Game Art & Design

Floating Training Level

3/9/26

I built a world with a lot of platforms and coins, so it will be interesting to people who like platformers and collecting coins. It is interesting because it has a lot of detail, so it should be appreciated by people who love details. My original idea was to have the player cross floating islands to get to the destination, as well as using power ups to help with traversal. As I went, I added moving islands, as well as coins. The part that was most fun to create was the coins, since even though they were easy, they added a lot of detail to the game. The part that was most difficult was the HUD, since I had to manage a lot of code that I had little experience with.

The tools that were most useful were the Move, Rotate, and Scale tools, since they helped position my objects and gave the level more polish. The part I was most proud of was the HUD. This is because it was the hardest part of the game to make, so it felt great when I was finally done with it. While there is not a lot I would change with about the level, what I would do is add flowers and pebbles to the islands I made. This is because the islands I made did not have the flowers and pebbles already on them, and having them on there would make the level feel more alive.

Screen Recording 2026-03-06 150422.mp4

The Valley

4/8/26

The Valley is the second level of the game world I am making. I added a lake, hill, mountains, foliage, village, and a castle with a garden. The world is interesting because there are a lot of cool things to discover, which will help keep the player's attention.

The part of the world I worked on the most was the terrain. This is because it would shape how I made the rest of the level, so I had to make sure to give myself enough room to work with. The tools that were most useful were the Sculpt, Flatten, and Foliage paint tools, since they helped make my world big enough, and feel more alive. I am most proud of how I managed to do some of the project without using any tutorials, which shows how much experience I have accumulated in using Unreal Engine.

My level 2 world is a lot different from level 1, since the terrain in level 1 was a bunch of reused assets, and the terrain in level 2 was made entirely by hand. If I had more time, I would add a lot more smaller details, like putting foliage on some of the houses to make them feel older.

Creativity and Variety in a Game World.mp4

Challenges

4/28/26

The valley is a lot more engaging now that it has hazards. I added 2 sweepers, 1 hammer, 1 boulder, 1 gate, and 4 turrets. These mechanics change the gameplay because now you have to focus a lot more in order to win.

The hardest challenge was the timed gate. This is because it required a lot of coding in order to be functional. The best way to balance difficulty is by only using features that people are aware of. This means that you should not have challenges that need you to go faster, since you might not know how to do that. I am most proud of the timed gate. This is because I overhauled the buildings and put foliage on them. I am most proud of how I made it look like there were trees growing out of the chimneys. I might add a challenge where you have to solve a puzzle within a time limit.

UI and Cutscenes

5/21/26

The things I learned about how sound affects storytelling was that having the music change in certain areas affects the player's experience. The main example was when I put challenge music near the challenges, so the player knew there was a challenge coming up. Another example is having a certain soundtrack play during a cutscene, which makes them more interesting. I think what most affects the players emotions is dramatic or sad music. This is because it can show the player that an important event is going to happen. Another thing that affects the players emotions is having an event surprise them. This is because surprising the player can make them more engaged in the story. If I had time, I would add another cutscene so the player could see what else was in the level. I would also make the cutscenes more fluid so they do not seem too choppy.

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Level Expansion Project

Part 1: Pre-Production

5/11/26

Level 3 will fit into the game because it will have the same genres, being Platforming and Role Playing. The target audience is fans of these genres. The cutscene I have planned will be a multi-shot view of all the obstacles that starts and the goal and ends at the player. The objective is to get to the goal at the center of the map, without dying. The obstacles I will use are moving islands, enemy towers, and sweeper arms. The map will be a volcano, with the goal being at the center surrounded by floating islands. The player will first have to get past the sweeper arms, then evade the enemy towers, and scale the floating islands to reach the goal. The sweeper arms will be above a lava lake from the volcano, the enemy towers will be in a small town like the timed gate from level 2, and the floating islands will be inside the volcano above the lava, with the goal being on an island in the center. The game is rated E10+ since there is no swearing, blood or body horror, but you do need a good amount of skill to be able to play.

Part 2: Game Design Documentation

5/13/26

The objective is to get to the goal at the center of the map, without dying. The obstacles I will use are moving islands, enemy towers, and sweeper arms. The map will be a volcano, with the goal being at the center surrounded by floating islands. The player will first have to get past the sweeper arms, then evade the enemy towers, and scale the floating islands to reach the goal. The sweeper arms will be above a lava lake from the volcano, the enemy towers will be in a small town like the timed gate from level 2, and the floating islands will be inside the volcano above the lava, with the goal being on an island in the center. I made these choices so that I could use some of my work from the past in this level, to show how much experience I have in this engine. The main assets I will need are the Enemy Towers, Floating Islands, the walls from the Hour of Code, and at least one plane with a lava texture. I do not think I need to make any changes to the UI in Level 3, since I did not have to make changes in Level 1 or Level 2.

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