Level 3 - The Tower: Design Breakdown


     Given the responsibility of designing the final official level of the game, I was (and still am) determined to make an epic finale to the game that put new spins on platforming puzzles the player has been doing the entire game. I wanted to make a level that players enjoy and remember. Besides being told to make the tower section very chaotic and challenging, I was given little direction of the level’s desired pacing, theme, and gameplay requirements. I was mainly on my own to design/build the level and its core challenges.

My Contribution:

     Starting the player in an automated construction site on skyscrapers, this environment gave me the opportunity to design new challenges/game spaces that hadn’t been done in the game before. Conveyor belts play a large role in the level’s first half. I dedicated a section of the level where players have to traverse on conveyor belts while jumping through the openings in the on-coming structures. This was inspired by the game show “Hole in the Wall” where people must get through walls by fitting through the bizarre openings.

     By combining the conveyor belts with cargo crates, shapes with gaps in them, and adding new twists to classic threats, I was able to create some unique game spaces that all offered new ways of overcoming platforming challenges.

     I decided to make the main bad guys’ tower a grungy office building (like the one in the Matrix) and since it is a bad guy building, it is swarming with enemies. This created the chaotic feeling I was instructed to design for. The player not only has to combat and avoid enemies within the cubicle spaces of the office, but also has to collect Keycards (currently purple capsules for whitebox purposes) to disable a shield. Forcing players to explore and continue to put themselves in danger to progress through the level.

     Then the final ascend up the tower’s lobby area is pure chaos and hopefully proves to be a fun but challenging finale. 
The placeholder for the holograms around the Tower is a Lego-Man (which rotates) I made in Maya. I am currently working with the team's artist to create a symbol that can represent the bad guys and replace my Lego placeholder.
Problems and Solutions:

     With a lack of narrative tools in the game such as voice overs, a face for bad guys (G-Bots), or even a symbol that represented the antagonists (besides the color purple), it was hard for me to create an environment that conveyed a sense of being behind enemy lines. After discussing a symbol/emblem that could represent the bad guys, the game director agreed for me to work with the artist to create one I can place around the other levels and inside the tower. We are in the process of creating one together that would represent the evilness the G-Bots are supposed to portray.

     I also spent a lot of time adjusting the height/width of the cargo crates as the team made the most significant changes to the player's movement at the start of the level's block-out stage. I had to ensure the cargo crates were easy and fun to platform across both when they were moving on conveyor belts and static. I also did the same with the wall-shapes with the openings in them. Besides scaling each of these structures, I also had to clip each prefab with precise triggers so the player could stay on-top of the structure while it moved along the conveyor belt.
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     As the finale inside the tower was supposed to be chaotic with enemy forces, I really tried to put new twists on the basic enemy types so it not only made sense in the office-setting, but also offered new ways to combat them. As combat in the game is not the most engaging mechanic, I had to re-work some of the enemies to create a more engaging experience. Which I think I pulled off very nicely through my creative problem-solving skills. 
Initial Paper Concepts:
     A lot of changes occurred from my paper concept as a result of playtest feedback. These changes improved the overall flow and difficulty of the level. My initial designs of the construction part of the level wasn't as focused on conveyor belts. But after getting the conveyor belts working properly and being able to push the cargo crates I created, I saw even more potential for a unique, challenging experience for the players.

     My paper concepts are meant for me to lay the foundations of the level's flow and core expereinces, but can always be re-worked if playtests and feedback suggests it. I am always willing to change my levels' designs for the best possible experiences, as I did for this level.

