Spiky Block Level

I've never programmed before taking this Programming class at Ringling, other than attempting and succeeding at making a light turn on in the Blueprint Editor over winter break. I wasn't sure I'd be any good at it, and I do have to admit that some of the terms and nodes in the Blueprint editor are still really confusing, but the more I repeat the nodes for use in other projects, the more I understand why and how it's used. This wasn't too terribly difficult, but I did forget to set it's initial location in the beginning, so when I went to complete the rotator for the eyebrows, Unreal crashed on me. Oops!


Below is a recording of my spiky block level--just to show the spiky blocks I'd created and programmed in my Programming class:






Here's the Blueprint for the spiky block if you're interested!

 

Game Design Platformer Level

Below is the final version of my platformer for my game design class at Ringling College.

Check it out!

Keep on Rolling - 2D Platform Layout

Below is a layout (on paper and a vector) of my 2D sidescrolling platform level titled "Keep on Rolling."

The theme for this level was mainly a tomb/dungeon-style theme based around the "Runner" style video games. Originally it was going to be mainly a runner with platforming included, but in the end it became a partial runner, however mostly platform, styled level.

The location is a tomb/dungeon underground, filled with traps that are there to prevent you from obtaining the long lost treasure. I'm hoping to include the use of depth to give the sense that you really are in a 3D space, but the plane is just turned to the side.

The design of this level was meant to increase in difficulty as you progressed through it, mostly so the player(s) can play it and still find some difficulty in beating it, but also because I figured increasing the difficulty should represent how close to the reward the player is.

In the beginning the player is shown how to use the directional keys (A and D) before finally learning the jump button (W). After that, the puzzles range in difficulty are there for the player to not only learn the mechanics but also "master" them. For example: the player first learns how to jump just after learning the directional keys, but even if they miss the jump, they aren't punished, as they can easily jump back up on to the blocks and continue on their way.

However, once you reach the next part, you see that not only do you need to use the jump button to progress, you also need to do it quickly, as a ball will drop down behind you once you pass it, and will easily catch up to you/kill you if you stop moving.

I did my best to design this level in a way that the player can play it and take their time while also including periods of suspense and tension where the player may least expect it, providing an experience that isn't boring or (hopefully) too irritating. There are a few spots that get difficult, but they're relatively short.

Donkey Kong Country Analysis

[CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]

LEVEL LAYOUT:

The level layout for DKC's Area One Level One tutorial is pretty straightforward. It is essentially a long flat road that contains secrets and a range of jump difficulty to help the player learn how to play the game. There are monsters placed in certain areas to teach the player how to jump (or you die), and bananas placed in other areas to show that the player can also jump onto higher platforms (even the trees)!

There is a barrel you come across in the beginning of the level which contains none other than Diddy Kong! He not only acts as a second playable character but also an extra hit in case you accidentally get hit by a monster while playing as Donkey Kong (DK for short). To incorporate this without telling the player until it happens is actually really rewarding because the player is surprised by the chance to keep going with the only penalty being you lose DK and have to play as Diddy (who has a weaker jump attack), or vice versa.

PACING:

As for the pacing of the level, I would have to say it works well. There are monsters in the beginning which are easy to kill by jumping on them once, even if you play as Diddy, but once you get a little further in, you find that there are stronger enemies that require two jumps, or you must play as Donkey Kong to beat them in one hit. However, if you have lost DK by getting hit early on, then you'll have to make the choice of trying to defeat them with Diddy, or jumping over them to continue on and hopefully find Donkey Kong.

The level does a great job in placing secrets, as well, as there is a point in the level where players will come across an animal helper (Rambi the Rhinoceros), who they will need for more than just disposing enemies. Immediately following the three enemies after you free Rambi, there is a cave which is almost impossible to avoid-unless jumping-that he will bust open for you, leading to a secret cave with a whole bunch of bananas and a balloon--which represents a 1-UP in DKC!

There are also golden statues you can collect--get 3 of the same kind and you will be taken to a bonus level where you get a chance to gain extra lives for every 100 of a smaller version of the golden statues you collect. In total, there are three different animal helper friends throughout the game, and each golden statue parallels the kind of animal the helpers are.

