Level Design

Chapter 3: Paper Design

creating the level blueprint

1. Building on the original concept you developed in Chapter 2, create a blueprint for your level. Make sure you begin with a series of rough sketches until your blueprint begins to take shape.

2. Create at least three gameplay mechanics for your level. How do these objectives relate to your original story idea?

3. Come up with five level objectives that correspond to your gameplay mechanics. How will you identify these objectives in your level blueprint?

I'll just sum up questions 2 and 3 with this. 

This game is to be designed to unnerve and disturb the player. Most mechanics should follow this.

Level Objectives:

Avoid pursuer then navigate through the cave. Endure hallucinations, defeat the boss and escape.

1. Area 1: Learn controls and run away from chaser.
2. Area 1: Find opening for cave before being caught.
3. Area 2: Stay hidden and quiet to avoid chaser but keep mindful of small critters scuttling around.
4. Area 2: Entrance guarded so only progression is crawlspace.
5. Area 3: Navigate maze. (a small, almost out of sight trail of spiders leads the way through)\
6. Area 3: Random 'Unnerving' cinematic events (e.g. hand transforms into spider momentarily)
7. Area 4: Dark hallway walls reveal mass spiders.
8. Area 5: Boss battle.

Asset list:

Type	Object (Description)	Detail
Model	Monster (Chases player)	High
Model	Hands of Player (Will be transformed into a spider)	High
Model	Spider attached to arm (Transformed from player hand)	High
Model	Various Trees (Lines pathway, four variants)	Medium
Model	Shrubs (Hidden cave entrance, four variants)	High
Model	Rocks (Littered around cave, eight variants)	Medium
Model	Stalagmites (Littered around cave, can hide behind)	Medium
Model	Small Spiders (Randomly crawling around cave)	High
Model	Spider webs (Decorative five to six variants)	Low
Model	Spider Eggs (Largish, can block access)	High
Model	Boss Spider (Fight it)	High
Texture	Grass/Forest Floor (Area 1)	Medium
Texture	Dirt road (Area 1)	Medium
Texture	Cave Walls (Area 2 onward)	High
Texture	Cave floor (Area 2 onward)	High
Sounds	Forest floor (crunch of twigs and dried leaves)
Sounds	Windy (Wind through trees)
Sounds	Dirt road (Walking on dirt and loose stones)
Sounds	Cave floor (walk/slam on concrete)
Sounds	Cave Crawl (scuffing concrete)
Sounds	Cave impact (hitting concrete)
Sounds	Jeremy (Huffs and gasps from player)
Sounds	Monster (spooky indistinguishable voices)
Sounds	Small spider (scuttling small creature)
Sounds	Rubble (falling pebbles and rocks)
Sounds	Spider Screech (Monstrous screech as boss attacks)
Sounds	Hypnotism (Boss special attack)
Music	Soft (whistling of wind mixed with violin)
Music	Incoming (drums starting slow then pace increase)
Music	Sinister (violin, rainstick and flute/wind instrument)
Music	Boss (Mix of all from the above)

Imagination!

Chapter 2: Conceptualisation

Spawning your imagination

1. Using some of the techniques discussed in this chapter, begin developing a concept for

an original game idea. Discuss the central theme of your idea, and the methods you used

to bring your idea into existence.

An idea I've had for a while of a horror puzzle centred around a weak backpacker who's become separated from his friends when they were attacked by kidnappers. They injected the travellers with a drug to knock them out, but it has hallucinogenic side effects. Now the lost backpacker must decipher what is real and what isn't whilst navigating bushland to save his friends. Each puzzle will have a common phobia as the theme and play on the players fears. To do this I'll need to explore the psychological reasons behind the ir/rational fear and use this information along with the hallucinogenic drug effects to recreate it through abstract puzzles.

2. Create a back story, environment, and three character descriptions associated with your

original game idea. How are these elements integrated and linked through a central

theme?

BackStory: The player plays as Jeremy, a teenager from England who's currently mid way through his course. His body couldn't handle much assertion when he was little, but even after mostly healing it was hard to break out his cocoon of protection so he stayed inside most of the time. He became very smart however fearful of the outside world. He even considered being homeschooled if his parents didn't tell him otherwise. He had few close friends and even though they shared the same interested they were still young and adventurous. During their first semester of university there was much talk of travel and it was decided that during their next end of semester break they'd backpack, much to Jeremy's dismay.

Environment: The dank, dark bushland of outback Australia. The player will need to navigate through forests, rocky areas, wild animals, abandoned houses and whatever garbage that may have been dumped to get to the next stage.

Character Description:

Note: My original idea was for the player to not take the role of a particular character, but to be themselves to allow for better emerge into the game. 

