Doc 3 - 2D Platformer | Katya S Portfolio

3 Level - 2D Platformer

This project was an exploration of level design in my AET 334C Level Design class. We learned how to implement flow for players in a level and make creative design choices, focusing on level navigation and a smooth introduction to mechanics with a big emphasis on playtesting and incorporation of feedback. This 2D platformer was created in Construct 3 and utilizes a game kit.

Initial Sketches

Level 1 - Introductory

In this level, I mainly focused on teaching the player the jump, double jump, and platform mechanics. I tried adding more areas for the player to practice these mechanics and increased the difficulty slightly throughout the level by adding enemies and longer jumps with endless pits. I kept the level’s visuals simple and appealing by adding more height to the platforms and keeping the trees random and spread out.

Design Philosophy

Section 1:

To begin the introduction level, I made sure to keep in mind that the player is not supposed to know how any of the mechanics work. I used the apples that the player can collect to guide the player. First, they guide the player down and then make the player jump for them. Then I wanted to give the player more opportunity to just practice jumping as well as learn how to double jump so there are some trees with apples that require double jumping. Along with that I decided to add a little more risk with the spike enemy to have the player practice jumping over it and show that it can harm the player, but won't kill the player. After the spike enemy the player has another simple jump with added risk to show that player it can actually kill them if they didn’t already know.

Section 2:

Continuing, the player is introduced to the platforms. There is space under the platform for the player to walk under as well as more apples on top of the platform to show that the player can jump up onto the platform. Then are more double jumps on trees for the player to practice and gather more apples.

Section 3:

Finally, I wanted the player to get more experience with more obstacles. I wanted to show more obstacles in the air since they would need to get use to that for the later levels so I added the bird enemy to the final jump. My idea for the jump was to force the player to do another double jump with much more risk and the bird acting as an obstacle, however, later I found the bird could also help the player out depending if they landed on top of it or not.

Level 2 - Intermediate

In this level, I focused on combining the mechanics the player learned in the previous level with new mechanics like the moving tree platforms and wall jumping along with new enemies like the mushroom, chicken, and bark. I focused on making the beginning more instructional on how to deal with the enemies and then increased the difficulty with harder jumps and more complex combinations of mechanics. I kept the level’s visuals very similar to the first level changing up the type of grass to show some difference.

Design Philosophy

Section 1:

To begin the intermediate level, I had the player start off on the same colored grass and practice the main mechanics learned in the previous level (jumping). Once the player is on the different colored grass, I added the barrels for them to explore but also to serve the purpose of allowing the player to jump over the enemy to the next barrel to show that that is how they deal with the enemies. They player may accidentally kill the mushroom jumping to the next barrel and is then faced with the spikes like in the last level. Finally the player jumps on to the platform as shown from the first level with a bit more risk since it is partially hanging off the edge and is faced with the chicken enemy. This combination of mechanics is meant to introduce some new mechanics and increase the difficulty and make the player think fast but is still doable possibly sacrificing a heart or two on the first try.

Continuing with the level, my main focus was to introduce the player to the moving platforms. Originally I sketched them out to be clouds, however, that was not doable with the kit so I opted for trees. Since it was the first time the player deals with moving platforms, I didn’t want to make it too difficult for them but I still made sure double jumps and timing were necessary to be taken into account. I added another bird enemy that the player has already seen for the player to use in their jumps to make it a little bit more difficult as well.

Section 2:

Section 3:

Finally, the player makes it to a calmer part of the level where they can relax a bit before continuing. The player is introduced to the bark enemy as they drop down but they now know how to kill enemies and shouldn’t have too much trouble with it. To finish the level I wanted the player to learn the wall jump mechanic, which they are forced to do once they drop down into the ditch. Once they make it up they are met with a spike enemy that can be kind of annoying if they have low health but if meant to add to the difficulty.

Level 3 - Advanced

In this level, I tried to really focus on adding a combination of everything the player has learned so far to make it more complex and difficult. The visuals remain consistent with the previous levels on purpose because I wanted the player to focus more on the game and mechanics and not get distracted by super new visuals. I did, however, add some different platform material towards the end of the level. Towards the end of the level I also played around with different jump techniques and added thin platforms that added difficulty and were a change from the previous platforms.

Design Philosophy

Section 1:

To begin the advanced level, I started off the player immediately getting attacked by the mushroom enemies that make their way towards the player. To add more difficulty I added a spike enemy to each jump so the player has to be more accurate about their jumps. Then there are the platforms that are in range on the trunk enemy and the bird enemy adding a timing component to them before the player can kill the enemies and continue.

Section 2:

Continuing the level, I played around with more moving platforms that the player has already had experience with in the last level and made them more difficult. I made the jumps tighter and included more motion from left to right, up and down, and vertically. The jumps are all also made over a bottomless pit adding to the risk.

