Puzzle Challenge - Fallout 4

 After playing through a challenging quest in Fallout 4, I decided to use it for my Puzzle Game research.

In the quest, I had to clear out an abandoned property to unlock the settlement. The property was full of enemies and I found there was a puzzle element similar to one I would use in my Puzzle Game.

The Puzzle:

After clearing out the first and second floor of the house, you seem to be stuck. The mission still says to clear out the area so you continue looking around. After a little exploring, I found a locked door on the third floor as well as the basement that required keys. I began searching and eventually found the key for upstairs inside of a nearby desk.

After getting the key, I entered the room upstairs where I had to kill a very powerful enemy. After killing that enemy I found the basement key next to him and proceeded to the basement. Once I was in the basement I had to clear out multiple enemies accompanied by another very powerful one.

After dying multiple times, I finally killed all the enemies and unlocked the settlement.

In conclusion, the puzzle was fun and challenging. It relied on the general use of an object (the key) and made the player feel smart when finding it. The difficulty increased as the mission progressed and there were areas of rest as well as non-combat problem solving.

Exploratory Sketches

Hero Prop Game Mechanic - Brainstorming

Ideas for Hero Prop/Articulated Contraption:

Backpack Mini Helicopter- 

• Unfolds out of a backpack on both sides of player

• Forms around player

• Runs on fuel. Player would need to get fuel pickups

Backpack Mini Jet-

• Unfolds out of a backpack 

• Forms around player similar to a mech suit

• Runs on fuel. Player would need to get fuel pickups

 

Grappling Hook Gun Arm-

• Shoots out of wrist

• Hooks on to target and then pulls player to location

• Can run out of ammo

 Backpack Spider Legs-

• Unfolds out of a backpack 

• Forms around player and lifts player off the ground  

Plasma Gun Arm-

• Attached to players arm

• Pieces of gun spin as it powers up

• Player can hold before shooting for stronger shot  

 Arm Shield -

• Attached to players arm

• Shield is projected out in front of player

• Can be used for a certain amount of time, battery runs out, then needs to recharge

 Orbiting Turret -

• Orbits around player

• Player can pick up multiple turrets

• Defends player

 Chainsaw Arm -

• Attached at players wrist

• Runs on fuel 

 

 Gravity Gun Arm -

• Attached at players wrist

• Runs on fuel 

Portal Launcher -

• Attached at players wrist

• Ammo Based

• Shoots out projectile that spawns a portal to another location picked by the player 

Attract Trailer

Racing Game Attract Trailer

Here is the attract trailer from Need For Speed. I thought it was cool because it showed the cars and the environments the player would be racing in. It showed them in a different way than most trailers. I liked how it cuts back and forth from slow to fast paced racing.

HUD Research

Here is the speedometer from a 2010 Dodge Charger SRT

Fog Particle

Here is a video of my fog particle that I made for my racing level:

Particle Research

One particle that I have been working on is a rolling fog particle system. I have already started working on it and hope to replicate something like this:

I plan on using it like it is in this picture. I would have it behind object to make the distance more noticeable.

Turret Footage

Here's a clip of my turret I made in programming class:

Race Intro Sequence

The race intro sequence I chose is from Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.

I found this intro appealing because its shows a large portion of the map in just a few seconds. It also shows the cars driving up to the starting line.

Here is the video:

Explosive Barrel Concept - Radioactive

For our racing level we need to create an explosive barrel obstacle that fits our level theme. Since my theme is about a nuclear power plant, I will be making an explosive radioactive barrel.
Here is a quick sketch of my idea:

Visual Target:

Something similar to this, but more of an older look and not as bright.

Racing Level- Thumbnails

Here are my thumnail sketches for some ideas I have for my racing level:

Racing Level PrePro

Concept:

One concept I have for my racing level is an abandoned nuclear power plant. Like Chernobyl, the facility was abandoned after one of the reactors exploded. It will have overgrown vegetation and overall destruction to most of the architecture. I plan on having parts of the track enter the facility but remain mostly outside, winding around pieces of the facility and taking sharp turns. It will take place in the late afternoon around sunset and will feature only natural sunlight. 

Stunts:

One main stunt that want to somewhat replicate is this stunt from James Bond:

Stunts:

Here is the main stunt area that I plan on focusing on.

I would have this section of the track possibly cut through the damaged nuclear smoke stack and loop into the main area of the facility.

Track rough sketch:

The track will change as the race continues. For example, after the second lap a tower will fall and destroy the side of the smoke stack, diverting the race inside.

Some reference for my idea:

Color:

I plan on using cool dreary colors mixed with natural colors to realistically represent the environment.

Trackmania 2: Valley | Level Analysis

Hers is a link to my presentation:

Trackmania 2: Valley Level Analysis

Programming - Arrays

In programming class we are learning about arrays. Here is a light pattern I created using an array:

Platformer Tutorial Level Design

For an upcoming assignment I will have to create playable tutorial for a side-scrolling platformer game. Below is my concept for my tutorial level:

Here is the cleaned up version of my concept:

In this level the player will come across obstacles that would be in the rest of the game. Being a tutorial, navigating through the world will be easy and self explanatory, though it will prepare the player for what they will face in future levels.

As far as story goes, I am planning on making the level resemble a cave and have the player need to escape the cave.The architecture would mostly consist of rocks and natural terrain like moss.

Platformer Game Analysis - Heli Attack 3

• How does the level layout contribute to the tutorial?
• The layout of the tutorial level was full of obstacles and targets for the player to get past. Certain obstacles required a special way past and would have a message pop-up telling you how to complete it. For example the taller walls require the player to "double jump" and reveals that pressing "W" twice will perform that action.

• How is the pacing and flow managed to keep the player challenged but not bored?
• The tutorial is pretty easy but keeps the player from losing focus by having a new obstacle soon after the previous one. Each obstacle requires a new action the player has not yet learned and utilizes the skills already acquired.

• How much is left to the player to figure out on his own vs. how much is handed to him?
• Everything the player needs to know is revealed in the tutorial.

• What kind of obstacles are presented to the player?
• Some of the obstacles in the tutorial include high jumps and destructible walls to shoot through. Some of the walls are extra tall and require the player to use the "hyperjump" ability that is explained in the tutorial.

• How do they ramp up the difficulty as the tutorial advances?
• Jumps get taller as the the level progresses as well as learning new abilities such as "hyperjump" and "timeshift". 

• What kind of positive and negative feedback is given to the player?
•  This tutorial doesn't provide the player with any feedback until after the level is complete.