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After week 8 I stopped making weekly plans as I was at a stage in my project where I wasn’t really sure what I would be doing next, joining a new team or going solo, so I decided to just work on things as they needed doing.
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Presentation Feedback:
Presentation:
Feedback:
Torchlight received the most votes from my peers. I think it was my strongest idea, and I had a very clear idea of how it would work, so I decided to choose it as my final game idea.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to join another team or work on my own game, but I wasn’t able to find someone else interested in helping make my game which made me feel quite pressured to join another team quickly. I was interested in potentially teaming up with Hugo, Joe and Xane on their robot game, but Adam said he thought it would be better for me to make my own game, as spreading work between 4 people could mean I wouldn’t have much to do. The only issue is, I’m not sure if I’m confident enough in my ability with coding to make my game by myself. I spoke to Ross about my dilemma and he reassured me that my idea wouldn’t be too difficult to execute, and that I should look for some tutorials to try out in unity. I made a list of the mechanics I would need to code:
- 2D platforming
- 2D light in unity
- Moving character with only right hand controls
- Moving certain objects with left hand – how to select certain items to control
- Moving light sources with left hand controls
- How to make objects overlap with one another, but not with the player
- How to make the character die when not in the light
- Moving between levels
- Picking up / collecting embers and how they impact the environment
- UI/Hud
- Menus
I also found some useful tutorials online, and Adam advised me to use Unity learn, which has loads of resources.
Realistic 2D Lights & Shadows in Unity
Game Plan and Unity Setup – 2D Platformer #0
After this I felt more capable to make my game by myself, as I feel like my mechanics would be relatively simple to code using tutorials. I think it would benefit me a lot in the future to learn these skills and prove I can make a finished game by myself. I also feel more excited about my idea than the other games I was considering working on as I feel like my game would allow me to showcase my skills better. I considered it for a while, and while I think there would be enough for everyone to do in the other team of 4, I think I would want a larger workload than that project can offer. So I have decided to work alone on my Torchlight game idea.
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Puzzle level prototyping:
I felt like I needed to come up with a lot of level and puzzle ideas to be implemented at a later stage. This first illustration demonstrates how the moving shadows mechanic would work, and explored new ideas:
- Jumping and moving objects at the same time for new parkour challenge.
- Needing to collect all embers in a level to progress – very similar to Fire boy and Water girls mechanic of collecting jems.
- The player sprite having the ability to shrink to fit in smaller spaces – similar to how a shadows size can change depending on its proximity to the light source.
This level also demonstrates mechanic I have already established, such as shadows acting as physical objects to the player, and object shadows overlapping. It doesn’t explore player jumping between or controlling light sources as I’d like to make separate prototypes for these mechanics. My only issue with this level design is it doesn’t resemble everyday items or a house interior, so this is something I’d like to try to implement more in my future prototypes.
The next illustration demonstrates how player dependency on light sources can be used in a puzzle. This puzzle includes a stationary light source – an overhead light, and an independently moving light source – a torch rolling across the level. Neither of these light sources are controlled by the player, as I plan to make another prototype that explores this mechanic. I tried to include everyday items in this level, such as books and shelves, to ground the puzzle in the game world. To reach the next level, the player must collect the ember and reach the end of the level while staying in the light, or they will die.
This final prototype explores a light source controlled by the player. The player would press a button on the microwave to turn it on and activate its light for a few seconds, providing them a path forward. The player must then jump over shadow obstacles while collecting embers to progress. If they fail to jump over the shadows they die, and if they don’t pass the level within the time limit, the microwave light will go out and they will die. My only concern with this puzzle is players may be confused about which shadows they can and can’t land on. I figured shadows being cast from off camera could be moved, whereas shadows cast on camera would be dangerous, but I’d need a clearer way to show the difference to the players.
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Project planning:
Now that I’ve decided to work alone, its very important that I have a thought out plan of when I need to have everything finished by. My next goals are the following:
- Find out what I need to have done by the January deadline
- Go through my learning objectives
- Make the project proposal
- Make a Gantt table timeline for the project
My Project Proposal:
My plan for this week:
I want to get a lot of work done this weekend so I have plenty of time to work on my unity prototype and presentation during the week. All the work I have planned to do will be essential for my presentation.
