CGT Week 3: Mechanics & Themes

08/03/21

This week I worked on outlining all the mechanics that I wish to include in the VR level. These mechanics were chosen to not only take advantage of the VR medium, but also to be simple enough that players of any skill level will be able to understand the workings of the game within seconds of using the mechanic.

Torch & Curtains

From the very start of planning, I knew immediately that I wanted players to have a good sense of control over the progression through the level and how they go about exploring it. Having players start out in a comfortable and bright environment, before being plunged into unknown and dark depths, is paramount for creating an intense atmosphere of dread that is only enhanced by being in VR. Players simply hold the torch and wherever they point it, that area is light up. Players must keep their eyes on the environment with the torch, as there will be areas that are only visible with the torch, which the players must shine it on in order to see clearly. They must also use it to get through the vertical design of the level, as hints can be seen deep into chasms, which players must physically bend over and shine the light in to in order to reveal hints to help them progress.

The torch can also be used to burn down curtains in the level, adding an extra use to the torch. Players can find secrets behind these curtains, as well as abilities and mechanics required to complete the level.

Gun

An obvious choice as a mechanic for a VR game. While most VR games use a gun as a means of combat for taking down enemies, I would rather take it in another direction and use it as a means for solving puzzles. Players must aim and fire guns at hanging platforms on the ceiling in order to get over otherwise impossible to reach areas.

Breakable Floor

As a way of including a sense of fear in players, breakable pieces of flooring will be scattered around the level. If players step onto one of these platforms, they will fall down into a pit below to either certain death or simply another part of the level, of which that they will have to find their out. While a mechanic like this in a more traditional game can be punishing, it is enhanced in VR by players feeling a sense of actually falling down a pit, therefore their sense of place is disturbed.

Chests

Chests simply contain money that players will be able to use in between levels to purchase upgrades for their abilities in either an aesthetic or enhanced fashion. Their true purpose, however, is how I am going to use them in the level design itself. Chests will usually be used in combination with the breakable floor above to entice players to approach them, in which case, they will be punished for their carelessness and fall into the depths below. These will be placed carefully throughout the level, and the first instance of this is at the very start. Other chests will be sprinkled throughout the level in safer and easier to get to places, so that by the time a chest is over another breakable floor, players will forget about the initial one and be fooled again.

Artefacts

Artefacts act as the keys of progression in this level. Four artefacts are scattered around the level, in which all must be collected to complete it. Each artefact has a corresponding door, in which case once they are picked up, the door disappears. These will be included to add more exploration to the level, as well as adding some backtracking to make the level feel more organic and fleshed out.

Switch Doors

Switch doors are another way of forcing players to look around the environment to progress. These switches, which can only be open when a blue cube is grabbed and placed on top of it, will open the door corresponding to it, allowing players to progress. These cubes will be hidden in all sorts of areas where players will have to survey the area carefully, in order to find them. This was included to take advantage of VR, as the head of players acts almost like a controller, as they will have to move it about to search for the right object in order to progress.

Shield & Projectiles

A shield, I feel, is a very natural fit for a VR game. Players simply grab the shield and hold it in front of themselves, which will make any and all projectiles simply bounce of it, allowing players to march onward. Throughout the level, enemies that fire projectiles will be placed usually in narrow hallways that will force players to use the shield in order to get past them. The projectiles they fire do not cause damage to the players, but simply push them back.