The Lavafall Facility

Full playthrough of the level.

Overview

Battle through the lava caves for a chance at reaching the looming lavafall facility.
A fast paced FPS level built in the game Prodeus.

Level Design work:

  • Used the in-game level editor to design geometry; script combat encounters, puzzles, and animate narrative moments; and apply final textures and art.
  • Created unique mechanics that augmented the level without disturbing the core gameplay.

Info:

  • Solo Project
  • Built with the in-game level editor in the game Prodeus.

~ Process ~

Note: While I am proud of some elements in this level, this page focuses on the mistakes I made. The learnings I took from this project were some of the most important I've had during my time with level design, and they had a significant impact in my development of The Ancient Outskirts and the Hidden Sails Resort levels.


A lack of playtesting and easily avoidable issues

Issue 1: The excessively difficult platforming section.

Issue 3: The unclear breakable rocks.

My takeaway: The level had a variety of issues, many of which would have been trivial to identify and fix if I had adequately prioritized playtesting. With both the other projects on my portfolio, I learned to prioritize playtesting early and often, and avoided similar problems.
  • Issue 1: Late in the level, I created a platforming challenge that was far too difficult.
    • Explanation: I wanted it to be more difficult than previous platforming, as the reward for completion was one of the strongest weapons in the game. But I underestimated the brutal timing required, and many players opted to skip it and forgo the weapon reward entirely.
    • With playtesting, the difficulty would have been clear, and I could have made easy adjustments to make the challenge much more forgiving.
  • Issue 2: Throughout the combat encounters in the level, I misunderstood enemy types and created encounters that were too hectic.
    • Explanation: Encounters were difficult to parse, and players did not make use of the spaces in arenas because they were constantly overloaded with threats.
    • With playtesting, I would have found that combat pacing was too fast and tuned down the amount of enemy types.
  • Issue 3: I created a recurring breakable rock for the level, but the active/inactive indicator was overlooked and players were left confused.
    • Explanation: Players only paid attention to the unique color and texture of the rocks, so when they were inactive (shown by the absence of a smoke stream), players had no idea why the mechanic they learned previously was not working.
    • With playtesting, it would have been obvious that the indicator was unclear to players, and I could have solved this by showing active/inactive through color and texture changes instead.



Creating an epic finale... and failing

The facility at the top of the lavafall.

The final combat zone - back in the cave setting.

  • Players who reviewed my level were disappointed with the ending, and I believe it is because of two main problems:
    • Problem 1: The gameplay does not evolve. The player has finally reached the destination they have been working towards, excited to discover what it holds - only for it to thrust them straight back into the same setting and content they've experienced through the rest of the level.
    • Problem 2: Unique elements have little impact on gameplay. The central piece of this final combat zone is the large floating crystal. It fires a beam throughout the arena as it does earlier in the level. But I tuned this beam poorly, and it has almost no impact on how the fight plays out.
  • What I learned here played a big role in my decision making for The Ancient Outskirts. I cut a lot of content from the end of that level, in part because it was too much of the same content and it detracted from the level's most important moments.