Prototyping:

Core Mechanics: The core mechanic of Tiny Wreckers "creature connecting" was inspired by games like World of Goo and Tinykin, where players manipulate groups of characters or objects to solve puzzles and traverse environments. This mechanic allows players to link tribe members together to form bridges, reach higher platforms, and unlock creative solutions to level challenges. What makes it a strong design choice is its versatility: it blends seamlessly into the platforming gameplay while fostering player agency and problem-solving. By giving players the freedom to decide how and where to connect their tribe, the mechanic becomes an open-ended tool rather than a restrictive feature, ensuring that every challenge feels unique and rewarding. The mechanic also aligns with the game's theme of Tiny Creatures making it both mechanically engaging and narratively cohesive.

Physics & Destruction: Destructible objects posed a technical challenge but added a tangible sense of chaos and purpose to the game. Testing involved fine-tuning the damage threshold to make destruction fun yet balanced.

Balancing:

Balancing in Tiny Wreckers focused on ensuring mechanics like destruction, creature connecting, and timed racing felt challenging but fair. Destructible objects were fine-tuned to break with just enough effort to feel rewarding, while stars were placed strategically to guide players without being overly prescriptive. Timed challenges were calibrated to push players to master movement without creating frustration, and trampolines were added to speed up navigation in larger levels. This careful balancing maintained a steady difficulty curve while keeping gameplay accessible and engaging.

Implementation:

Player Character Movement: The initial player movement used a sphere collision, relying on physics similar to classic puzzle platformers where the player controls a ball. While this provided natural movement, it didn’t align with the precise feel I was aiming for, especially given the game's bridge-building mechanic. To ensure more control and precision, I switched to a capsule collider and implemented movement through directional input, removing reliance on physics. Additionally, I added a secondary cube collider to allow interactions with bridges and clones without the player sliding off surfaces.

Bridge Mechanic: The bridge mechanic is based on two main actions: connecting and cloning. When connecting, the current clone traces nearby dummies. If a dummy is found, the clone attaches to it using a constraint. If no dummy is detected, the clone attaches to the surface it’s in contact with. Once connected, the player can either detach or spawn a new clone at the respawn point. This process is repeated to build structures as needed for puzzle-solving.

Destructible: Destructible objects are implemented using pre-fractured meshes that wait for enough force or damage to trigger their destruction. Each object has a unique damage threshold and weight, ensuring that only the right amount of force will break them apart. This method allows for more efficient handling of destructible assets, as they are fractured in advance and only activated under specific conditions.

Level Design:

The level design in Tiny Wreckers serves as a foundation for teaching core mechanics while fostering a sense of freedom and discovery. Drawing inspiration from sandbox-style levels in games like Toy Story, level features open spaces that encourage players to experiment with mechanics like creature connecting and destruction. Star pickups are strategically placed to subtly guide players along optimal paths, serving as both rewards and incentives for exploration. The layouts also integrate timed racing segments, which introduce dynamic pacing and push players to master agility and efficiency while overcoming obstacles.

Interactive and destructible elements, along with triggerable events, play a crucial role in making the levels feel alive. Destructible objects are placed to create satisfying moments of chaos and problem-solving, while triggered events like gas stove or water tap, add an extra layer of interactivity and reward players for engaging with their surroundings. Trampolines further enhance navigation, helping players traverse large gaps and maintaining a fast-paced flow in expansive areas.

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: Balancing exploration with guided progression.

Solution: Used star placement as visual cues to lead players without feeling overly restrictive.

Challenge: Preventing large level from feeling empty.

Solution: Incorporated trampolines, destructible objects, and hidden paths to fill gaps and create rewarding interactions.

Challenge: Limited development time for detailed level design.

Solution: Focused on modular design techniques to reuse assets creatively and iteratively build level that highlights mechanics.

Learning Outcomes

Through the development of Tiny Wreckers, I gained valuable insights into the importance of balancing player control with dynamic game mechanics. I learned how to fine-tune physics-based interactions to achieve a precise and satisfying movement system, ensuring player agency without sacrificing the game’s intended feel. The cloning mechanic reinforced the significance of designing intuitive yet layered systems that encourage experimentation while maintaining clarity in player actions. Additionally, working with destructible environments deepened my understanding of performance optimization and the need for efficient asset management in games with complex physics interactions. Overall, this project strengthened my ability to create engaging, responsive gameplay mechanics while considering performance, user experience, and narrative coherence in a physically interactive world.