Week 4:

Note:

Core Principles of Level Design

• Flow: Designing the player’s journey.(A valid guideline for narrative arcs, skill development, spatial design)
• Affordances: Defining what’s possible.(The environment teaches interaction)(Objects, textures, and layout
  communicate what can be done without text)
• Guidance: Visual and spatial cues.(Direct players subtly through composition)(Guidance leads exploration while preserving freedom)
• Gating and Keys: Structuring progression
• Difficulty Curves: Balancing challenge and flow

Level Design Procedures:

• Spatial layout and narrative action bubbles
• Blockmesh
• Environment art
• Scripting
• Lighting
• Optimisation
• Playtest

Class Activities:

1.

This is our team’s level design.

End：

We have designed two endings: the main ending resides within the largest rectangle, while the hidden ending is contained within the smaller rectangle labelled “jail” on the right. Players’ choices will determine which ending they reach, and after the main ending, there is a certain probability of triggering the hidden ending.

Start：

The player’s starting location is amidst a graveyard, emerging from within a tomb. Subsequently, the player faces two choices, leading into two distinct storylines.

process：

Upon leaving the spawn point, players encounter both a standard route and a hidden path.

Players choosing the main route exit through the front gate into the village. However, as they have emerged from the graveyard, they encounter the cemetery caretaker upon leaving. Players must overcome the caretaker by any means to enter the village.

The hidden route leads underground, departing the graveyard via the well. This path is less conspicuous; players must search the graveyard carefully to locate the partially concealed manhole cover and exit through the well. This route is discreet yet safe.

Upon entering the village via the main route, players who evade detection by the villagers or escape pursuit will encounter the final boss. Defeating the boss leads to the main ending. However, if players are apprehended by the villagers, they will be sent to jail, triggering an alternate ending.

Upon reaching the underground via hidden passages, players may follow different routes to arrive at distinct locations. By traversing the pipes, one may reach the town’s subterranean drainage system and encounter a boss. Defeating this boss will trigger the final ending. Alternatively, reaching the river through the underground pipes and escaping the town will likewise trigger the final conclusion.

2.

We worked in groups of three to compose our stories, eschewing conventional narrative progression in favour of a randomised approach. Each member selected their preferred keyword, and we drew lots to determine which option would form part of our collective tale. Though the resulting narrative was bizarre, it proved thoroughly entertaining and could be plausibly explained through our collaborative interpretation.