Terrate
"I am very excited by the concept, especially if there's a consideration for making the central challenges focused on environment and navigation. The core concept of the struggle of being a salt golem and managing your resource is compelling." - Peer Feedback
Tools: Unreal Engine 5, Git, Canva, Trello, Audacity Team Size: 9 Duration: 8 Months
A 3rd person adventure-survival game where you're a "Gokol," a wandering Salt Golem, exploring an island. Interact with villagers, embark on quests, and manage the "Existence Bar" tying actions and health. Navigate quests, resources, and nightly storms
Responsibilities:
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Designed main concepts for main gameplay areas, including the main village and combat areas.
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Balanced general gameplay, ranging from combat balancing to the questing system.
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Created several documents detailing core game mechanics and the layout of levels.
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Conducted research to find out what the game's target audience would be.
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Engaged with the target audience and peers for effective feedback on core gameplay.
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Led and took part in weekly scrum meetings within a multi-disciplinary team
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Organised and managed the group Trello board.
Players can craft items from resources they collected and rest within the village
Players can only seek shelter from the weather within the village
If players are new or are struggling, there are numerous hint boards scattered around
Players can craft items from resources they collected and rest within the village
Level Design Process:
Being the primary designer for this project, I oversaw many features of the game such as the balancing of general gameplay, the layout and construction of every level as well as the implementation of all audio SFX + Music) Throughout the development process, I had to constantly change and evolve my designs based on the overall scope and feedback from peers, most notably the difficulty scaling the missions.
When designing Terrate, I want to place a large emphasis on the player being able to explore a large area, with certain hidden areas rewarding players for their exploration off the track. Although the game does feature a basic compass system, I didn't want the objective to be as tedious or obvious, I wanted players to explore the unique world I had designed.
I designed most of my levels first digitally online, creating several rough drafts of how I wanted the rough level progression to be. Once I had discussed with the group how the level would fit in narratively and gameplay-wise, I started grey-boxing the main area. The grey boxing was important for this project as we went through many different design decisions and versions of the main game and gameplay elements. This process is featured in detail above.
I wanted the main area to be large and explorable, with many routes for the player to traverse
With the next evolution, I vastly expanded the playable area in concept, giving the area a much more natural feel
The finished level now features dense foliage, roaming NPCs and resources that can be picked up
I wanted the main area to be large and explorable, with many routes for the player to traverse
Level Overview:
One of the most detailed areas of the game is one of the first areas the payer encounters outside the village hub. This area first introduces the element of water damaging the player, basic movement mechanics as well and how the player can deal damage. Moreover, I spent the majority of my time in this area working on the layout and appearance, I wanted the player to feel that their character was truly from this mystical land. Although the layout is basic, it quickly points the player in the right direction and the art style we chose really shines in this section, giving off a beautiful warm glow, and guiding the player. After all, the most basic level design principle is that light guides players along the right path.
Design Goals:
Immersive World Building:
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Goal: Create a rich and immersive game world that players can get lost in, filled with detailed environments and diverse characters, that makes the world come to life.
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Objective: Craft visually appealing landscapes, design interactive and player hub, and populate the world with engaging NPCs with unique appearances.
Player Agency and Freedom:
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Goal: Empower players with a sense of agency and freedom, allowing them to shape their own narratives and gameplay experiences within the game.
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Objective: Provide a wide range of quests and activities, allowing players to choose their paths and objectives. Balance challenge and accessibility, ensuring both casual and hardcore players find meaningful experiences tailored to their playstyles.
Meaningful Progression and Reward:
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Goal: Create a rewarding and satisfying progression system that encourages exploration, resource gathering, and quest completion, giving players a sense of accomplishment and motivation to continue playing.
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Objective: Design a balanced resource gathering and crafting system, where players can collect materials and craft valuable items, encouraging exploration and experimentation. Implement and balance a quest system that offers unique story progression, ensuring players are constantly motivated to engage with the game's content. Incorporate a sense of discovery by hiding secrets and rare resources, rewarding players for their curiosity and thorough exploration.
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What I learnt:
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How to effectively communicate within a multi-disciplinary team.
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Learnt how to use and understand Unreal Engine 5.
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How to keep a group organised and up-to-date via Trello.
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Scoping down is always better than keeping a large idea throughout development.
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Feedback will be very harsh, so be prepared to take the hit.
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Defend design decisions and explain them to make others understand.