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Game & Level Designer
Game & Level Designer
Adventure Game - April 2023 to June 2024
Adventure Game - April 2023 to June 2024
Dive into the tale of a celestial child and a pilgrim creature with a shared goal of ascending a mountain.
Overcome the challenges of this spiritual mountain, encountering mysterious collisions of reality between worlds and confronting a dangerous creature lurking in the mountain's depths.
Take control of each character simultaneously, engaging both your intellect and dexterity to overcome the multifaceted challenges that await.
Main Tasks:
Main Tasks:
Desiging levels for a solo coop game
Blockout using Brush Editing and BSP
R&D on the simultaneous control of two characters
Iteration on camera placement for puzzle and action phases
Designing a core system for both phases
Used Tools:
Used Tools:
Unreal Engine 5
Blockout with Brush editing tools
Notion
Google Suite (sheet, docs, slide)
Excalidraw
Perforce
GAME DESIGN
GAME DESIGN
Iteration, our best tool
Iteration, our best tool
Double controller as main challenge
This is the core feature of the game. It had to match our intention of easily accessible game.
Few games offer a similar mechanic, so we didn’t have many references to draw from.
As a result, we had to iterate to find the best approach.
Video of test rooms
Limitation of the brain
Our primary goal was to determine how much a player's brain could manage while controlling two characters simultaneously.
To do this, we created test rooms with progressively increasing difficulty and had different players try them out.
The results from these tests became the foundation for designing the overall pacing of the game.
Theorizing simultaneous play
We quickly identified two ways to play this unique controller: Alternate and Simultaneous.
Simultaneous play is especially tied to our controller, so we focused on finding the right formula to perfect this style of gameplay .
After many tests in-game and level design concepts, we ended with a theorem:
Simultaneous play emerges when both characters act on each other or on the same object, at the same time.
Building core system
Building core system
Finding high potential
To drive our adventure, we search a unique system.
It had to balance the double controller progression. As the player becomes skilled at controlling characters, the system should scale in difficulty.
The more twists we discovered within a system's proposal, the more potential it revealed.
We choose a color system, easy to understand with a lot of potential from player interaction
Test it
Since we explored various possibility for the system application, we needed a protocole to validate each one:
1/ Game designers meeting for brainstorming
2/ Player stories to share with team
3/ In-game prototype as a final check
This approach ensured that no idea was left undecided, each one was either validated or canceled .
Game Design Documentation on Notion
Changes along development
During development, the scope of the game was reduced. Some mechanics became to complex for the new scope.
I had the mission to simplify them as much as possible. This involved adjusting input schemes, level usage or trigger conditions.
Despite their original complexity, we achieve to actively keep simple mechanics in line with game scope evolution.
LEVEL DESIGN
LEVEL DESIGN
Level Design Process
Level Design Process
Conception
Conception
Identify major step and challenge
Create plan and mood based on natural landscape references
Blockout
Blockout
Integrate with accurate metrics
Iterate on camera placement
Art pass
Art pass
Collaborate with level artist to ensure the intention of the level
Iterate to improve player immersion
Player Progression
in Level Design
Player Progression
in Level Design
Building player progression
The biggest challenge was creating a seamless transition between learning the double controller and the color system. To achieve this, we had to pinpoint the key learning elements of each.
With that in mind, we prioritized teaching the basics of the double controller first. Then, we progressively introduced the fundamentals of the color system while alternating with moments of mastering the double controller. Finally, we focused on mastering the color system.
As a result, players remain excited to face new challenges, unaware of the gradual shift from one system to the other.
Main phases of player progression (early preproduction document)
Separating player progression and level art
We chose to separate game mechanics from contextual interactions, which sacrificed some of the synergy between level design and environmental art.
However, this decision brought significant benefits:
1/ As designers we could progress and iterate more quickly
2/ When we needed to cut a part of art scope, the level design remained largely unaffected
This was one of the most beneficial decisions for the project, allowing us to create solid, tested levels for the artists to build upon.
Blockout the entire game
I was responsible for releasing this extensive blockout in coordination with a level artist. Together we crafted the mood and the scale of each level.
The blockout served as a storyboard, aiding us in identifying its feasibility and determining which parts should be refined.
This blockout was crucial to identify the best cut. As well as keeping in mind the whole game while working on a specific level.
Working in team
of level designers
Working in team
of level designers
Setup Metrics Scene
I established this scene to ensure a more consistent feeling and coherence across all our level designs.
This scene allows level artist to easily have an easy access of the base scale of the levels.
This standardization helped to secure artists work and to ease the readability for the player
Playing our game
All along the production, we continuously played each other level within the design team.
This had two major benefits:
1/ Enriching concepts by introducing fresh ideas
2/ Having regular playtesting of our work
It bringed a positive atmosphere in the team and greatly enhanced the inspiration behind our level designs.
Sometime trading levels
As we developed a shared vision for the levels, we were able to adopt an unexpected workflow.
Sometime, one of us work on a level concept created by team member, usually due to time constraints.
This approach never caused any issues, as we maintained open communication. In fact, it led to greater consistency across all the levels.
Major Steps Prototypes:
Major Steps Prototypes:
Gym / Toy room
Gym / Toy room
Entire story blockout
Entire story blockout
Mid production Prototype
Mid production Prototype
Credits:
Credits:
Game Designers :
Game Designers :
Gustave Burgan
Grégoire Laroumanie
Ulric Debaert
Game Programmers :
Game Programmers :
Julien Brossard
Jolan Robert
Game Artists :
Game Artists :
Alice Martin
Lisa Grimonpont
Louis Lafontaine
Yasmine Meziane
Externs:
Externs:
Ian Peter Ballinger - Narrator
Marlène Grau - Music Composer
Quentin Rapicault - Foliage Artist
Léonard Tamas - Sound Designer
Louis Moulin - Sound Designer
Victor Barc - Sound Designer
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