Level 1 - City Streets: Design Breakdown


​     Besides for the director’s guidelines and expectations regarding the city’s style and difficulty, I was given mostly free reign on how I would layout my level and design its pacing. Understanding the game’s mix of linear and spacious game spaces that invited players to explore, I knew I wanted the first level to introduce the player to all the different kind of hazards and layouts the city offered but at a pace that wasn’t overwhelming or boring.

     To keep the player informed of where he could and could not go, I made everything he could jump onto look like it could be in jump-able distance while everything else is clearly not in range. I also guided the player with Jolts, the main/generic collectible in the game, and encouraged players to take riskier routes with more valuable collectibles such as Gold Records, Hats, or Outfits.

​My Contribution:

​     I designed and built the entire level in Unity, starting from a paper concept. I also scripted the moving cars and their spawn managers/navigation. I also scripted some interactive props such as the generators and some of the rotating platforms. I placed and altered the game’s NPC enemies to navigate my levels in specific paths, as well as clipped moving platforms with triggers that kept the player on the platform via the programmer’s script. I actively asked for test sessions and feedback for needed improvement by other team members. As well as kept my director up-to-date on my progress.
​Problems and Solutions:
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     As this was the first level I had created for Funk Unplugged, I had the other developers test frequently and based on their feedback, I made a lot of adjustments. I had to spend some time testing out different sized environments as I was gauging what felt right for this game’s mechanics. A lot of the problems I had early on was making spaces too small as the camera would clip against/through walls often. However, I quickly gauged scale for camera purposes as I continued to develop the rest of the content for my levels.

     With the verticality of the finale (Section 3), I had to make sure the player couldn’t reach unintended places as the player climbed higher up, gaining leverage above roofs/structures. That is why the surrounding area for finale section are pretty much straight walls with no roofs or anything else flat that looks like the player can land on. I also stressed this to the environmental artist I am working with as he has started arting-up this level, so we both worked together to ensure the finale's area matched the aesthetic theme while supporting gameplay needs.

     I also had to ensure there were more than one way for the player to climb the base of the Vertical Tunnel in the finale because I didn’t want the player to wait an entire rotation around the tunnel to make the intended jumps. The solution I had was making the base symmetrical. I placed jump points on 2 sides of the tunnel’s base. That way, there were always at least 2 ways the player could progress up the structure. 
Initial Paper Concepts:
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     I designed and shared these with the game's director to communicate my vision/flow of the level. They plot the main collectibles, enemy placement/pathways, and overall layout of the level. Obviously changes occur based on play-testing and feedback. However, I always use paper concepts to help me plot the pacing of a level and keep me on track during the map's development. 
Left = Section 1, right = Sections 2/3

Section 1 - Downtown Streets


     I started the player off in the city surrounded by tall skyscrapers and next to a busy 2-lane street. This introduced the player to the fast-moving cars immediately which haven’t been seen in the game until now. This offered a safe area for the player to learn that getting hit by these cars resulted in immediate death since the first check point isn’t far from the street.

     I littered the starting area with Jolts to encourage the player to explore the city setting. Jolts are also in the middle of the street. As the cars are moving on the road, the player can learn to double-jump over cars as he quickly dodges them to collect the Jolts. I build upon this “dodging cars” hazard throughout my levels. I spaced out the Jolts nicely in the immediate area. This ensured the Jolts didn’t look overwhelming, but rather an invitation for player exploration.

​     I had the first section split down the middle using the 2-lane street curving down the center. This forced the player to have to cross the street to get to different quadrants in the section. To get the player to explore the city environment, I made the main gate the player must go through blocked by a transparent, purple shield. The player must collect 4 purple batteries to disable the shield and progress. The location of the batteries are located in each quadrant in the area, forcing the player to explore the environment to find the batteries. The 4 quadrants are the starting sidewalk, parking area/alley entrance, courtyard, and the marketplace.
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     The batteries are not well hidden as the player can usually see them from the ground level. However, the challenge is for the player to figure out how to get to those batteries based on their experience of platforming throughout the game. The player will have to climb various structures while being introduced to threats old and new. New threats are the cars, both on the street and ones flying around (because it’s the future). Since cars will play a major part in this level and 2nd, I made cars the major new feature for this area.

Once the player collects all 4 batteries, the shield will open, allowing the player to progress to Section 2.

Section 2 - Alleyway Restaurant 


     Slowing down the level’s pacing from the busy City Streets in Section 1, I put the player on a linear path that introduced the player to new types of platforming mechanics in a safe environment.

​     The player sees Jolts scattered above on some awnings as they enter the alleyway, casually inviting the player to get up there somehow. Another gateway is closed ahead but the player can’t disable this one. Designing the Alleyway to be a small square space and having the player know there’s a need to get to the structures above with the visible Jolts from the entrance, the player should be able to see the route leading up to the rooftop of a nearby building. Using umbrellas varying in height on top of tables in the restaurant area, the player can make his way off the ground. However, the player has got to move fast because these umbrellas sink when the player is on them. 

​​    There is a floating stack of platforms with parked cars on them. This is a world where cars can fly, why can’t there be floating parking for cars in this world? However, how would people get from their car to the ground? How about when a person walks/parks on the platform, the platform gently sinks to the ground, allowing people to safely get to the ground.