Jeremy: Jeremy is one of those people who fears almost everything. But that's because he knows what it can do to a person. His friends are long used to his 'irrational' scares and tend to make nothing of them. He spends most of his time inside and away from the dangers of the outside world, only leaving for class and the occasional time the friends nag him to hang out with them. There have been many times when he thought he was sick but never was.

Alanna: One of Jeremy's few close class mates, she knows too well of Jeremy's fears. She will try to support him but she's easily influenced by James to have some fun teasing Jeremy then later try and make it up to him. 

James: Jeremy's other close class mate, they really only became friends because of Alanna. James likes to have fun with Jeremy's fears, teasing him and playing pranks. In his mind he's never taken a prank too far. He doesn't like to seem afraid or not in control and will cover it up with jokes. 

3. Document your concept with reference material and original sketches. How did you

capture your reference images? Create thumbnails and silhouettes. Compile these images

into an art “bible” to help guide your vision.

I've taken some inspiration from various 'Lost in a forest/wilderness' horror survival games. For the main characters I just went with some basic travelling attire crossed with what young adults are wearing today. They are still first draft though and will be subject to change. The spiders came from searching Arachnophobia and looking at the art made. 

Concept of Forest and various Cabins/Shacks encountered

First draft concept art of main antagonists

Concept for Arachnophobia areas

EDIT:

I found some awesome Australian Spiders that I have to include in this.

List of references for Spiders: 
Warning! Some images may be disturbing
http://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/sciencecommunication/files/2012/09/Image1.png
http://i.imgur.com/lYG3o.jpg
http://cdn.scahw.com.au/cdn-1ce09c113f0a840/ImageVaultFiles/id_142032/cf_7/Fun-Spider-Sky-Brazil-Erick-628.jpg
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/012/4/c/arachnophobia_by_cheddarbomb-d370nct.jpg
http://dastafiz.deviantart.com/art/arachnophobia-35427857
http://winstontong.deviantart.com/art/arachnophobia-64852366

History and Backgrounds of game Levels

Let me just start off with, I've never blogged before. I have done a personal diary in the past but after most entries I got scared of someone reading it and destroyed it, thus making the whole point of owning a personal diary redundant. Not even my journal on Deviantart gets that much attention. But alas I am obliged to do this for my game design class. Who knows, maybe I'll come to enjoy making blogs and do this as a regular thing.

Chapter 1: History and Backgrounds 

The world of the Level Designer

1.  Imagine that you are a level designer working in the 1980's. Knowing the limitations associated with this era, what type of game would you develop?

1980 was the decade of the third and forth generation consoles, most notably the Nintendo Entertainment System,  the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Nintendo's Game Boy. It also marks the first ever console war/rivalry between Nintendo and Sega. 

During this era we see 16 bit games introduced early and take the world by storm. Despite this, my console of choice would have to be the Game Boy, which was developed in 8 bit. The Game Boy became immensely popular and I would like to develop a mulitplayer game that kids could verse each other with via a link cable. A game which players would collect points by defeating monsters to reach the highest score before time runs out. The stronger the monster, the greater the points you receive  However, the other player can attack you and steal your points.

2. Play three games—one from the 1980s, one from the 1990s, and one released after 2004. Compare and contrast how levels and environments are designed in all three games.

1980: Super Mario Bro's
1990: Pokemon Gold
2004<: Bioshock

The leveling system and final goals become more and more obscure over each game. The typical 'Start to the left of one area and cross the finishing line to the right has changed to various different objectives. For example: Find this person to receive you mission then proceed to infiltrate building and assassinate target (That example was so not based off Assassins Creed).

Super Mario Bros is fairly straight forward. Start from the left, make your way right over obstacles and enemies whilst collecting coins and power ups until you reached the flag which indicated the completion of the level. Some levels have a boss fight, and the last level has a big boss.

Pokemon's leveling system is more personal. The player and their Pokemon will do battle with wild Pokemon and trainers to become stronger then they can choose when they fight the Gym Leaders (Boss Battle). Sometimes it is impossible for the player to advance straight to the next boss and win, they have spend time training with their Pokemon before the player is strong enough. The game has the illusion of an open world to explore where it pays to investigate and revisit areas. Going to the next 'level' can be seen as defeating the gym leader and moving to the next town.

Bioshock follows a linear story through the depths of Rapture, an underwater city in ruins. The initial set up of levels are even more ambiguous with the start and finish of the 'levels' either not clear or change. Any resemblance of traditional levels could be seen as the different areas of the city. There is 'personal leveling' were the player themselves become stronger through weapon and power upgrades. There's no Mini bosses however the enemies grow in strength and numbers. 

In conclusion, as the years go by Traditional Leveling is used less and less and adapts to a more flowing tactic to keep the player immersed in the game. Any sense of leveling is done by the players choice in how they make their character stronger.