The Brief.

For this task I was required to work in a team of 4 to develop a game that utilitises the systems we’ve made. We had all made the same systems so we needed split them up and decide who’s work we will use for each part of the project. Here is how we split the project up:

  • Myself - Enemies and moving platforms.
  • Group member 2 - The playable avatar.
  • Group member 3 - Splines and follow camera.
  • Group member 4 - Cutscenes, doors and switches.

The criteria that our game needed to meet is listed below.

  • At least 3 minutes of gameplay
  • At least 2 scene transitions
  • Melee combat between the player and an enemy.
  • Collectables and power ups to help the player progress.

The Game.

After assigning each other to our roles we need to ensure our systems were robust and polished enough to be used in a larger project. Once all the content was in the project we were able to begin planning the structure of our game, I was in charge of the design and flow of the gameplay.

I decided that throughout each area the player will need to collect a number stars in order to progress. We used a slider UI to show the player how many stars they have collected, once this slider was full a door will open granting them access to the next area. Each area also has power ups to help them along the way. I will explain the stucture and goal of each area below.

Area 1.

This area introduces the player to the game’s mechanics. They begin at a large flat surface with room to explore and understand the controls, this area also includes stars to collect as they can watch the slider UI increase.


A image of the slider UI indicating the player has collected some stars.

As they progress through the area they will be required to collect a double jump power up to reach some stars. They will alo need to use the speed boost power up to escape fast moving boulders in order to collect the last of the stars in this area. During any time in area 1, the player can collect a sword power up introducing them to melee combat. They can use the sword to defeat enemy statues which grants them 3 hidden stars. This area utilises:

  • Powerups and Collectables.
  • A cutscene.
  • Basic melee combat.


Area 2.

This area allows the player to use what they learned previously and apply it in a more challenging situation. They begin with a sword power up directly in front of them and an enemy near by guarding stars. The player will have to engage in combat to retrieve these, but it’s up to them whether they decide to flee or attack. After this is a moving barrel sequence that will require the player to use the jumping mechanic more carefully, there is a locked room containing stars that the player will need to open. This area utilises:

  • Powerups and Collectables.
  • Enemy melee combat.
  • A switch and door mechanism.
  • Multiple cutscenes.
  • Platforming sequence.


Area 3.

This area introduce the player to a move challenging enemy that is gaurding stars as it patrols a large area. After dealing with it, the player is introduced to gameplay on a spline, they will need to follow the spline path to collect the remaining stars and complete the game. This area utilises:

  • Powerups and Collectables.
  • Challenging enemy melee combat.
  • A cutscene.
  • Gameplay on a spline.


Post-mortem.

Overall I think the project was successful and reasonably polished. Although we encountered a few issues when trying to combine our seperate systems, one of which shows in the final game. When the player is following the spline, the animations do not work correctly as the player always appears to be standing still. This is because the player and the spline belonged to two different team members and there were issues getting the two systems work together.

Check out our final project.