I didn't essentially have an original idea until I got started to work. I was just following the baseline while working, but I decided to start to do stuff my own way once I began to understand the animations and transformations that you could do with floating islands, platforms, coins, etc. I think that the parts that were the most fun to create were the floating islands. I liked dipping my toes into the animation scene when it comes to video game design, and its a very similar to the animation that we had to do in 3ds Max. Going inside of blueprints and changing the code is arguably the most important. It makes up the entirety of the game, with the next important step being the models. You could change multiple features, like how high the jump boost will make you jump, or how the boost will last. I would say that I'm very proud of my finished result as a whole. Its a demonstration of my foundation of skills that will be useful as I continue. With more time, I would have liked to mess around more with the code and change stuff making it unique from others. I think that it would also be cool to spend more time on the animations. Below you can see images and a video of the finished result.

The Valley: 

The Valley is an area once flourishing with life, only to now be abandoned. It features a lush, green landscape with hills that block the outer world from entering. The world is interesting to explore because it is full of secrets, and it will soon be home to many challenges, including rolling ball traps and hostile enemies. In this unit, I created the valley, and filled it with foliage, checkpoints, and hills. A village was added in the center of the valley as the goal, with the castle filling the middle of the village. I also added a proper death animation, as well as better lighting.

In Unit 5, I would say that I expanded the most on the human-made areas, which are the checkpoints and village. They all that is remaining from the prior civilization, and I think it adds a lot of life to the Valley, as without them it wouldn't be anything. The most useful tool had to be the foliage paintbrush. I could not imagine having to go around a place every blade of grass or every individual tree down one at a time. It was a major time savor considering how lush the world needed to be. I think i'm most proud of how "realistic" I made the world. I didn't go too crazy on anything, and I kept everything grounded. I also really like how lush I made my world in general, because I think that it really complements the rest of the world. The Valley doesn't look anything like my previous world; except for the castle infastructure, because they use the same parts. Also, my first world is more based on floating platforms and being in the sky, while my unit 5 world is the complete opposite. If I had more time, I would add to the village a little more. It feels like there are too few houses for it to actually be a thriving and sustainable society.

Challenges: 

The Valley now feels more dangerous and exciting because players must move carefully while exploring instead of just walking around. I added moving sweepers with blades, falling boulders, closing gates, and turrets that shoot at the player to create different types of obstacles. These mechanics make the game more intense and interactive because players must react quickly and think about timing instead of just exploring, which increases immersion and challenge

Reflection: 

The most difficult challenge to build was the moving sweeper because it needed proper timing, collision, and animation to work smoothly without breaking the gameplay. I had to test it many times to make sure it hit the player correctly but still felt fair. To balance difficulty, I adjusted speeds and added safe spaces so players could learn patterns instead of getting frustrated.

The mechanic I am most proud of is the turret system because it adds pressure and makes players stay alert while moving through The Valley. It fits the story by making the environment feel like a guarded or dangerous place instead of a peaceful one. If I had more time, I think that it would be really cool to add some sort of a boss fight like other platformers have (Bowser). Below you can find some of the images of the challenges.

UI and Cutscenes: 

Level Expansion Project: 

Pre-Production:

For my level expansion, I want to create a cave that can be found inside the castle. There were rumors spread around the village of great treasure and wealth found under the castle, which actually gives a reason for the player character to be there. The level should feel confined and make the player feel claustrophobic, while also increasing the nervousness of the player due to the atmosphere. 

For my challenges, I am going to include a rolling boulder that is triggered with a trap, sweeper arms that you must avoid in the air, quick and precise parkour to avoid spikes, and then eventually (and this may be a stretch), a driveable boat that will allow you to maneuver your way through sets of hammers.

For a cutscene, I either plan to have one play as the player triggers the rolling boulder, or once they make it to a certain point in the beginning of the cave, which will showcase the entire level.

The level will be Everyone 10+, due to the mild fantasy violence, with minimal suggestive themes.

Game Design Document (GDD)

The player’s objective is to make it through an underground cave filled with deadly traps and obstacles in order to reach the treasure at the end of the level. Players must survive each section by avoiding traps, completing parkour jumps, and safely traveling through dangerous areas.

The development process for this level will start with creating the underground cave environment and building the basic path the player will follow. After the layout is finished, different traps and obstacles will be added throughout the level. The first section will include a rolling boulder chase inspired by Indiana Jones. After escaping the boulder, players will fall into a pit where they must avoid spinning sweeper arms before landing safely on a bucket above deadly water.

The next section will focus on midair parkour jumps over spikes that can instantly kill the player if they miss. After completing the spike section, the player will enter a water area where they must move a boat around while avoiding swinging pendulums. Once players successfully avoid the pendulums, they will finally reach the treasure room and complete the level.

The underground cave theme was chosen because it creates a dark and dangerous atmosphere that matches the adventure style of the game. The rolling boulder section was added to make the beginning exciting and immediately put pressure on the player. The sweeper arms were designed to test timing and movement skills while also making the falling pit more intense.

The deadly water increases difficulty because players must land carefully on the bucket to survive. The spike parkour section was included to challenge the player’s jumping accuracy and reaction time. The final boat section changes the gameplay by slowing movement down and forcing players to carefully avoid the swinging pendulums. Ending the level with a treasure room gives players a rewarding feeling after surviving all the obstacles.

Assets Needed

The level will require multiple assets, including:

• Cave walls

• Rolling boulders 

• Sweeper arms

• Spikes

• Water

• Bucket (or some sort of platform)

• Boat model

• Swinging pendulums

• Torches

• Background music and overall sound effects

The UI for the level will stay simple so players can focus on gameplay. There will be a counter for both coins and gems, and ideally the level will display a small objective message such as “Reach the Treasure” at the start of the game. Dark lighting and minimal UI distractions will help make the cave feel more immersive and intense.