The following concepts are some that remained accurate through the level's development:
Upper-left = Cubicle Space 1 (Section 5), upper-right = Section 6 floors, bottom = Cubicle Space 2 (Section 5)
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​Section 1 - Skyscraper Construction


     Funk Unplugged had previous levels that utilized conveyor belts as a means of manipulating player speed/direction. I had several ideas that could revolve around conveyor belts, I just needed an environment where conveyor belts made sense. Foreshadowed at the end of Level 2 as the player wound up in a building under construction. I planned this so the 3rd level could start in an area under construction and it didn’t seem too spontaneous, as even futuristic cities under go construction and expansion. 
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As I am currently concerned with gameplay at the moment, some of the vista/environmental structures are not accurate (as seen with the building on the left floating in mid-air)
​     In the starting area of the level, the player is introduced to the cargo crates and how the player can traverse them. The entire area interconnects with each other encouraging player exploration. Through exploration, there is a room that introduces players to crates moving on a conveyor belt. With the visual temptation of a Gold Record at the end of the beltway, players will figure out they can jump onto single crates and traverse along them. Integrating a tutorial space by having the player problem solve on their own.

     The main platforming puzzle in this area (pictured above) acts as a way of telling the player they can jump on top of single crates, and can “crouch-jump” (a jump preformed from a stationary-position giving the player more height on a double jump) onto double-stacked crates. This tells the player jump measurements for crate heights as traversing the crates will increase in difficulty going forward. 

     The players are also introduced to moving cranes. The moving cranes are painted with yellow-caution textures as placeholders. In the final version, it will have a yellow color scheme that makes it look like a construction machine, as well as make a loud machine sound when moving. These audio/visual cues tell the player to watch out for them as collision with the cranes results in instant death. The player completes the first main platforming section while making jumps around a crane circling the cargo area.

​     On the second floor, the player encounters the cranes again. However, to add a different challenge, the cranes are moving swiftly down linear hallways. The player uses gaps between stacks of cargo crates on the edges of the halls to take cover form the crane and move past them. 

​     Players have to climb the stacks of crates to exit the area, but a gold recorder's location encourages players to go off the beaten path for an extra challenge.


​Section 2 - Conveyor Belt Halls 


     As some players may or may not have found the optional room with the conveyor belt before, players will have had experience with conveyor belts from previous sections of the game anyways. Section 2 is a series of straight hallways with conveyor belts in them. To amp up the difficulty as the player progressed in this area, each conveyor belt hallway offered new challenges.

     The first hall is right in front of the exit from the crane hallways. This way players will see the jump onto the conveyor belt and clearly tell it is achievable. With the conveyor belt moving various shaped structures, the player will hopefully figure out before they make the jump onto the moving conveyor belt, that they can use the openings in each shape to continue moving forward. This is the intro to the “Hole in the Wall” challenge.


    As the conveyor belts in each hallway are moving in the opposite direction of the player’s goal, the player's movement is slowed down and it moves the player backwards if they stop moving. This means the player must hurry and jump/move through the shape’s gaps to get to the end of the hallway. Otherwise players get pushed back by the wall structure. At the end of each hallway is an opening to the parallel hallway. The difficulty progression for the conveyor belt hallways work like this:

Hallway 1: Intro to moving through the shapes against the movement of the conveyor belt.

Stopped Hallway (optional): an optional hallway that is clogged and stopped moving in result. Contains a Gold Record at the end of it rewarding players for exploration and furthering showing players how to traverse the shapes in a static environment.

Hallway 2: Same as hallway 1, but now there are red shields that turn on and off on a timer. Forcing players to time their pass through each shape and not get trapped and die. Red shields kill players instantly and players have seen them before as they block entry points for the conveyor belts.

Hallway 3: Player continues to move through shapes, but now the conveyor belts can randomly spawn Missile-Seeking enemies. Meaning players who don’t get through each shape’s gap quickly can be hit with missiles.
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Hallway 4/5: I open the space up and now incorporate 2 conveyor belts that are parallel from each other. These halls also have conveyor belts moving in opposite directions from each other. Gaps in the wall allows the player to jump between the 2 conveyor belts in most areas. 

     As the player is to jump between the 2 conveyor belts to reach the end, I placed a moving crane that zips down the center of the 2 conveyor belts for the player to avoid. So not only are the conveyor belts moving in opposite directions, but the player has to time his jumps between the 2 beltways as the crane can kill the player. These conveyor belts also spawn the shapes the player has been traversing through so far, as well as stack of cargo crates too high to jump over and the occasional Missile-Seeking enemy.