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Environment study:
The gameplay will take place entirely within the shadow characters house. The shadow character used to be a normal human, but one day turned into a tiny shadow of themself, so objects within the house now seem massive. These objects are used in the parkour and puzzle challenges of the game.
The games art style is 2D and very simple, with more emphasis on colour contrast than detail.
Different locations in the house could be used for different puzzle sets. For example, a variety of puzzles could take place in the hallway, before the player progresses to another area within the house, such as the kitchen. The objects used for puzzles would resemble items found in these areas of the house, for example in the hallway you might find a lamp shade, shelves, coat hangers and shoes.
The kitchen area provides a variety of objects, but also some unique light source options. For example, fridge, oven and microwave light could be used in a puzzle. I even considered a puzzle level could take place inside the fridge, amongst all the food items.
I also thought the environments could help with some subtle storytelling. Maybe the reason the human turned into a shadow is because they were going through a difficult time in their life, subsequently suffering from depression. There could be subtle signs of this in the kitchen, maybe there are a lot of unwashed plates that show the character hasn’t been looking after themself very well.
Another variety of puzzles could take place within the bathroom. Objects that could be used in puzzles include soap, toothpaste, towels, bottles, sponges, etc. There aren’t often many light sources in bathrooms, but light may bounce off mirrors.
Maybe surfaces in the bathroom could be slippery, adding a new challenge to this variety of puzzles.
The Bedroom also has a variety of objects to use in puzzles, such as beds, pillows, drawers, picture frames, books, etc. There are also more options for light puzzles, one puzzle could involve the player opening the blinds or curtains to let in light, or turning on lamps or fairy lights to guide their way. Maybe jumping on the mattress gives them a boost jump.
There could also be an office room, which would provide objects like folders, pots, plants, computers, easels, shelves, chairs, etc. Maybe this room could reveal the characters hobby when they were a human, maybe they were an artist, and have lots of artwork scattered around the room.
There would likely be a lot of light options in this room, if the character was an artist, they would probably have lots of lamps angled at their paintings, to help them work in the dark. If they owned a computer, the monitors could light up to provide a path onward.
These pictures capture how lighting in a house changes throughout the day, and how light may come from different sources at different times. This could help with my game story – the world brightens up more when you collect more embers. Maybe the game starts in the middle of the night, and slowly brightens as the sun rises.
I decided to include this image as I think it will be a useful reference for blocking out shadow and light using a simplified art style.
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Game timeline + difficulty progression:
More info on the games story can be found here:
I have decided to split the game into 5 sections, with 3 levels taking place within each section. This means the game will have a total of 15 levels, which gives me room to add more if I have time, or remove some if necessary. If I was to remove some parts of the game, it would be easy for me to remove the bedroom and office levels. This means when I begin development I should make the Cupboard, Hallway and Kitchen levels first, and then move onto the Bedroom and Office if I have time.
The different environments will create different challenges, provide new objects to interact with, and reveal context to the games story. The player starts in the cupboard because it is the darkest place, closed off from light, and ends in the hallway as they venture towards the door in an attempt to leave the house. I decided not to have levels in the bathroom or living room as I didn’t think those areas offered anything valuable or new with gameplay or storytelling.
Difficulty fluctuates throughout the game, allowing for consistent challenge while keeping the player invested. Players should feel a sense of accomplishment when they are able to progress to the next area.
I’ve updated the story and mechanics section of the project proposal, and made the following conclusions on my tasks:
- The level length prototype will show the difference between easy, medium and hard levels. Easy = short, medium = medium, hard = long. Long can either mean long level distance, or that it takes a while to complete due to the challenge.
- Start and end of game level comparison – Concept art to show the start vs end of the game environments difference in brightness and appearance.
- Player interaction and controls – I need to find a way to differentiate between dangerous shadows and interactable shadows, this could be achieved with art style and controls.
Some of these tasks may be concluded later on in development, as I will be able to see how well things work when adding them to the engine.
Updated Checklist:
Environment studyMoving light sources puzzle prototype (light controlled by player)Puzzle prototype with environment items (combined with above prototype)Game storyLevel progression (difficulty)Concept art mood boardingStart and end of game Concept artPlayer interactions + controlsGame soundPlatforms- Level length prototype
- Unity Prototyping
- Market
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