With both of the mods completed, I would like to take some time to reflect on both the finished products, considering their quality, what I have learned through the process, as well as what could be added in the future.

Alone in the Woods

Overall, I am happy with how this project turned out. I put a lot of time into this mod and was able to do a full conversion of the original stub, replacing all of the assets with my own pixel art. I am most glad that I was able to replace the character’s animation cycles as the original player character’s look was very incongruous with the new look of the game. I like the aesthetic achieved, and if I were to develop this mod further I would add a larger variety of assets to keep the game visually intriguing and further develop my skills as a pixel artist.

I am proud of being able to add a whole new mechanic in the form of shooting, which can be used in multiple contexts such as shooting spiders or breaking logs in your way. I feel that this, coupled with pools of goo to avoid adds an extra layer of complexity to gameplay, making it more engaging than simply running and jumping.

Although very simple, the inclusion of an intro menu and end screen bookend the levels nicely. I feel that they make the game feel more professional, and I like their aesthetic as it fits in with the overall appearance of the game as a whole.

The implementation of a timer was novel and I am glad that it can give the player an option to challenge themselves if they wish to do so. However, I feel that I should have given the player more of an incentive to engage with this system, perhaps through the use of a leaderboard or medal system. I understand that these are quite complex systems, so in the future when I am more competent with Unity, this could be something to add.

I am disappointed that I was not able to add sound effects or music to the game as I feel that would have gone a long way to improve the atmosphere of the experience. Unfortunately I ran out of time to teach myself how to implement these features, but I will likely look into them in the future.

(Above) Figure 1: Alone in the Woods.

Canyon Rush

As a level design assignment, I am mostly happy with the finished result of my 3D mod, ‘Canyon Rush’. When creating it I carefully considered structuring and object placement, to create a flowing experience for the player.

I am glad that I combined both ProBuilder and terrain tools to create the 3D navigable space, as it taught me a lot about each toolset. They are both very versatile toolsets, allowing the user great control over what they want to create, and while I still have much to learn within them, this project has given me a good foundational understanding which I am excited to continue to develop.

I took great care over the placement and arrangement of assets throughout the level. My aim was to arrange them in a manner that provided lots of natural cover and blocked sightlines so that the player couldn’t exploit the shooting mechanics. I feel that I mostly achieved this, however, after some playtesting I have found a few locations where the player can avoid taking damage and still kill enemies. This is something that, if given more time, I would be able to iron out with more playtesting, however unfortunately I ran out of time within the project’s timeframe.

I would also ideally have liked to change the appearance of the mod some more, perhaps giving the arena new textures to make it more visually interesting than the default texturing it currently has. I also feel that the level’s terrain could do with a larger variety of texturing, as in the current state it appears very brown. I think that the level would look much more exciting with some moss or grass painted on to the terrain, to break up the colours slightly more.

(Above) Figure 2: Canyon Rush.

Conclusion

This GAM150 module has been highly beneficial to my development as a game designer, requiring me to become familiar with Unity and design theory. I feel that through the production of these two mods, I have learnt a great deal about the entire design process, in both a 2D platformer and 3D level design context. I look forward to carrying these skills forward into future projects throughout my academic career.