CAGD 270 - Unit 3

 CAGD 270 - Unit 3

3rd Person Level - Version 1

Level 1 Development

Version 1 of my level tried to slowly introduce players to new concepts such as switches activating doors as well as acid pools needing to be avoided. I placed the player in a confined environment with a very straightforward path that lead them to the first room containing a door and lever mechanic. This then lead to a room containing a single "chomper" type enemy straight in the player's path to the next section which was barricaded by breakable blocks. I wanted to introduce these mechanics to the player quickly since this was not meant to be a tutorial level, but still needed to introduce new elements to the player. This then lead into two jumping sections which escalated in difficulty and wrapped back around to the start of the level.

Some of the shortcomings of this level were that many of the jumps were far too difficult or spaced out too close/far. Players could also jump out of bounds which happened on almost every playtest. Some elements like healing were not properly implemented either. I also could've implemented more with the floating platforms and text boxes. Some of the things that went right were that the overall feel of the level reminded some players of Tomb Raider. Another plus was that besides some jumps, the overall difficulty was not too unfair.

3rd Person Level Version 2

Version 2 Fixed Acid Jumps

Changes

Some of the changes that came with this version were that I reconfigured some of the jumps to have wider platforms and shorter gaps. This helped with ease of getting through the level and lowered player frustration. To balance out this change, I also added another "spitter" enemy at the end of the jumps who would shoot at the player the entire time they were jumping. Another change was that I reconfigured the ending to lead to an empty room. This helped players understand that they were at the end of the level and did not meander around back to the beginning as they did in the previous version.

Version 2 Fixed Ending

Mechanics

Some of the mechanics introduced in this version were acid pools, doors/switches, jumping, enemies, and checkpoints. The mechanics I'd say were implemented well were doors/switches, jumping and enemies. Each of these elements felt balanced in this new version instead of overwhelming. The mechanics implemented poorly were checkpoints and acid pools. Some of the acid pools had parts sticking out of the ground that unintentionally killed the player when they weren't aware of them. There was also a distinct lack of checkpoints which made the level more cumbersome to traverse then it should've been as players had to make their way through a large portion of the level they already completed.

Boss Area

The newly implemented boss area will have two giant enemies which have substantially more health then their smaller counterparts. The arena will have platforms leading up to a switch that, when triggered, will raise a pool of acid that will kill the two enemies. The player may also choose to battle the enemies head on, though this will prove more challenging. There will also be two first-aid kit objects in the arena that can restore the players health to full. Overall, I aim to give the player options on how they choose to pursue the fight. This boss fight will build off the mechanics already introduced to the player earlier in the level.

3D Level Annotated Map