Game Design: V

Cryptozoology

From Blitz Games Studios Game Overview Cryptozoology is a third person action game targeted at XBOX 360 / PS3 / PC. Combat is a mix of gun and hand to hand combat. Progression is a standard linear, single player experience across ten levels. The game has a steady reveal of mechanics, story and enemy types - right up to the final boss fight. The story of the game follows a modern day Van Helsing wannabe, a hunter of mythological creatures called Christopher / Christine (gender is up to you). After hearing word of increased supernatural activity in several hotspots around the world, our protagonist goes on a globetrotting quest to stop evil, get the girl/boy and fire off some fun little quips. They’ll do so armed with a range of monster killing weapons and whichever martial art style is currently fashionable. Not the most original set up in the world, but then a lot of game briefs aren’t. Your calibre as a designer relies on your ability to develop levels and gameplay based within a brief, often laid down by people outside the studio you work at. I’ve intentionally left the brief for the specific gameplay section you’ll be working on vague enough to allow greater creativity in regards to story and setting – this is not necessarily representative of the control given to a level designer in actual development. Your level Level 7 of 10 – A fallen ally Level setting: Intentionally left open. Pick somewhere which suits the gameplay, the enemies, the mechanics etc. Don’t pick anywhere unless you’d be able to justify that choice using the aforementioned reasons. Level run through: Arriving in a new area, our hero receives a call from a fallen ally nearby, s/he must get to them, avoiding hazards in the way. The nature of these hazards is up to you, the player. Mechanics learnt: At this point in the game, the player knows pretty much everything they’re going to have to know. There are a couple of cool weapons later on, and they may not have unlocked every combat move, but we can rely on a high moderate understanding of all core mechanics. At this point we may want to add some cool environmentally specific mechanic, or perhaps theme the level around a new weapon or combat technique. Mechanics to teach: Up to you for the purposes of this brief. Using the very loose description, think of something for the player to do on their way to saving a friend. Maybe the mechanic is directly tied into saving the friend. Enemies: Could be many, could be none. Think about how enemies will function within the context of the level’s core mechanics, and if they don’t, then come up with other ways of handling the gameplay and experiences they provide in the rest of the level (danger / humour / tactics). Notes: Don’t stretch too far. We don’t want this level to feel like a completely different game (and the budget likely won’t support massive additions). Often a small new item, or gameplay addition can have a massive and cool knock on feel. An example would be Half Life 2’s super-charged gravity gun. A new texture and some tweaked weapon values led to one of the most memorable levels. Don’t just write a story, and don’t focus too much on the whos and whys of the characters. If a story point or character nuance informs gameplay, great. This is the 7th level of a 10 level game. Allow that to inform your decisions. Design the layout and action of the level. Specify where key actions and objectives take place. Try to avoid designing a level that the player can largely ignore by simply running to the exit or final objective.