RollerBall (WIP)
RollerBall is a short yet fun platformer where the player controls a ball around various levels
RollerBall Brief and Design Document
This project, much like my Unreal Engine 5 test, was made alongside learning from a Udemy course. However, unlike that test, I decided to take this project a step further by making my own levels and drafting up some brief documentation for it.
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Given the brief nature of the game, the design document is short as I couldn't go into detail about a wider world or in-depth mechanics and systems. However, I did want to elaborate on the core gameplay loop, key items, and what makes the game enjoyable. You can read the design doc below.
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Development Process
After I'd finished making the game's core elements and four of the levels, I decided to go back and tweak previous levels to give them some more challenge and variety. This included placing more bombs in levels 1 & 2, placing coins in precarious positions in those levels, and in level 3, adding an alternate exit to a secret level where players go down a slide and collect coins. This was to give me more practical experience with level design, as it encouraged me to consider how to construct the stages in order to make them challenging and fun.
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However, my main goal was to create a level from the ground up applying what I had learned across these tutorials, and consider how I could take that knowledge and design a unique and varied level.
The Final Level - Planning
My basic concept for the level was one that would utilise the controls and lighting to make for interesting platforming and navigation challenges. To do this, I needed to make the level dark, but not constantly pitch-black. Therefore, I had an idea for a large room with the player going round the edges, and a spinning light in the middle. This, in conjunction with the ball's glow, creates an interesting dynamic where the player will only be able to see the immediate area and glimpses of the path ahead.
Below is a sketch of my plan for the level.
My plan is to split the level into stages, starting from the top of the room and going down and tackling different challenges. It starts with a safe series of walls with platforms to get the player used to platforming with intermittent light. After that, there's a maze section that the player will have to navigate in the dark, as well as a secret platforming challenge should the player look around. After the maze, there are more dangerous platforming challenges, the first one being jumps between platforms over a killplane, and the second introducing bombs into the mix to make it more dangerous.
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My next task is to block out the level and test how far apart the platforms in each section should be to create a fair challenge.