3rd-semester main project
Duration: 5 months (December 14. 2020 – March 04. 2021)
Task: Create a 3D game played from the side-view perspective
Coaches: Prof. Susanne Brandhorst | Prof. Thomas Bremer | David Witzgall
Team: Kay Priesnitz | Marco Perschke | Lenja Raschke | Philipp Juhl
Resources: Unity | Blender | Maya
My Contributions: Gameplay Design | Level Design | Visual Development | 3D Art | 3D Animations
Our Results: A playable build of a puzzle-based platformer game
My contributions to the game
My primary responsibilities at Protometheus were the development of the core gameplay mechanics as well as the level design.
Game Overview
The player’s avatar advances in a linear level through multiple rooms.
The level resembles an ancient factory, filled with obstacles and hazards.
Each room bears individual challenges that have to be overcome by cleverness and dexterity.
Gameplay
Scattered throughout the rooms are modules, the player can interact with when standing in front.
The module will then create one of three effects: water, wind, and fire.
These effects are used by the player to overcome obstacles.
They can however also harm him.
Therefore each module should only be activated after careful consideration.
These are the actions at the players dispolal. He can walk to the left and right and jump at any point, while grounded. Under certain circumstances the player is also allowed to move vertically. That is when submerged underwater or infront of a climbing area.
When holding down shift, the holographic preview of all effects in the room will show up. By pressing Escape, the game is paused and a menu bar opens.
Level Design
Our simple core mechanic of activating modules and using their effects becomes more difficult, when multiple effects are combined.
Three modules are placed in this room. From the left to the right, they create water, fire, and wind. The effect of the modules is indicated by the blue, red, or white bubbles. The fire can be amplified by activating the wind. This will cause the wooden crates on the top to burn down. If the player then activates the water module to the left, he can swim up and walk passed the destroyed crates to the exit on the left.
If he isn`t careful the effects will harm the player. Contact with fire will cause damage. In the case below, the health bar is almost at zero. If the player walks into the fire again, he will have to start this room from the beginning.
Additionally to the damadge, fire also causes a knockback effect, preventing the player from walking through it. This can effectively seal of areas of the level. In this case, the player has to extinguish the fire with water, turn of the module, that causes the fire effect or find another way around the fire.
It should be noted, that some modules may already be activated at the start of the game. They can cause obstacles for the player.
The effects are combined with the architecture of the room. The wind effect to the bottom right will move to the left and back, as soon as the module next to it is activated. By stopping the wind effects movement, the player can place it at any position along the horizontal axis of the room. This will allow him to place it in a way, that doesn’t amplify any of the fire effects to the top. If the player achieved this he will be able to ride with the flow of the wind to the top of the room, where the exit is located.
In this room, the player must jump from platform to platform while avoiding the liquid iron, frequently dumped out by the crucibles.
This is my favorite room because it utilizes all of the given space multiple times. The large object in the center is a hammer that is pounding down regularly. If the player stands underneath it (like in the picture), he will be crushed, triggering an immediate game over. The combination of effects and the architecture of the room forces the player to move around and across the hammer multiple times. This promotes the hammer to a hero object. When the player removes one obstacle, this will create a new obstacle that has to be dealt with as well. Thereby he has to activate the modules of the room multiple times in a particular order. This is why repeated navigation around the central hammer is required.