When thinking about the level itself I decided to think about how the puzzles could play out. More so how the puzzles could be seen and how’d they would work. This moodboard has a collection of games and how they use in conjunction with dynamic level design.
All these games have a dynamic puzzles, therefore puzzles that change the gameplay experience and speed. This makes a game more fun and keeps the player on the edge of the seat. Having the pace of the game change and intervals also allows for a game with re-play value.
When breaking down these images, at first one might assume that they’re quite chaotic. However you soon realize what is used to help the player progress within the game and what is used to distract the player and slow it down.
These assets are the key to develop well-paced gameplay.
Brothers: A tale of two sons
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an adventure game developed by Starbreeze Studios. Brothers is played from a third-person view overlooking the two main characters. The brothers can be moved individually using the thumb sticks, the controller triggers also cause the live brother to interact with the game world, such as talking to a non-player character or grabbing onto a ledge or object etc.
The older brother is the stronger of the two and can pull levers or boost his younger brother to higher spaces, while the younger one can pass between narrow bars. The player progresses by manipulating the two brothers at the same time to complete various puzzles, often requiring the player to manipulate both brothers to perform differing functions (such as one distracting a hostile non-player character while the other makes their way around).
This game more or less has the mechanics I would like to apply to the FMP. The way both characters interact and have their own unique ability allows for balanced gameplay that focuses on strategy and puzzles. This also allows for changeable gameplay speed.
I believe to apply this I would first have to consider how each character interacts with its environment and if they can work together as well as individually. I would also have to be specific in the way I set-up the puzzles, therefore having them intricate and detailed, yet fun and enjoyable.
Another factor of this game which is rather interesting is the idea that each brother is controlled via either thumb-stick. I believe this could be a rather interesting mechanic to explore. Nonetheless I believe this would be difficult to achieve on a PC and I’m not too sure how that will port.
Maybe like the Lego games I could have a split in the screen to showcase the distance between the players, but this would be another thing to add to the ever growing list of things to do.
Ori and the Blind Forrest
The forest of Nibel is dying. After a powerful storm sets a series of devastating events in motion, an unlikely hero must journey to find his courage and confront a dark nemesis to save his home.
Ori and the Blind Forest tells the tale of a young orphan destined for heroics, through a visually stunning action-platformer crafted by Moon Studios for PC. Featuring hand-painted artwork, meticulously animated character performance, and a fully orchestrated score, Ori and the Blind Forest explores a deeply emotional story about love and sacrifice, and the hope that exists in us all.
The story driven game is a tearjerker that makes you feel for the characters and deeply involves you as a player. This is portrayed amazingly well with visuals of the game which are rather complementary and harmonious, yet at times clashing. This hand painted style allows for a more expressive feel to the game as well as vibrant, dramatic and lively scenery.
This also plasys on the puzzles as it makes them rather exuberant and visually stunning. Being able to transcend past a level and having the scenery replicate this is rather cheerful, however when a level gets difficult and the gameplay gets faster the scenery becomes more wild and rough.
This is a rather attention-grabbing way to show the length and difficulty of puzzles, as well as change the pace of the gameplay.
I do however believe that the puzzles themselves have to be though proving as well, without them it is just a pretty scene. The more though-provoking a puzzle the more the scene should be set. This makes for both an attractive scene and puzzles.
Edge of Nowhere
Edge of Nowhere, it's a third-person adventure game to be used exclusively on the Oculus Rift.
“Travel to the far reaches of the Antarctic mountains in search of a missing expedition team. What appears to be a rescue mission takes a turn as you venture into the deep unknown, and discover a surreal world that will test your wits and sanity. Scale towering mountains and use makeshift weapons to survive and avoid descending into madness. In Edge of Nowhere, nothing is what it seems and the unexpected lurks from all sides.”
This soon to be released game shows a rather interesting approach to level design using VR. Howver when looking at it from designer’s perspective I cannot help but break it down.
The first thing that caught my eye was the sleek and smooth camera angles shown in the trailer. The way the camera pans seamlessly when avoiding certain objects or when descending into dark caverns is cinematically amazing.
The ability to get the camera to move instinctivally is a difficult task yet they pulled it off amazingly. I believe to get this working for FMP would be a major task and one I would like to invest time into. I believe getting the camera to pan for certain shots and getting cinematic cameras would allow for a more dynamic approach. To add this with puzzles would them make for something even better.
The puzzles play well with interesting visuals, the ability to see where you want to get too from a wide angled shot or having a wall scaling puzzle from a low angle shot would make for a more photographic game.