Section 3:

Finally, I added a section with very thin platforms for the player to jump on to continue. I tried spacing them out evenly with a few wider jumps to break the jumping rhythm a bit and make it more difficult. To end I added a wall jump section where the player has to wall jump between two walls to get to the rest of the level where the are met with a few enemies before ending the level.

Feedback/Playtesting Notes

ROUND 1

Introductory Level:

Intermediate Level:

Advanced Level:

After Round 1 Feedback

Level 1 - Introductory

I didn’t change much for this level after feedback since my playtesters seems to think it was very intuitive and a good introductory level overall. I only made slight changes to the trees in the background so they don’t overlap too much with the front trees and make the trees jumps clearer as well as making sure all the trees barks reached the bottom of the screen. I also added an apple above the spike enemy to make it clearer it just an obstacle to jump over and that it doesn’t have to be killed and I moved the bird enemy to a higher position to force the player to double jump more and really think about timing.

Level 2 - Intermediate

I changed a little bit more in this level mostly to make the path for the player more clear. I moved the first platform and the tree platform with the chicken on it a bit more to the right to spread that area out some more and give the player a little breathing room before the chicken starts chasing them. I think this made it a little simpler and helped with flow since it made that area less frustrating. I also made the last jumps from the moving platforms closer together since I got lots of feedback that those jumps were a bit too difficult but still to not make it too easy I added some more bird enemies. Finally I lowered the first platform after the moving platforms so the player wouldn’t be able to jump over to the next platform and is forced to go down and learn about the trunk enemy and learn wall jumps.

Level 3 - Advanced

I added the most changes to this level. The main feedback I received was for the end of the level with the wall jump and the random floating tree the didn’t seem to have a purpose. I got rid of the tree and fixed the wall jump area by raising the first wall up higher and lowering the second one so that the player is forced to do the wall jump as intended and can’t skip in somehow. Aside from that I changed up some of the enemies such as the last trunk enemy and added more birds throughout the level to added more obstacle throughout the moving platform section. I also added more apple throughout the level in order to give more rewards to the player and balance out the level. I also cleared up the background a bit to make it more visually appealing. And finally, I changed up the speeds of the moving platforms to make it slightly more difficult

Feedback/Playtesting Notes

ROUND 2

Introductory Level:

Intermediate Level:

Advanced Level:

My Own Observations

Common Issues:

Observations:

Final Levels

Level 1 - Introductory

Original:

Final:

The main change I made for this level was adding the last two platforms. I did this because throughout playtesting the main concern for this level seemed to be the last jump. I originally wanted the last jump to be simple but have the bird enemy as an obstacle, however, this also caused confusion because the players would normally think the bird was needed to make the jump, which it was not. To fix this I kept the second to last jump the same but without the bird enemy and added a whole new jump with the bird enemy where it is needed for the jump. Finally, I added another jump through platform on the last platform along with a barrel needed to get on it so that the player has more practice with both jump through platforms and barrels, also fixing the issue of there just being one purposeless barrel in the level. Aside from this there was not much else to address since my playtesters seemed to think this was a very good introduction to the game that teaches the mechanics well.

Level 2 - Intermediate

Original:

Final:

I extended this level changing and adding some different sections. I address the chicken enemy concerns by giving the chicken its own platform where the player can see it running to them from afar. I re-used the barrels and bird enemy from last level adding some different complex jumps with them. I focused on introducing the moving platforms slower so to not raise the difficulty so quickly and made a new section with no other threats but the moving platforms in the beginning and then made a larger later section with more moving platform jumps and some enemies that can help with the jumps as practiced in the previous level. Finally, I added some spike enemies throughout to keep it consistent with the previous level still and to aid at the end in the expanded final two platforms where I introduce the trunk enemy that now remains stationary. Overall with these changes I address the difficulty spike while improving the implementation of the moving platforms, wall jumps, and new enemies.

Level 3 - Advanced

Original:

Final:

I changes the final level a lot, expanding it horizontally quite a bit and a little bit vertically too. To address the issues with the overwhelming beginning of the level, I extended the platform the player starts off on and decreased the amount of enemies. The player is meant to collect all of the apples to make succeed in the level so I also added apples to the platforms above and below where the player starts to encourage them to go to those platforms and face the enemies there but on their own time. The moving platform area remained pretty similar but with some more strategically placed bird enemies like for the rest of the level. There is a place of rest after the first moving platforms before the next section with one moving platform that takes the player to the next section of the game where the player has to avoid/get past obstacles quickly to stay on it. Finally, I expanded the last section of the level adding more thin jumps with more enemies, however, here the player can use their wall jump skills to help them. Overall, I implemented the moving platform section suggested to me during playtesting while also expanding the level and getting more out of the concepts it originally had.