FrostRunner
Development Info
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Genre : Action, SpeedRunning
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Development Time : 5 months
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Engine: Unreal Engine 4
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Role : Level Designer
Responsibilities
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Make engaging levels that showcase the mechanics of the game
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Designed and iteration on levels to fit within the game vision
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Designed a rule set for minimum and maximum distance for tethering
Steam Link
Summary
FrostRunner is a first-person, speedrunning, platformer where the player is tasked with completing platform challenges before the timer expired.
Design Process
Judging distance for tethering
My main goal for the level Dryad was to teach the player how far they can tether to the crystal. While brainstorming about the layout for the level, I started testing different distances the player can tether from. In the end, I was able to find 3 different distances that felt enjoyable for the player.
Dryad Overview
This is the first version of the map layout for Dryad. As the project went on, another designer took charge of redesigning the layout due to feedback. As the layout change, the goal for Dryad did not.
Jumping at 2700 units away
First Jump
This first jump is to demonstrate the shortest distance a player can tether to the crystal. I wanted this distance to be demonstrated first so the player can learn how close they can tether to the crystal.
Second Jump
Jump at 2800 units away
After jumping on the two platforms, the player can either tether to the furthest crystal or fetch the collectable.
Jump at 3000 units away
Third Jump
The final section is designed to provide the player with a sense of discomfort in their ability to tether to the crystal. Once the player jumps from the platform, the player will not be able to tether to the crystal for 1 second because they are not within range. Once they are in range, they will be able to tether to the crystal and finish the level.
Post Mortem
What went right?
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Dividing our group into strike teams helped everyone focused on the task at hand.
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Designing pipelines with review status help our design team provide and give feedback to every level idea that was pitched.
Challenges
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While our team was playtesting the game constantly, the difficulty range was slightly skew toward the developer's difficulty and not the player difficulty.
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Our team did not plan early enough about changing the difficulty with each level by adding a new game mode.
What did I learn?
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Create a playtest schedule early into development to design the level difficulty around your audience.
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Having a review status within our pipeline provides us with feedback constantly.