Emmanuel Peterson
UI/UX Design
Elmina Castle
Project was Made from November 13, 2023-December 14,2023
The purpose of my game is to use stealth to escape the prison known as Elmina Castle. This prison is surrounded by guards trying all that they can to catch you. It is also filled with other prison gates that you could open to free prisoners. The main goal of the game is to escape the prison using the invisibility ability that you gained from being a test subject under the prison walls.
Post Mortem
What Went Right
Level Size
I managed to keep the level at a minimal size and still had plenty of room for the gameplay. With the simple and condensed playstyle that I created, it wasn't hard to make a small yet filling level for players to enjoy.
Main Mechanic
My main mechanic for this game was making the player invisible. This mechanic did not take much work but with everything that was built around it I would say was a success. Making guards that couldn't see the player when invisible. Having a radial progress bar with a cooldown on the invisibility. All of these things helped make the mechanic have more depth for the player.
Having Non-Linear Gameplay
My has no linear path for you to go, every path you go down in my game leads you to the control panel where you open the gate. The player can go through the middle, go top right, or top left and all three directions will get them to the control panel. Giving the player a nonlinear experience and variations of gameplay. If the player wanted to collect all the rings that would have to run through all three paths giving the game more adventure to it.
Building a Narative
I felt as though I did well giving the players a narrative that they could understand and see in the gameplay. Starting with a secret lab where the player is being tested. In their process of escaping, they look to free other players. I felt as though I was building this narrative through short and understandable gameplay.
Making an Interesting Win Condition
The win condition I made starts when the player reaches the control panel. The player opens up this puzzle of Kratos where they put puzzle pieces in a grid to win the game. The bar at the top of the puzzle increments as the player gets the correct pieces in the right place. When the player completes the entire puzzle the gate opens and they win.
What Went Wrong
Adding Optional Gameplay
In adding optional gameplay I failed to give the player a sense of purpose in doing so. One of the ways I tried to do this was with the keys that the player would collect to be able to open the gates to other prisoners cells. This wan't something I would show the player it was something connected to pulling a lever. To fix this in future games I need to show the entirety of what I am trying to convey to the player. This would include giving player feedback so the player will feel like something is being done.
Keeping Immersion
​Keeping the player immersed in the gameplay is something I tried hard to do with this game. The issue I had with this was trying to transition from the lab environment to the jail environment. This along with the puzzle at the end of the game pulled the player out of emersion. In the future, I would want to plan things out better from the beginning. Going in without a plan caused for inconsistency and broke emersion.
Providing Visual Ques
This was another issue of connecting the game together. My lack of visual ques hurt in playtesting and it confused the player in areas of the game. One of the biggest issues I ran into was playtesters would finish the puzzle and not know how to get to the gate. I can easily fix this with a sequence or widget to bring attention to it.
Improving Difficulty
My game did not take much for someone to complete. Once you understood the process of going through the game it was completed in less than a minute. When creating my game I had originally thought the optional mechanic would add to the gameplay but it didn't make people want to explore the entire level. To fix this I would need to add more playability and activity to the game so that the player will have more to do in the level.
Filling Out Level
At the end of my blockmesh I had many ideas for filling out the rest of my level. Many of these things I had to take a backseat to so that my mechanics would feel better and be complete. It left my level feeling empty and undesirable. What I need to do is take the time to give the level more life and fill it with the appropriate look of the game.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I really like what I did with my level. Some of the key aspects of the level I enjoyed making are the invisibility mechanic, the puzzle UI, and the guards that patrolled the prison. The main things I learned in making this game is planning and player feel are required to making a fun and interactive game. Planning ahead helps the process of growing your game and understanding your why. Player feel is added through play testing and attempting to make your mechanics feel good.