Story of Development

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The Brief: 

The Synoptic Project at Manchester Metropolitan gives students the freedom to do their thesis project based around one of three objectives: making a game, making a tool for a game, answer a research question about games. As a games designer I chose to make a vertical slice of a game that I had been wanting to create for some time, a 3D action platformer with a focus on movement.

Movement in 3D action adventure games typically have hard limits placed on them to restrict the player to areas and allow for more streamlined level design processes, because the faster a player can move the bigger a level needs to be to accommodate the same play time. In addition to this, some of the most satisfying mechanics are often restricted to highly scripted interactions with environmental pieces. These include but are not limited to grappling hooks that only work on specific nodes, wall climbing only on specified ledges, or wall runs that require precise landing angles.

The removal of such restrictions can lead to more unique and engaging experiences through level design that builds around the gameplay rather than restricting it.

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Researching Movement:

To create an engaging experience I commited myself to a lot of groundwork research. Investigating other titles to draw from their success and avoid any common failures. During this process I looked into Mirrors Edge, Marvels Spider Man, as well as source engine movement and the speed-running community. I drew from this research much of how to create my desired mechanics but also how to design games in such a way that truly sells the players speed (the key focus of the vertical slice)

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Designing Movement:

To give the player freedom of movement in the environments they traverse, they would require a diverse set of movement abilities from which to make use. To achieve mastery of the system, the players have to utilise the different abilities together with the end goal of perfecting their times.  In order to create such an experience the designs of such a system are detailed below

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Bunny Hopping

As seen in many source engine titles, bunny hopping provides the player a useful tool for conserving momentum. This is typically a challenging manoeuvre requiring precise timing. To lower the skill floor of the game, this mechanic functions automatically by holding down the jump input. This then executes a bunny hop upon the players landing on the ground.

Slide

Sliding allow the player to lower their hitbox and move low to the ground to navigate under obstacles so they might progress through areas or dodge incoming projectiles. In addition the slide is powered giving the player a boost in speed in the direction their character model is facing.

Dash

This ability functions as a small boost that the player may use either on the ground or in the air. This light boost however is merely a secondary function of this mechanic falling behind in importance to its primary ability – momentum transfer. When performing the dash the players current velocity is converted into their absolute speed which is then applied in the direction the players camera is facing. This allows for sharp changes in momentum to navigate complex environments. In addition, this momentum transfer brings the potential for unique movement with player mastery, for example the ability to utilize a jump pad as a forward thruster by rapidly dashing after landing on the pad.

Wall Run

In keeping with the games ethos of not forcefully stopping the player unless they wish to stop moving the traditional concept of wall running was modified. In traditional wall runs the player must orient their character to face sideways along the wall and potentially even press a button to engage in a wall run. This complexity was filtered down to a more user friendly approach. By simply landing on a wall facing it from any angle the game system calculates which way to propel the player along the wall from the relative angle of the character model. In addition, no button press is required as the system shall take over automatically, as well as there is no gravity pulling them down allowing them to run in perpetuity.

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Development and Skills gained:

I used this project to investigate and implement some of my favourite aspects of technical design in gaming, getting into the nitty-gritty of subtle changes that make movement in games fun and engaging. Learning a lot along the way my abilities in technical designed soared to new heights and I was able to produce a truly fun experience for my players

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Scripting

• I scripted the functionality of all the elements for the game

  • UI and HUD

  • Movement and player abilities

  • Enemies and Combat

Design​​

• I designed the initial concept over the course of many weeks leading up to the synoptic project unit

• I designed the movement system and abilities after researching many similar titles that I tried to emulate the feel of such as Sunset Overdrive

• ​I designed the tutorial levels to walk the player through how to engage with the movement system

• I designed the first true level to give players a place to express their skills with game they had just learned

• I designed feedback systems for the player to encourage them to replay and become better at the game

  • Score Ranking​

  • Visual Effects that indicate speed