     As red shields and large cargo crates prevent the player from simply riding/moving along one of the conveyor belts to reach the end goal, the player must make jumps between the 2 conveyor belts to complete the challenge. There are small walls on the side of some areas on both conveyor belts, making the player only be able to jump between the belts at certain locations/times. There are also collectibles (Gold record and a Hat) hidden around this area to encourage the player to continue to traverse the chaotic conveyor belts longer and go to areas not needed to reach the end. 



​Section 3 - Cargo Distribution


​     Unless the players found the optional room that introduced player traversal on top of moving cargo crates, the player only sees cargo crates as path-blockers on conveyor belts. The start of this section is the official intro to players being able to jump across moving cargo crates. Three conveyors belts are here. The middle belt spawns and moves double and triple stacked cargo crates while the outer belts are not moving. Players use the static crates on the stopped belts to get onto the moving crates where they mount the higher crates to get to the next floor. 

     I placed Jolts in an alternating height pattern (as seen in the picture below) to encourage players to get practice jumping across moving crates of different heights as the next section builds off that idea.
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Only the middle conveyor belts moves

     This initial platform also introduces the player to dangling crates that can be hit with the player’s projectile transform to make them fall.

     The next section is to be the final conveyor belt challenge. It incorporates everything the player has experienced so far with the conveyor belts and adds an extra layer to the challenge. The area is a big rectangle with one long conveyor belt wrapping around the edges of the room forming a “U” shape. This creates parallel conveyor belts again going opposite directions (although it’s just one belt wrapping around). 

     There are also 2 cranes between the conveyor belts. The cranes are separated by stacks of cargo crates and go opposite directions from each other. This helps the player gauge each crane’s location quickly, even if they see only one crane. To complete this section, players must traverse on the conveyor belts, between crane pathways, all while dodging missiles from a Missile-Seeking enemy perched in the center of the area on top of crates.
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     The enemy placement can be seen immediately as the player enters the area with the exit-point located right behind it. This tells the player he needs to get up there. The conveyor belt spawns thicker, bigger versions of the shape structures as well as triple and quadruple stacks of cargo crates. As the initial conveyor belt the player enters on is leading the player left, ideally, the player will continue to go that way and see the checkpoint in that direction. Not too much farther down that direction are some static single and double crates. That is the main way the player can get on top of the crates and shapes passing by. 

     Through all the chaos going on with the moving crates, cranes, and incoming missiles, it was crucial the game space communicated where the player is supposed to go and what to do. I spent some time redesigning this game space as it couldn’t communicate where players were to go clearly. If the player ignores the conveyor belt leading them to the left at the entrance. I place blue lights on the left and purple on the right. I also opened up the roof above the left side making that side brighter and more welcoming than the dark, purple illuminated right side.

     With the placement of the enemy and exit highlighted in blue lights behind it, the player should comprehend they need to get up there. If not, the lower floor area wraps around itself so if the player keeps moving (which the missiles will make sure of), the player will find the crates high enough for the player to jump onto the passing structures. For the first time, the player traverses on top of the shapes and not through them.

     To ensure players can’t just ride on top of a crate/shape until it reaches the exit point, I placed red shields in places along each conveyor belt. Forcing players to jump from moving structures to the static ones in the middle of the 2 moving cranes and vice versa.

     Between some of the crates in the center area are crates dangling from chains the players can shoot down if they are already on the surrounding stacks of crates. The dangling crates will fall as a result, creating double crates that are static on the ground. This acts as "safety nets" for players who make it up to the high crates already to shoot the dangling crates down and have a faster route back up to where they were if they were to fall or die. This optional action allows players progress to not feel useless if they were to fall or die as they wouldn't have to start traversing crates from the beginning of the conveyor belt again.

