CGD Blog #3: Operators and their abilities

As a class based, co-op game the playable characters and their abilities form the basis for the gameplay. So it was essential to get these designed first. The Classes and their abilities are what determine the level design.

The Disarmer is equipped with a shovel and a bomb diffusing kit and is responsible for disarming the mine; everyone in the team is there to provide support for the Disarmer so the mines can be defused.

Before the mines can be disarmed they need to be located as they can be buried anywhere underground, this is where the Locator class come, they carry the Bomb detector which beeps when it detects the mine. The Disarmer and the locator work together side by side.

The Distractor usually stays away from these two and tries to lure the guards towards him so the first 2 can locate and diffuse the mines. They can distract the enemies by whistling or throwing rocks; whistling will bring the enemy towards the player, while throwing rocks makes the enemy move towards where it was thrown. Thus the Distractor can keep the enemy AI away from the locator and disarmer by strategically using a combination of these 2 abilities.

Lastly we have the Support class, they can provide cover by blanketing the area with smoke, which can either be used to block the line of sight of the enemy AI so the players can sneak past them through the smoke or they can hide in the smoke while defusing the bomb. Support class can also heal wounded players by dropping med-kits upon request.

The primary design focus here is to have classes that are fun to play on their own, but team work is essential to win the game. No one can win the game by themselves . and is encouraged to seek assistance from and provide aid to others to accomplish the objective.

To further reinforce this point, Czech hedgehogs are introduced in the game. These were widely used during WW2, to stop tanks dead in its tracks. These are placed in checkpoints between the zones to prevent our armies infantry and tanks from pushing in.

So in order to win, the hedgehogs have to be displaced, which requires all 4 players to interact with the colossal thing and move it out of the way. This in turn forces players to cooperate to complete the objectives.

Game Design Project: Entry 8 - Prototype development

For the project I decided to showcase the tools functionality and level design in DungeoNeer through a 3D animation. The walk through will start from the beginning of a run when the player spawns and collects their random set of tools and equipment from the bench. The below image is a render showing the bench with all the tools that the player gets to start the run with. This was rendered with Cycles which is a physical based render engine that used raytracing, but this may not be a feasible option for rendering the whole prototype as a single frame in Cycles can take upwards of 60s to render on my PC. Some key game mechanics that I wish to show off in the prototype are : Multiple runs within a single cycle and letting the player see the changes to the game world Traversing through ventilation ducts Climbing over and walking across pipes Sneaking around enemies and using ranged weapons Show the DIM Scanner in action Show the electrical puzzle mini gam...

CGD Blog #7: Conclusion, Feedbacks, Result and Future Design Evolutions

The Game's core design can be play tested to iron out and imperfections. We need to play the game to have the feel for it, we need to play and experience how the map flows, if the routes make sense, how the presence of enemies and AI changes the feel of the map, if the AI is too fast to detect the players or if it is too dumb and blind, how the AI navigates the map etc etc .. The feedback I got from showcasing the level were very positive especially for Oasis. The forest map was only one that needs significant amount of revision to perfect the flow and feel of the map. I was aware that it was kinda too linear, but my brain fogged up, I literally couldn't think of any better ways to design it. Some more time in the oven, this one could be just as good as the other two. The final game implemented is far from the one I envisioned. Due to a major setback, we were not able to reach for the stars. I hope the extensive and elaborate levels were enough of a compensation. I wanted to...

Game Design Project : Entry 9 - Level Design through Procedural Generation

Level Design is the most important screw that holds DungeoNeer together. As a roguelite game the player gets a randomized set of tools and equipment at the start of each run. As they progress through the dungeon they can collect materials and other components to craft more tools that would allow them to access previously inaccessible areas. The game is primarily a stealth game (with action and combat elements), so the levels have to be intricately designed to allow players to sneak past the enemies and obstacles, however they choose to. Since the player may not have access to some of the pathways due to them not having the right tool to open a vent or a locked door that requires a keycard; the levels have to be constructed in such a way that there is always a way for the player to progress regardless of what loadout they start with. So, in essence the game doesn't fully halt the players progress, it merely slows down and restricts the player's passage through that path tempora...

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