On top of all that, there are also four golden letters to find in every level that spell out the word KONG. If you find all of them, you also get a 1-UP! But sometimes it isn't easy to find them, or the risk to collect them is much greater than the reward...however, this game increases in difficulty significantly as you go, and you'll need as many lives as you can get if you don't want to get a GAME OVER.

LEARNED VS. HANDED

This game really doesn't hand the player much--you essentially have to figure out how to play it yourself, and I think that the way it teaches you how is done well--maybe even better than the first level of Super Mario Bros. In the very beginning of the level you're given one of if not the weakest enemies of the game to beat: the beaver (called "Gnawty's in the game). You have two choices: learn how to kill the beaver (there are multiple ways) or figure out a way around it. 

So, you try to go back towards the hut, hoping the beaver won't follow or that it'll despawn, but, surprise! The beaver doesn't despawn and follows you right to the bottom of the tree, killing you in one hit. Thankfully, the player isn't given a huge punishment for dying this early in the game, because the beaver is only one screen over from the starting point of the level.

There is SO much more I could talk about with how this game doesn't really hand the player anything (maybe a 1-UP or two, like the one found in the hut if you go back up and inside of it), as it's all mostly learned by the player pressing buttons (one or two at a time), but if I did this would be a much longer analysis than it's already becoming. And I'd like to add that this level doesn't even teach you everything--there is another level where you are chased by a giant rolling wheel, and if you hadn't learned how to run before, you definitely would learn it then, because you couldn't beat the level otherwise.

OBSTACLES:

There are many obstacles in the game--but within this level alone you have multiple things to overcome: enemies, jumping from platform to platform, learning how to jump on top of trees to use as another pathway and figuring out how to reach certain collectibles to name the obvious. There are also obstacles to finding secrets, such as the one I listed with Rambi; believe it or not he's used to actually find not one but TWO secrets in this level alone.

DIFFICULTY AS YOU PROGRESS:

Like I said before, the game quickly increases in difficulty not just with each area but also within each level. I can remember playing this game as a child and getting so frustrated at certain times not because the game wasn't teaching me how to do something, but because it was just a tad more difficult than I had originally thought it would be.

For this level, however, the difficulty doesn't increase much. You are given one of the weakest enemies of the game to start out with for the sole purpose of learning how to jump and defeat enemies. The next enemy you come across is a anthropomorphic alligator/crocodile that you can also kill just by jumping on them once. The only possibly somewhat difficult enemy you come across is the pink gator/croc, as they have a helmet and require two jumps from Diddy, if you're playing as him. After that they just start to introduce the other enemies that you will come across in future levels, dropping new ones in every now and then or when you start into new areas. 

POSITIVE/NEGATIVE FEEDBACK:

I'm not entirely sure if the game gives the player any kind of pos/neg feedback. You either beat the level and continue playing, die and have to start back at the checkpoint, or lose all your lives and have to start over from the beginning of the level or from the last point you saved. Other than that, I'm not entirely sure about feedback.

STORY INTEGRATION:

There is a lot the game doesn't hand to the player...and among these things is the goal of the game. While admittedly this is not the best choice for a game that has minimal cutscenes (I think the only cutscene is in the beginning after the splash logo for RAREWARE and maybe possibly after you beat the boss), the game designers DO draw attention to something in the very beginning of this level: there is a cave/hole located at the bottom of the trunk of the tree you land next to after busting out of the hut. Now, there may be some players who ignored it and kept going with the game, but I highly doubt it because you're RIGHT next to it and curiosity gets the better of you so you HAVE to go in.

Essentially what the designers have done is give the player something enticing--something they just can't resist to check out or investigate right at the beginning of the level. And when you walk into said hole you are given the sight of an empty cave and a sign with the words "KONG'S BANANA HOARD." Following this visual you are then given an auditory clue: dejected music; and if THAT wasn't enough, Kong has an animation of looking very upset/frustrated as he shakes his head and looks down. All of these clues lead you to one conclusion, and that conclusion is the goal of the game: collect bananas!