Cyberdrome
“Cyberdrome” is an original, fast paced, first person action game. You play as a cybernetic ninja destroying waves of Enemy drones.
NOW ON STEAM
Quick Summary
Design Goals
Create wave-based combat with a staged combat feel
Prototype movement systems in conjunction with programmers to ensure proper variables were exposed for iterative tuning
Communicate with art team and sound team regarding intended “feel” of movement mechanics.
Adhere to, and create a skill progression chart, gradually introducing and reinforcing enemy types
Develop combat scenarios for both exterior and interior areas
Provide levels of verticality to influence combat
Development Facts
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Responsibilities: Design, blockout, gameplay implementation, aesthetic implementation, and lighting.
Development Time: 6 months
Game Mode: First person melee
Team Size: 16
My Design Process Overview
Work with lead level designer and game designer to finalize movement mechanics
Understand from a player’s perspective how abilities can be combined, and how that can impact my level design
Create initial paper map design and consult with other designers to maintain uniformity in game vision
Develop combat skill progression chart and whitebox design to perform gameplay testing
Work with artists and art lead to develop lighting color palette and implement lighting and aesthetics
Video Playthrough
My Design Process
Understanding Mechanics
I began by working with fellow level designers, level design lead, and game designer to establish the proper feel of the core movement abilities. Because “Cyberdrome” relies on fast movement and a high double jump ability, getting the feel and the values set early allowed me to set height parameters and the gameplay moments for Dumpling Street. Once the list for movement abilities was finalized, I worked on prototyping abilities and systems, some in conjunction with the programming team. This ensured all proper variables were exposed/public in the editor for both me and other designers to test and iterate with.
Map Design
When creating the initial concept, I wanted to focus on allowing players to scale multiple levels of verticality, as well as provide both exterior and interior combat spaces. This verticality design goal drove me to consider the relationship between various jump combinations and different player skill levels. Because I wanted to support various skill levels, I designed the map to have 7 total elevation levels that could be accessed by basic running movement, single jump, double jump, single dash upward, single jump + dash upward, and double jump + dash upward.
+ Click To Expand Map +
Skill Progression
Along with the various elevation levels, due to the game being wave based, I developed a skill progression chart that detailed which wave certain enemies were introduced on. This aided me in designing the waves around what strengths each enemy had and where it made the most sense for them to be introduced height wise.
+ Click To Expand Skill Progression +
I also developed a second skill progression chart that detailed what player mechanics were being tested, depending on if combat was exterior or interior. The exterior focused on testing all aggressive movement mechanics, while reinforcing the defensive deflect and focus (slow motion). The interior focused more on deflecting and chaining aggressive play with defensive strategy. Additionally, each interior has a unique aesthetic, which was a solution I came up with to help differentiate the spaces and aid in helping the player create a faster mental map of the level.
+ Interior Skill Progression and Interior Spaces+
Lighting (click to view screenshots)
Lighting was a fun challenge for me, as I enjoy lighting and environment design. This task was tackled in direct consultation with the art lead, as well as the artist that created the assets for this level. The first task was establishing the color palette for the art assets and the mood of the game. The references I used, in direct consultation with the art lead, stemmed from the dark, noir of Blade Runner where objects were and lights were of high contrast to the environment color, and images of Seoul, South Korea at night. This meant a heavy, dark tone with contrasting color lights resembling neon signs.