DREAM
Dream is a single-player atmospheric puzzle game submitted for the Weekly Game Jam. It is a 10-15 minutes experience where the main character must find a way to wake up from a dream.
Noticeable features implemented
Live surveillance camera feed using dynamic materials
Text narrative based on player progression
Two teleporters that seamlessly change the level layout
Light functions (flickering, brightness and colour changing based on teleporter used)
Systems, environment, puzzle and level design
Submission for Weekly Game Jam
What i did: Implemented the whole game functionality using blueprints. Designed all the systems, puzzles and narrative. Created and added lighting with different behaviours. Implemented monologue based on player progression using level scripting. Responsible for part of the level design and environment design.
User feedback: Received very positive feedback overall, especially on the game atmosphere.
Team size: 2 members
Project length: 4 days
Year: 2019
Project goals
-
Further develop my Unreal Engine knowledge, implementing a variety of features
-
Succeed in creating an immersive experience where I am responsible for the whole design and programming
-
Submit a fully playable game for the jam
EARLY STAGES
.png)
.png)
Design goals
-
Create an eerie experience that makes players feel uneasy
-
Use lighting to create the atmosphere and keep players on their toes
-
Design and implement two teleporters that seamlessly change the level layout for the puzzle mechanics
The theme for this week-long game jam was "Death is freeing". I started by creating different moodboards in order to best convey the creative direction this game was supposed to take. Me and my partner decided right from the beginning that the game should be a puzzle walking simulator heavily focused on setting and environment with an eerie or strange vibe to it in order to support the theme of the jam and create immersion.
I began by creating a design document that focused on the narrative, level design, environment and puzzles. I greyboxed the level and started rapid prototyping mechanics in order to get the game player-tested and gather feedback as soon as possible. The core game mechanic would be two teleporters that change the level layout, making new paths appear or certain rooms accessible or not. The game would be split into 3 small levels, each level having its own set of teleporters at the start. The game is linear and the puzzles get progressively harder each time. In each level the player must use the teleporters to gain access to a key which will unlock a room with a button that clears a path to the next level when pressed. After beating the final level and gaining access to the rooftop, the player character must jump from the building in order to wake up from the dream.
.png)
PROCESS PROBLEMS
Obstacles
1. Because we did not have a lot of experience with 3D modelling, the assets were sourced from Quixel with 4K textures which heavily affected performance and project size.
2. The teleporter mechanic was too hidden, without strong visual cues and players were confused during early playtesting
Solutions
1. We lowered the texture resolutions and removed part of the props
2. Added stronger visual cues to the teleporters and modified the level lighting to represent the last portal used
Neither me or my partner had a lot of experience with 3D assets at the moment of creating this game. We thought that using only Quixel assets was a good idea since they looked really nice and shouldn't have an impact on performance since the environment was fairly small. After populating the level with these assets, we noticed a huge impact on FPS and we immediately realised this might be the cause. The game was pretty much unplayable at this point, running at around 5-10 FPS. After rescaling many textures and removing some assets, the FPS increased significantly.
When we began gathering some feedback from a few playtesters, we noticed that it was not really clear how and why the level is changing its layout. We asked them if they knew what caused it and some did not even notice the teleporters. We assigned each teleporter a colour and changed the lighting in the level to match the colour of the last teleporter used. This made the mechanic much more visible for the players.
OUTCOME
.png)
User feedback
-
Very positive feedback on the eerie atmosphere of the game, some users were almost scared to play the game even though there was no antagonist
-
Puzzles were interesting but sometimes too hard
-
Not so much polish on the game sounds, which could have aided a lot more in creating the believable environment
This project taught me how important it is to be careful when adding anything into a project, as it can have a strong impact on performance, especially on lower end computers. It also made me realise how time efficient it is to have a clear vision, plan everything ahead and stick to it, not giving in to the urge to implement new features on the go.
Project
-
Succeeded in submitting a fully playable game for the jam
-
Managed to create the initially desired atmosphere through environment design