In this post, I’ll talk about the Second Build of Glacial World. After the playtest of the first build, I really wasn’t able to update much about the project. I prioritized the use of Maya assets for the game, as I wished to reduce the use of basic Unity shapes. My approach was making basic pieces that could connect with one another without much issue. This made it easy to build levels in a small time frame, which was important for the success of the project. I tried to also add music, but I found my attempts unsuccessful, and with the deadline approaching, had to leave that behind.

One thing I want to point out that was vital in regards to the development is my modular approach to level design, which I think was the best aspect in regards to my second build. I see building levels as something not unlike an exam, which requires a structure that checks the players knowledge of the game, and imbues new information as the game progresses. This can be taxing in terms of building a space to play in, specially when you find yourself as a one man army. Thus comes how mostly approach level design: I build the most basic building block I can see myself using for the project first, testing to make sure they work correctly, and then start building the levels, making sure to follow a simple system: Make sure players have a safe area in which they can experiment with a new element, while securing that they are conveyed clearly what it is that it does.

The room to the left in the center room of the Calm section demonstrates this in a nutshell. In order to activate the switch in the room, you have to deal with crumbling platforms. The platforms crumble after being stepped on, and likely the new player would end up falling to the bottom of the room. Then they would climb up and the path would respawn for them to try again. This is valuable, since in the  following scene, the player finds himself dealing with more of those platforms, and they can see what they have to do now that they are informed of how the platforms work.

Here is a link to get the Second Build of the game.

https://www.dropbox.com/home/Public/Glacial%20World?preview=index.html

I decided to approach this assignment with some relatively simple ideas. The objective was for us to make level that would present two different emotions. I decided to  use two opposites that compliment each other nicely: calm and stressed. Calm is a very simple, but effective emotion to convey through gameplay. Many people tend to play video games in order to relax from outside pressure. On the flip-side, stress is an emotion that is frequently seen in most high budget games. Action Set pieces, frenetic gameplay and action is the norm when it comes to a significant amount of the industry. While the two would seem to clash between each other at first glance, they actually complement each other perfectly. Calm can be a relaxing experience, but it can also lead to boredom or a lack of engagement, while Stress can be overwhelming, exhausting, or lose its impact if not given in measured amounts.

The main idea for the game itself was the exploration of a cavern. Even though I’m not exactly an outdoor person, I love exploring new places, and I decided to go with that for the setting. Players find themselves in a cavern that moves them into rooms with simple puzzles that rely on spacial knowledge. While perhaps not the best idea in an area with little variances in color, the size and number of blocks help give the player an idea of the space. After passing the first room, you find yourself in a cliffside, and the only path forward is a small, narrow walkway. Quickly, the platforms will start crumbling, so players will have to sprint through the path to reach the end.

Here is gameplay footage of the first build of the game. (for some reason my voices is rather squeaky).

In the next part I will talk about how I moved from this build to my delivered one and talking about my modular approach to level design.