     This whole challenge and game space added a whole new layer of conveyor belt traversal which I enjoyed designing for. I am still balancing this area as the Missile-Seeking enemy can sometimes be too difficult as the platforming is already a challenge to some.


Section 4: Rotating Cargo Cranes:


     To make the transition from the construction environment to the interior of the bad guys' office headquarters, I initially wanted the player to activate a wrecking ball that would smash a hole into the office wall that the player could then glide through. That would be a fitting way of infiltrating the enemy’s tower and starting the chaotic fianle. However, the team told me Ampy doesn’t cause destruction or harm to anything/anyone besides the G-Bot enemies. So instead, I had the player traverse along spinning crane structures that were carrying cargo crates.

     The player has to hop/glide between rotating cargo crates to traverse to the docking bay connected to the tower. To act as a way to slow the level's pacing for players as they just came from pretty intense challenge and were about to enter another, I wanted the rotating-cranes to be a fun experience rather than a challenge.

     Since there are 3 crane structures all with 4 arms carrying crates, the player can easily traverse the area as arms rotate towards each other. I placed red shield on some lanes so the player has to jump between crates. I also placed Jolts on various crates and in-front of the red shields, encouraging the player to leave the safety of just riding crates and gaining collectibles in the process. 


Section 5: Cubicle Office Spaces:


​     Using actual floor plans of various office spaces as reference, I was able to design each cubicle section to be both believable and support my desired gameplay experiences.

     Once the player makes it through the rotating cranes section, the player can enter the bad guys’ tower through an open balcony entrance. Here the player is introduced to the Keycard system. Although implemented in a different fashion in a previous game world, I had to script my own manager to make this system work on my level. The player has to collect Keycards to disable shields. For whitebox purposes, the Keycards are currently purple capsules. This will change once we start arting-up the level. 

​     There are 2 cubicle spaces in this section. The first cubicle space has a large, stationary Turret enemy in the middle of the room marked as a “Motivational Bot” which cannot be destroyed. As stated before, this was to emphasize to the player how evil the G-Bots are as they force people to work against their will through the threat of violence. To further communicate this evil theme, I would have liked to have robotic voice-overs that gave "friendly reminders" from the Motivational Bots as they rotated around the area/attacked the player. Dialogue such as "Slacking-off will make my blasts go-off", "Get Back to work" as he is shooting at the player, and other semi-dark quotes that would further the evil, oppressive atmosphere. But unfortunately, the game will not support VO, so I had to communicate this theme in other ways. 

     I tried to make the block-out of office spaces grungy and dull. As I built all the block out props, I placed physics on them. That way when the player jumps on desks to collect Jolts, they will knock over chairs and computers. The enemy’s bullets will also knock over props. This helps add that sense of immersion because as a player, I always like to knock things over. 
Cubicle Space 1

     The first cubicle space is laid out so the player can use the cubicle walls as cover from the center Motivational Bot’s bullets while they take out/dodge the other generic enemy types. Elevators are also near the exit point. The 2 outer elevators spawn enemies that will emerge and shoot at the player via trigger, while the center elevator contains a health pack.
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     The next section is a larger cubicle space that utilizes the Keycard system. It's a circular flow with office rooms, a break-room, and conference rooms on the edges. This is important because like before, a purple shield with a Keycard device next to it is blocking the exit point. The player must find 4 Keycards scattered in the area to disable the shield and progress. 
Purple shield (left) and a window shows the player where they are suposed to go, emphasising exploring the area to progress, this is shown from the moment players enter Cubicle Space 2 (entrance = straight/right)

     Utilizing the threat of the moving cranes in the office space, I placed the Motivational Bot on a moving base (designed similarly to the cranes’ base) that circles through the hallways between the cubicles spaces for the player to avoid. Not only does collision with the base of this enemy result in death, but the Motivational Bot can shoot players if they are in range. This creates a new threat that keeps the player aware of his surroundings and makes the player have to traverse the tight office spaces in new ways.

     The player can use the props around the office, such as desks, copiers, and water stations to navigate through the area in unique ways to avoid and get out of sticky situations. This furthers the design of new ways to interact with enemies and the environment.


