Unity GKL - Verdant Falls - Test Run 1 - 4/11/2023

 4/11/2023

        At long last, our level design journey brings us to the third dimension through the Unity Engine. In Unity 2020.3.38f, our goal was to design and create a rough block-out for a tutorial level introducing the player to the basic movement, tool, and combat mechanics typical of a Ratchet & Clank style platformer. The auxiliary level design tools, game mechanics, and features are provided by the Game Kit Lite asset pack, created in-house by Unity and found on their marketplace. In addition to making a solid introductory level, we've also been tasked with delivering the experience with a look and feel described as "jungle sci-fi". 

        As life is commonly known to do, quite a few wrenches were flung into my creative process while designing this level. My initial plans involved a spawn area designed after a futuristic jungle resort that's been forgotten in the jungle. Here players would be introduced to the major mechanics at their own pace in a semi-controlled environment (as expressed by the spawn area's aesthetics). From there, players would leave the resort and enter the jungle, where their new skills would be tested to gradual degrees of difficulty. All this was to culminate in a final fight (or flight) to the level's end.

        Right as I had gotten the spawn area nearly completed, I began to feel a growing pain in my upper jaw. Before I could get any more meaningful progress done with the level, I was on a train back to my hometown for an emergency dental appointment. If that wasn't enough, once I got settled back home, I fell ill thanks to a fellow passenger. With the first iteration's due date quickly approaching, I needed to think of a solution as fast as possible. Rather than rush the rest of the map at a low quality, I decided I'd attempt to take what I had made and rework it to cover all the necessary bases. At the time of depositing this first iteration, I felt what I had was a decent compromise amid a wave of bad luck.

        As is also commonly known, some things truly are too good to be true. Being away from my usual pool of play test victims, I convinced those within a quasi-metaphorical arm's reach to experience my level instead. Not only were some of them rusty with platformers, a select few hadn't played a 3D platformer since the original Crash Bandicoot- actually boding quite well for testing. 

        What was once a picturesque and simple composition introducing the setting to the player had now been obfuscated by the newfound clutter. This visual overload led many testers to feel an immediate sense of overwhelming stimulation, often warranting a "woah" or "oh my". While these remarks could've led me to blindly defend what I'd created, I took this as an opportunity to engage in a good dialog with the testers, probing for vital constructive criticisms. 

        Among the critiques, it was near unanimous agreement that the pacing had been completely lost in the compromise. This loss of cohesion led not only an assault on the eyes, but a gauntlet of confusion for the newest of play testers. The path of progress is present and noticeable, but to reach the broad audience necessary for the success of platformers like this, a great deal of cohesion would need to occur.

        Besides the elephant in the room, there was one more major oversight made with this map. The dividing wall I added in hopes of guiding the player had now become a means of soft-locking players who neglected to trigger the first button, atop the transit building. 

        Beyond those two, very glaring issues, the map does have a distinct style that will hopefully see more potential in the iterations to come. The setbacks are isolated and easy to counteract, so the next version of the map is already becoming clear in my mind. Until next time, thank you for reading!