the course of 3 weeks, the main goal of the assignment was to create and implement gameplay systems through scripting, with the simple level prompt of: “An easy level separated into two zones by an elevator that showcased the systems created”.