For GAM140, this week was the introduction of the second part of our assignment; the annotated 3D level design. The theory lecture touched on many interesting concepts, particularly relating to the design of 3D space from an architectural standpoint. Through effective use of intimate, narrow, prospect, and refuge spaces we can evoke particular emotions within players by tapping into our own evolutionary psychology and how we subconsciously navigate spaces. When used in tandem with form, void, light, and shade the effect that a level’s design has on a player can be huge. I took time to fully read the article that we touched on in the lecture (Totten, 2011). It was also interesting to think of levels in terms of labyrinths, mazes or rhizomes and how each framework can work for or against the player, dependant on gameplay style.

Within the workshop, we got to be more hands-on and put what we learnt about 3D spaces into practice with modular assets. By using a free modular asset pack (AurynSky, 2019), I created a rough layout for a generic dungeon room (fig. 1). As you can see, I have used narrow space with the corridors, which contain traps to pass through, heightening the sense of danger that this type of space gives the player. I have also employed a sightline – from either end of the corridor the chest is visible to the player, enticing them to risk entering at the prospect of a reward. In this sense, the prospect/refuge loop has also been employed. I really enjoyed this practical application of our theory, and it will surely help in my development of my 3D annotated level design as part of my assignment.

(Above) Figure 1: Screenshot. The dungeon room example made with modular assets.

This week I have also fully finished writing and implementing the dialogue for Ego, with the final word count reaching 1000 words for the finished script. After playing through the full encounter with a timer, it seems that it takes roughly three minutes to get through (somewhat dependant on which choices you make). This is much longer than I initially anticipated, meaning that with my current plan the entire game could take upwards of fifteen minutes to finish, with the navigation sections included. Because of this, and how much time it has taken to include just one encounter, I have decided to scale back my scope slightly. There will now be five characters in the game, rather than seven. As much as I would love to have all seven characters in the finished project, I have to think realistically about how much workload I can manage, especially with the other projects I have running concurrently. It also means that I can focus on making the dialogue for each character high quality, with good pacing and decision-making. Additionally, thanks to the modularity of Fungus, if I wanted to develop this project further down the line, I could add these characters in my own time.

Due to this reduction in scope, I understand that there will be less room for meaningful choice during navigation, with the majority of pathways leading you to the same outcome. In an attempt to negate this, I have decided that I will include pickups to be found while traversing the labyrinth (fig.3). Taking the form of ‘Soul Slugs’, finding one of these will grant you a stat boost or reduction of your choice, making different dialogue options and outcomes accessible further down the line. By having these in the game, I’m hoping that each player will be able to finish the game with very different stats and feeling like they had a unique experience.

(Above) Figure 3: Screenshot. The Soul Slug sprite made in Aseprite.

Next week, I am going to focus largely on getting the navigation portions of the game working, as well as starting to write the script for Emotion’s dialogue.

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