Overview:

 

Lost Champions was an Unreal puzzle game framework created by one of the instructors at VFS.  Players are able to control a Druid (can jump) a Knight (can attack/trigger switches) or a Wizard (can block projectiles or act as a platform).  The goal was for students to create a puzzle adventure level with various puzzle ingredients and at least 3 complete puzzles using provided assets along with custom created assets.

The level I worked on features:

• a custom scripted "Rubik's Cube" style room separator in which players rotate pieces of it to create paths

• three full puzzles with custom scripted ingredients

• Design style focused on loops, exploration and line of sight

 

Role: Technical Design/Level Design

Responsibilities:

 

• Draft a level concept on paper

• Whitebox, then fully create and set dress the level

• Script AI spawns, patrol paths, puzzles, switches, and custom ingredients

Design Challenges:

 

Rubik's Cube:

A ingredient that functions like a rubik's cube in the level.  The cube has segments missing and players must rotate cross sections of the cube in order to arrange the missing segments into a path to a new area.

• Planning

  • Design draft and prototype for rubik's cube like ingredient including movable parts and triggers.  

• Scripting

  • Implementation of rubik's cube using Level Blueprints and Custom Blueprints.  Wiring rubik's cube controls to interactable level ingredients.​

• Balancing

  • Restricting degrees of freedom the player has to rotate the cube and then allowing more segments to be rotated as puzzles are solved.​

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Design Theory

• Exploration

  • Exploration is rewarded with collectibles throughout the level.  Glimpses of new areas or possible collectibles are revealed to the player as they progress through the levels critical path.  The player can then choose to further explore the level to find those collectibles or continue along the critical path.​

• Puzzle Solving​

  • Puzzles designed to encorporate all unlocked character abilities.  Progression through level requires careful observation and experimentation.  ​

  • Simpler puzzles the player is familiarized with are combined together to create more complex puzzles and new challenges in later parts of the level.