Summer Project Week 8: Implementing & Testing Mechanics

23/08/21

To give my game more depth, I decided to use a plug-in made by Palinoia Gamedev to add a very intuitive and easy-to-adapt inventory system. Before this system was implemented, the player would simply walk into each collectible and they would achieve their corresponding purpose. In testing, however, I found this approach to be very cheap and it somewhat ruined the atmosphere. With this plug-in, I decided to reprogram much of what I had already made and I adapted it to work accordingly. Each item now has a description to go along with it, which allows players to open the menu at any time to remind them what a certain object did. In playtesting, this also made it quite easy for my testers to complete the level, due to the number of described items in the game.

Journal and Inventory

Having both of these features in the game greatly helps the player keep track of the information necessary to traverse the level. Every object in the game can be inspected in some way, ranging from the movable statue, to the photograph in the bedroom and the daggers. Each description provides a valuable insight into each of the important objects in the game and will make sure the player is never confused about the purpose of each mechanic within the game.

Keys/Switches

Important items such as these are displayed in the inventory and help keep track of what the player has on their person. Each of the keys, when looked at, add a journal entry that tells the player what door they open just in case it is not immediately obvious. Each key is colour-coded, in accordance with which door they open, to make it as clear as possible as to what key opens what door. Each switch in the game is close to its corresponding gate. Switches are not placed too far from their intended operations, so that it does not become too confusing for the player. The majority of these switches open areas that are optional and I would like to reward players who demonstrate a good sense of spatial awareness.

Chests

The chests in the game provide an appropriate change of pace from the other puzzles in the level. The player must rotate the chests in a 3D viewpoint to find the hint hidden on them. These hints provide important clues to help the player identify the locations of secrets that they may not have otherwise thought to investigate.

Lightning

Another way of enhancing the lighting in certain rooms is to include a lot of glass windows. In some rooms, such as the green house, the lightning emanating through the windows plays an integral role to help the player navigate the space successfully, as it typically has very dim lighting. This was executed by having the skylight flash randomly every 15-20 seconds. This also adds an abrasive atmosphere to the game, as the lightning only appears when the player has spent half a minute playing, which sets the tone of the initial hallway to be more threatening than first perceived.

Player Character and Enemy

Choosing the default value for the player’s health was difficult. With much testing, I decided that 30 HP was a sufficient level of health. This level was chosen due to the amount of damage the enemy causes during combat, which was an important consideration to achieve a reasonable balance. The animations I selected for both the characters of player and enemy was something I also had to consider when testing. By seeing how the player attacks in a slightly faster manner than the enemy, I had to make sure that the amount of damage dealt by the player would not overwhelm the enemy and make every encounter trivial. To contrast this, the enemy does attack slower and more deliberate than the player, however, the level of damage is significantly higher than what the player can deliver. This will force players to use the advanced techniques, such as the dodge, in order to get a better edge on the enemy. Otherwise, they will be defenceless and will encounter the ‘Game Over’ screen more often. I feel that both of these values now work very well in tandem and synergise with what both the player and enemy can accomplish.