          With that real-world logic I asked myself, I made the parking platform start to sink when the player steps on it. This also built off the umbrella platforming but in a slightly less forgiving environment. If the player stays on the platform too long, the platform will sink too low for the player to make the jump to the nearby rooftop. To lure the player to stay on the platform longer than needed, I placed Jolts around the parking platform. If the player stays on the platform too long, it will sink to the ground forcing the player to traverse all the way up again using the umbrellas. Once the player is off the parking platform, it will rise again unless the player gets back on.

     With previous levels offering push-able objects and rotating platforms, I decided this linear section was a good place to teach the player how these features behave in the futuristic world. Players can push a stationary, hovering car to get across a large gap too wide to jump. The player is also introduced to rotating cylinders that act as form of advertisement in the city that the player can jump onto to reach higher locations. This is crucial for the next section.

Section 3 - Vertical Tunnel


     Since the next level takes place high above the city on rooftops, I wanted the finale to the this level feel like the player is ascending, preparing them for the 2nd level’s setting. I also wanted to create an engaging challenge that was memorable and felt like an accomplishment once completed since my levels were supposed to be harder in difficulty compared to the rest of the game.

     My design was for the player to climb a large vehicle tunnel that goes straight up. It would challenge the player’s ability to jump on moving/rotating platforms while avoiding hazards such as electric beams and speeding cars going up the vertical tunnel, potentially killing the player from below which is a new twist from other threats.

     To make the vertical tunnel feel larger and more intimidating, I placed it in the center of an intersection surrounded by two 2-lane streets on both sides. When entering the area, the player gets a grand view of the tunnel and can watch cars zoom up it. The player can look up and see rotating rings high-above within the tunnel and see how high it is. The player then must jump down making the vertical tunnel become even taller and making the task of climbing it seem grander than it is. 

     To encourage exploration through this chaotic area, the intersection is design in a circle. Jolts are scattered in the middle of the busy streets and sidewalks. There is a flame fountain (which I scripted) with flame pits that turn on randomly based on a timer for the player to jump around in to collect Jolts. The circular layout helps exploring players always be able to see the tunnel’s base in the center, which is where the player is supposed to go to start their climb up the tunnel.

     The start of the tunnel is simple jumping onto moving platforms in spacious environments. However, not too far up the tunnel’s base, the player is led inside of the tunnel. This is where the player is introduced to the moving cars zipping up the tunnel as threats. Along with making timed jumps from moving platforms to other moving platforms, the player must now watch below for incoming cars. Lights (mainly blue) guide the way for the player through the chaos.

     There are 4 lanes cars follow, but since the player is rotating around the tunnel’s interior, its hard to tell where the lanes are as there are no lane rings/markers until higher up the tunnel. This was to enforce players to have to be cautious of their chaotic environment and watch below for incoming cars before they make jumps. This is also to emphasis how high players are getting. It doesn’t look that high at first, but once the player continues the journey up the structure, the player will begin to realize how high up they are getting.

     Since the vertical tunnel is very chaotic, I decided to calm the pace a little by taking the player out of the tunnel and continue their way upward using rooftops for a while. However, to get from the top of the tunnel’s base to the rooftop (where a well-deserved checkpoint can be seen) the player must jump across the tops of stationary cars.

     To help players make the initial jump to the first car, I placed Jolts on top of some the cars. Players will eventually see these cars don’t move, as they are stuck in traffic (I will add signs that express there is a hold up in the tunnel the cars are waiting to enter). 

     As players traverse the roof structures, go through a rotating electric field, and explore areas to collect rare collectibles, the players will be come across another traffic jam. However, these cars are only stopped temporarily. Lights on the tunnel’s entrance turn on acting as a visual timer for the player and a stop light for the cars.

     Now that players know they can traverse on top of stationary cars, they must hurry across the cars before they start moving again. This challenges the player’s ability to make timed jumps under pressure and as the platforms start to move beneath them. If the player is on a car when it starts moving, the player will fall off. There is a cylinder ad players can use as a platform as a safety net.
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     Players can activate an elevator via a generator on the platform before jumping onto the moving traffic section. If a player falls, they can take the elevator platform back to the rooftop rather than starting from the base of the vertical tunnel again.
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     The moving traffic section leads the player back to a higher part of the vertical tunnel. Now there are rings within the tunnel that create lanes for the moving cars. The player must make timed jumps from the lane rings while avoiding moving electric beams and speeding cars in tighter spaces than before. Lights guide players on where to go as all the rotating rings, speeding cars, and all the electric beams can cause a lot of visual chaos.

​     Once the player makes it to the top of the vertical tunnel, blue lights mark the doorway for the player to reach. However, the player must cross on top of cars once more. Only this time, the cars are more spaced out, and the player must travel across more cars to reach the doorway. Jolts are scattered across different tops of cars off the critical path to the doorway. That way players can challenge themselves to collect those if they choose. If not, players can just make the jumps across the cars to reach the exit point.

     Once through the doorway, players can look down at the vertical tunnel and the lower streets from the balcony to admire their climb up. Then they can take some stairs where they will find the End-of-Level marker that will result in a completed level.