Personal Projects
FPS Game
Rafael Pineiro
Color Wars
Level Designer
Concept
Final quest has multiple different weapons and spells for the player to use at their disposal. The mechanics are similar to Dark Souls where the player can attack, block, roll and use spells. There are four main enemy archetypes and a boss monster.
Gameplay Overview
Key Card
Implemented a key card system that does not allow the player to continue to the level until he finds the key. This encourages a player to explore the area
Hook
A hook mechanic that allows a player to traverse areas along him to continue. This also allows the player to escape certain dangers since the enemies cannot follow
Gate
Two gates in this level will only open if the player has killed a certain amount of enemies. This stops the player from trying to run past the level and ignoring the enemies.
Boss
I created a boss monster that will challenge the player on the fundamentals of the gameplay. This boss monster serves as a challenge to the player the player must defeat this boss to move on to the level
Player Controller
At a certain point in the level, the player will control a box that he can freely move around. I created this to change the tempo of the game so that the player does not feel bored fighting all the time. This also serves as a way to change up the gameplay
Water Pillars
The player can create pillars out of water. This again is another technique for the player to not just run through the level. The player must get into the right position and then create the pillar
Magical Spells
The player has three magical spells in the game. a fireball that does damage to enemy players.a movement spell that increases their movement and a healing spell that will heal the player.
Attack, Dodge, Shield
The player can attack, dodge roll and shield against incoming attacks
There is a lock on mechanic in the game that makes it easier to attack enemy Ai and position yourself
Lock On
There is a lock on mechanic in the game that makes it easier to attack enemy Ai and position yourself
Level Design
Level 1 Sketch
The idea for this rough sketch was to teach the player about the grappling mechanic at the beginning of the level. I also wanted to give the player lots of room when fighting his first enemies. As the player goes further into the level he will fight in tight corridors making positioning important for the player to remember.
Level 1 Grayboxing
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Level 1 Overview
The focus for this grayboxing was that I wanted the player to have tighter space went in combat when they reach the inside of the castle. Also, the positioning of the hook shots was very important because I didn't want the player just to be able to jump over to the next space Without using the hook shot.
The player finds a key to unlock the front of the gate
4
The player finds a locked gate he must use the key to open it
5
The player finds a twin dagger he's able to equip and a health potion
6
Use the hook mechanic again to get across the lava
7
The player finds an ax and shield with also a magical potion
8
Use the hook mechanic again to get across the lava
9
The player finds another key for the other locked door
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The player uses the other key that he has found to unlock this door
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The player has reached the end of the level
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The player begins the level
1
The player finds a two-handed sword that he's able to equip
2
The player must use the hook mechanic to get across the bridge
3
Level 2 Sketch
There are also two doors that are blocking the player's pass each door can only be open if a player kills a certain amount of enemies. This stops a player from running past all the enemies to finish the level
Level 2 Grayboxing
The Grayboxing process allowed me to develop a better understanding of my level from my rough sketch. I decided to move my boss monster to near the end of the level so that the player would be at a higher level when he defeated the enemies at the beginning of the level. Two doors are blocking the player's path these doors were only open if the player has killed a certain amount of enemies. This is so that the player does not run past these enemies without dealing with them
Level 2 Overview
The player spawns into the level and he can pick up the two-handed sword
1
The player is first introduced to the ax and shield enemies
2
The player must kill all the enemies to unlock the door to continue to level
3
The player finds a rest area where there is an accent shield and also health and magic for him
4
The player is first introduced to the dual-wielding enemies
5
The player finds the library where he will find a magic potion and XP treasure
6
The player encounters the boss monster with two other of his minions to open the gate he must defeat all the enemies to continue to the level
7
The player has reached the end of the level
8
Level 3 Sketch
My final Rough sketch Allowed me to use all the enemy archetypes that I designed for the level because this is the final level. At this time the player was already accustomed to each enemy archetype. There are two sections in this level that allow the player to take control of a cube and move it around. When the player is in control of the cube he must find two switches now allow him to unlock the gate
Level 3 Grayboxing
The gray boxing in the final level was very challenging. At this point in the final level, the player has already seen every enemy archetype. This allowed me to throw many different types of enemies at the player in the final level. Also, the player should be at a very high level since this is the final level.
This means the enemies will have a higher number of Health than previous levels. The two main Mechanics for this level are the player controls a box at certain points in the level so he can hit a switch to open the gate and the player can create these pillars when there's a pool of water near him so that he can continue to the level
Level 3 Overview
The player begins to level and he sees a two-headed sword in close distance
1
The player finds a room with fist enemies and there is an action Shield that he's able to equip
2
The player hits the switch so that he's able to control a box
3
The player hits the switch so that he's able to control a box
4
The player must hit the switch to unlock the gate
5
The player must activate his powers so that he must create a pillar from the water
6
The player finds twin daggers that he's able to equip
7
The player finds another switch that allowed him to control another box
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While he's in control of the other box the player must find the switch to unlock the gate
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The player has found the switch that allows him to continue on to the level
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The player must fight through a number of enemies and then activate his powers so that he must create a pillar from the water
11
The player has reached the end of the level
12
Design Techniques
Weenies/Landmark
At the beginning of the first level, I created a weenies/landmark in the game that will direct the player to where the key is to unlock the door
Pinching
By using pinching as you can see I was able to create a funnel to direct the player to where the main directive was by using the environment.
Hook Mechanic
The way that the first level was set up there is a bridge that is broken and the only way to get there is by using the hook mechanic this introduces a player to the hook mechanic
Leading Lines
In level 3 the way that the player starts the game is he spawns by looking down in the area where a sword is. This is showcasing the player that by going down and getting the weapon he is going the right way.
Visual Language - Colors
By using visual language with colors each enemy archetype has a different color associated with them. Blue is the first enemy, red is the sword enemies, yellow is the shield and axe enemies, and orange is the dagger enemies. By using this color language the players can easily identify enemy archetypes