Section 6: Tower Ascend:


     As I tried to make the entire Office section chaotic (as I was instructed), this is where it takes it a step further for a even more engaging experience. After the player disables the shield form cubicle space 2, there is a dark, red lit hallway with 5 elevators on each side.

     As players should know from Level 2, elevators can contain collectibles or enemies. The hallway is scattered with Jolts in a jagged patterns as a means to have the player stay in the hazardous space longer to collect all of the Jolts. Since all but 2 elevators contain enemies, the player gets shot at as both elevators on each side of the hall open as the player passes.

     Once through the deadly hallway, the player has reached the tower’s main lobby that he must now ascend up. As the player gets closer to the lobby's entrance, 2 enemies drop from above and everything turns to chaos as turrets mounted to the ceilings, Missile-Seeking enemies, and other enemies open fire on the player.


     With a checkpoint and a large hologram in the center of the lobby’s floor, the rotating hologram (which will be changed to a symbol representing the bad guys) is to guide the player’s eyes upward and see what he has to get through to complete the level. As the player is in constant danger here and must constantly be moving, it was crucial that the player knew where to go and not be confused (at least for long).

     I made each floor above be an oval so even if the player got confused and just kept running around the floor, they would eventually loop around to where they are supposed to go. With each floor also being a ring, players can always go to the ledge and see vantage points/climbable platforms. This also helps makes the environment feel more spacious which helps with the level's readability.

     I made each floor symmetrical as most floors in a large lobby are. There are always 2 ways up to the next floor from the floor below. This is also designed to account for players constantly moving during this section. If players miss a jump to save themselves from getting hit by a missile or something, rather than having players run around an entire floor ring again to reach the single route up to where they were, there is usually a closer route to take, opening up player traversal options.


     To keep the platforming fun while also ensuring it wasn’t too hard since the player was simultaneously combating and dodging other threats, I used the combination of stairways, static and rotating platforms for the player to use to make his great ascend to the top. On some platforms, I placed fire pits that spit fire on a timer. I used these in Level 1 as means to platforming puzzles, so players will have experience with them and understand what the color changing means as it relates to the fire’s timer.

     To guide the player, I used lights to highlight critical platforms and staircases incase players get caught up in the chaos occurring around them.

     To ensure this section remains on the chaotic side and the player can’t take out all the threats and safely explore the area for collectibles, I placed red shields over the Missile-Seeking enemies. Now players can’t destroy them. I also placed moving Motivational Bots to circle 3 different floor levels, which can’t be destroyed anyways. Even if the player takes out all the generic baddies in the area, they will always be dodging missiles and those constantly moving Motivational Bots, as well as the turrets mounted to the ceilings (as they are unreachable for the player to destroy).

     The mixing of enemy types and their navigation path on each floor helps break up the repetition and keeps players on their toes. Encouraging different ways to safely navigate each floor.

     Overall, the final ascend is short (if the player knows what he/she is doing), but that is what the team and I wanted. As we could afford to make the finale more challenging and really emphasize the chaos of this section without it feeling too overwhelming and over staying its welcome. There are 7 floor levels the player must get through to reach the top.

This is the final stretch where there is only one way to the top. A Missile-Seeking enemy shoots missiles as the player attempts to jump from rotating platforms with fire pits on them to reach the final balcony.

     Through various attempts to balance this section for a challenging yet exciting gameplay experience, I've had to adjust layouts and enemy placements/variables. I use triggers to activate different Missile-Seeking enemies, so the player isn’t overwhelmed with too many missiles at once.

     I also scripted a trigger system that gauges how close the player is to the Missile-Seeking enemy as the missiles are the biggest and most consistent threat in this section. When the player gets close enough to the enemy, the fire rate will slightly decrease so missile don’t immediately hit the player after being fired, giving the player more of a fair chance to dodge them.

     Although further testing is needed to fully balance the finale, the section has proven to be quite the fun challenge to design and play.