Neon Heights
Whiteboxed Gameplay of My Level
My Level after Art Assets Added
A game about parkouring and the thrill of the chase. Bob-and-weave on the city tops of a futuristic city skyline to escape to safety.
Initial Level Design Document
Iterated Level Design
This is a parkour game focused on giving the player a sense of being chased. This section (my level) is the final part of the game, which is the climax of engagement and thrill. I believe that thrill is created through a balance of challenge and flow. As such, the design is meant to be streamlined, easily digestible, and completable upon first playthrough, so as to not break a player’s sense of flow (and therefore to not break their sense of thrill).
The largest changes to this design over the original is that it is longer, and curves over time. This allowed for a greater sense of progression and foreshadowing as the player can see what is coming up. Reinforcing their sense of direction is the Weenie in the background which is always naturally visible in the players field of view throughout gameplay.
Most of the core ideas remain the same from the original design, like the helicopter chasing the player but remaining in the sightline of the player at all times. And a drop near the end of the section to surprise the player when they think they are reaching the end of the level.
Design patterns include:
Foreshadowing - seeing sections of the level before arriving there
Weenie - large landmark which provides general guidance
Skill gate - player must perform consecutive wall jumps to get to the next sections of the level
Branching - depending on player performance which provide slightly different obstacles
Pace braking - when the player falls near the end of the level which provides a slight change in gameplay during the chase sequence
Layering - of wall run and regular obstacle challenges
One way valves - when entering new areas of the level
Chase sequence - my entire section is a chase sequence
Rhythm/Repetition - in utilizing obstacles in slightly different ways to reinforce the target emotions and the flow state
Successes in the design:
The overall placement of the helicopter lends to the sense of being chased. It follows the player always in their natural line of sight, shooting behind the player.
The non-wall running obstacles are spaced just right such that it's easy to maneuver around without a lot of effort, in addition to the obstacles changing/layering frequently, which reinforces the flow state.
Elements to improve:
The transforms of the wall runs aren’t quite right which lead to some janky gameplay which breaks flow.
Some areas allow the player to easily get shot by the helicopter, which are unintended and break flow.
Narrative Beats and Target Player Emotions:
Final Stretch of the Game [Owned by Me]
Player jumps through a hole/open window into a tall office building.
Player emotions: curious/nervous because a suspiciously large area with no threats hint towards some very large threat is about to appear.
Corridor has one open wall (glass wall) on the right side. At the end of the hallway, a landmark (like the sun) can be seen through another open window/broken window wall, guiding the player towards it.
Player emotions: hope, because they can see the sun at “the end of the tunnel”
When the player has taken a few steps through the corridor, the helicopter appears on the right and begins to target the player.
Player emotions: surprise and rush, because the helicopter appeared suddenly and started shooting at the player
The player runs through the corridor, running past obstacles that could block or slow the player down. If the player slows down too much, the helicopter will be able to successfully shoot the player
The corridor becomes more crowded with obstacles the closer to the end of the hallway, effectively making it more narrow and increasing the tension of the set-piece.
Player emotions: increasing anxiety because as they continue to push through the corridor, it becomes more challenging
When the player is in the second half of the hallway, the helicopter shoots out the floor ahead of the player. They see they can wall run and try to jump past the gap, but the hole is too large. The player is guaranteed to fall.
Player emotions: surprise and fear to fall down. Brief relief from the helicopter
The player lands on the level below, there is one path ahead of them. It leads to the entrance of a gameplay wheel found in the factory. The helicopter waits for a few seconds before reappearing and starts to shoot at the player
Player emotions: confused, where is the helicopter. Hurried to get to the wheel.
The player goes through the wheel like the factory section. But the glass wall gives the helicopter visibility. The player must go through the wheel while being chased by the helicopter.
Player emotions: concerned and rushed because now they have to go through a cramped wheel with the helicopter.
When they exit the wheel, they have gone up to floor 3. The final open window is above the player with the weenie visible through it. To get across is a series of consecutive rising platforms connected by runnable walls. The player runs, jumps, and dodges as the helicopter chases them. The corridor narrows over time.
Player emotions: increased anxiety as the corridor narrows and the player is climbing the final climb.
When the player reaches the end and jumps out of the corridor, the helicopter accidentally hits a building/billboard it did not see because it was targeting the player. It spirals past the player as they fall next to the safe zone the player lands.
Player emotions: joy and relief, seeing the helicopter defeated and the player reaching safety