Marble Explorer
Genre: Physics based racer, 3D platformer
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Team size: 21
Duration: 8 weeks
Platform: PC
Project: Marble Explorer
Role: Game designer & Level designer
A physics-based 3D platformer where players control a rolling marble through challenging tracks. The game combines momentum control with obstacle navigation, testing players' precision and timing. As a Game/Level Designer, I focused on creating levels that progressively increase in difficulty, offering a compelling blend of speed and strategy and took ownership of environmental hazards and obstacles.
Responsibilities
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Mechanics Conceptualization: Ideated and defined core game mechanics, including obstacles and enhancements.
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Mechanics Visualization: Translated game mechanics concepts into visual formats for better understanding and implementation.
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Gameplay Balancing: Meticulously balanced the dynamics of obstacles and power-ups.
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Level Design Principles: Established key metrics and guidelines for level layouts.
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Level Gameplay Arrangement: Carefully planned and executed gameplay sequences for 'Transit' and 'River' levels, focusing on strategic placement of obstacles and power-ups.
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Level Design: Designed and developed two out of five major levels in the game.
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Block-mesh Implementation: Executed blockmeshing for these levels, laying the foundational structure for gameplay and design.
Game Mechanics Overview
Challenging Manoeuvrability: The design of obstacles in the game is deliberately complex to test and enhance the player's skill in maneuvering. These obstacles require precise control and timing, offering a challenging yet engaging experience that pushes the player to master the game's controls.
Speed vs. Control: Within the game, specific obstacles offer a trade-off between increased speed and the loss of control over the marble ball. This mechanic introduces a strategic element, where players must decide whether the risk of losing control is worth the potential gain in speed.
Strategic Shortcuts: The game incorporates a strategic layer where power-ups and certain obstacles can be utilized to discover shortcuts. This not only adds variety to the gameplay but also encourages exploration and experimentation, rewarding players who skillfully navigate the levels.
My thought process:
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The player should feel swift.
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Levels should be designed to challenge their movement.
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The player should not unnecessarily fall off the map, such as safety ledges to fix minor mistakes.
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Obstacles aren't meant to stop the player but to slow them down if they lack control.
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Pickups should be versatile and usable anywhere, adding to the challenge and more versatility.
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The level layout aims for easy navigation but moderate difficulty in completion; the real challenge lies in the time taken to finish.
Design Overview
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Level Duration: Each level is designed with an approximate one-minute completion time.
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Increasing Difficulty: The levels in the game are designed to progressively increase in difficulty, utilizing the same game mechanics introduced early on. This approach challenges players to apply and master these mechanics in increasingly complex scenarios, effectively testing and enhancing their gameplay skills.
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Shortcuts: Tracks incorporate small shortcuts for players to explore.
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Visible End Goals: The level's end point is visible from the start, offering directional guidance.
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Balanced Difficulty Curve: The difficulty fluctuates, ensuring a well-paced experience and avoiding a linear difficulty progression.
Level 1 (River)
For the "River" level, the first post-tutorial stage in the game, I integrated basic mechanics that players learned earlier, introducing new ones gradually. The level's design was focused on incrementally increasing the difficulty, impacting the marble ball's manoeuvrability.
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Developed the level design and a prototype to test mechanics.
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Completed block-meshing for the River level, incorporating obstacles and power-ups.
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After initial setup, refined the block-mesh to include specific obstacle scenarios and power-up mechanics.
Level 1 (River) - Design Iteration Stages
Level 1 Devolopment
Level 1 (River) - Gameplay
Level 3 (Transit)
In the design of the "Transit" level, which was crafted to be significantly more challenging, I carefully introduced new mechanics in a step-by-step manner. This included teaching players the Turning Point mechanics and then integrating moving platforms. This approach was intended to guide players in learning and combining these elements for a more complex and engaging gameplay experience.
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Developed the overall level design.
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Prototyped new specific sections to integrate these new mechanics.
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Completed blockmeshing of the level, incorporating both obstacles and power-ups.
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After the initial design phase, I collaborated with the team to modify the level using standardized shapes for better integration with modular art assets.
Level 3 (Transit) - Design Iteration Stages
Level 3 (Transit) - Gameplay
Environment highlights
