Overview:

 

Quest for Valor was an Unreal adventure game framework created by one of the instructors at VFS.  The goal was for students to create an action adventure level with puzzles and a boss fight using the systems blueprint ingredients in addition to any new ingredients and scripting the students do.  

The level I worked on features:

• a custom scripted miniboss fight with unique blueprint ingredients

• custom levitating platforms that rise and fall in respect to player proximity

• custom mini boss fight using unique blueprint ingredients

• fixed camera angle rooms (old school resident evil style)

• design philosophy focusing on looping paths and shortcuts

 

Role: Technical Design/Level Design

Responsibilities:

 

• Draft and finalize Level Design and Mission Design Document outlining the level

• Whitebox, then fully create and set dress the level

• Script AI spawns, patrol paths, puzzles, switches, combat challenges and a boss encounter

Design Challenges:

 

Combat rooms

• Balance

  • ranged and melee units placed in ways that challenge the player and allow multiple approaches​ to combat.

  • first encounters occur in open areas while later encounters restrict traversible space.

  • more difficult encounters have enemies drop health upon death in order to keep flow of combat uninterrupted and to reward the player.

• Combat Doors

  • player progression is stopped until player is able to complete the combat encounter​

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Levitating Platforms: A custom blueprint ingredient.  These platforms will rise into a path as the player approaches and will drop off once the player is a certain distance away from them.

• Timelines

  • use of timeline to control the platforms movement to wards and away from the player.​

• Proximity triggers

  • capsule collider​ attached to each platform that waits for player to overlap it.

• WOW factor

  • ingredient desinged to be a setpiece to reward the player for reaching a checkpoint in the level.  The platforms come together form to build a bridge across a large chasm.​

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Boss Fight

• Disco Tiles

  • custom blueprint ingredient.  These switch between random flourescent colors and decorate the boss area. 

• Matinee

  • use of matinee to create cutscenes introducing the final boss.​

• Ground Floor Patterns

  • Boss Mechanic.  Disco tiles will display a red skull or heart for a short time after a set interval.  Remaining on the skull damages the player while remaining on the heart heals the player.  The tiles display skulls/hearts together to create patterns on the ground.  These patters increase in difficulty and frequency as the boss fight progresses​ challenging the player to evade the skull tiles.

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Fixed Camera Rooms: rooms where the camera is at a fixed angle from the player and doesn't track

• Camera System

  • set up of a multiple camera + trigger zone system in order to swap active cameras as player progresses through the section​

  • utilization of fixed camera angles to create hints at hidden paths and collectibles

• Orienting the Player

  • after swapping to a different camera, player forward vector is re-oriented to cameras forward vector in order to keep player controls consistant​