Devlog 7: Group Project

I enjoy working passionately about work that interests me. Group Project work is no different. I still enjoy working hard, but also like having group members to help me tame wilder ideas, or ground thoughts.

For this project, we had to design a level with scene transitions. I took the time to develop the level in three distinct sections.

The first section is an outside area where the player gets a grip on platforming and the two base power ups, the double jump and the speed boost. The player also gets an introduction to combat and a moving platform. Despite being the smallest and simplest section, I am quite happy with it, it teaches the player all the basics they need to know and the player should have an awareness of how to move. It also employs good level design principles, showing multiple things like the button, door, and the collectables, before the player can reach them.

The next section is divided up into 3 separate sections, this first section drives the player toward the lock, and then collectables guide them to an upwards moving platform, where they then strafe into a side room featuring a double jump collectable, where they then double jump over a ledge and see a slime on the other side of glass

Following the path around the pillar lets them lock eyes with the slime, fight it using the attack powerup they find and collect a Key which allows them through the big Lock. Through that lock is a 2D spline segment the player walks through and leads them back to 3D on a new section of the stage, where they traverse the lower section.

 After hitting the button by the door at the end, the player takes the jump pad up to the second level and hits the 3 buttons placed along the top side. I actually regret making this section so large, as some sections feel quite empty as a result.

Then going through the door leads the player to the third and final stage.

Finally is a boss fight that takes place mostly on a 2D spline creeping upward. The obstacles in this stage are energy balls that the centre orb fires out, and damaging pillars with routine appearances between platforms.

As the player climbs up the floating debris, there are buttons they can hit which damage the centre orb(which also rises as the player does) After hitting all four, the orb explodes and the player wins. I feel this scene had very good promise to it, but my ideas dwindled as I progressed through creation of it. It was not as epic as I hoped it to be due to a stagnation of ideas. The damaging pillars also could have perhaps used an audio cue, as the player can't tell when they are going to appear as they platform with a fixed camera.

The character controller, spline functionality, moving platforms, power ups, and multiple other minor scripts written during creation of the levels were made by me. As I focused more on designing the level I did not experience many struggles with combining my code with my peers'. There were some issues with enemies however, and moving platforms seemed to have broken, no longer carrying the player along with them. Enemies for a time also did not take damage, and neither did the player from them.