Old school level design

Doing a research for my paper based level design assignment, I came across this amazing website with loads of screenshots of classic games.

Check this out!

http://vgmaps.com/

Paper Based Level Design - First Attempt

This is my first attempt to do a Level Design in paper.

I need to scale it down because it's going to be transferred to an A3 sized paper. The good thing is that I'll be able to make it HUGE!!!!!!

MWA HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Paper Based Level Design Research

Next class well be starting on paper based design so I started researching on it.
I found some cool stuff to start reading about.

First I found a some stuff on tumblr that I will post here later on.

UPDATE

Here are the links that I've found.

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/level-design?before=1329171407

http://cooper-adam-pdgdy1.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/paper-based-level-design.html

http://www.worldofleveldesign.com/categories/level_design_tutorials/how_to_plan_your_next_map/how_to_plan_your_next_map.php

Ch-check em out!

UDK - Level Design Analysis

The level that I’ve played is called Deck. It is designed to be really fast paced and for loads of kills. The design of the level has a lot of weapons spread through. By having that it makes the game fast paced and fun.

With loads of kills and deaths and well balanced weapon spread making it one of the best that I ever played in Unreal Tournament.

The Nature Defenders

The Nature Defenders is an educational game where kids and adults learn to defend the planet from its degradation. In order to save mankind from extinction!

Description

The Nature defenders put you in charge of saving mankind from extinction! In order to do that you must take hard decisions to make sure that man will not destroy the planet!

You wake up one day at home and realizes that there is no water for this week! You start questioning why is that happening. And as you get to know what is going on right now with the planet you will also have to make the right decisions to help everyone. First your city, then the Country and finally, learn how to save everyone else from doom!

In this point and click you will have to solve puzzles to get to know what can be done to save the
Earth!

Key features

• Mind blowing puzzles that will amaze you!
• Eco friendly knowledge that changes the way you think!
• Simple, intuitive point-and-click interface!
• Amazing cartoon graphics!

 Genre

Point and Click

Platform

PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Web

Girl Fight

Girl Fight

Introduction

“Girl Fight” gives a new spin on the Beat ‘em Up genre by adding tag team combat that allows you to switch characters on the fly to create devastating combos to defeat your enemies.

Description

“Girl Fight” brings you back to the 80’s by putting you in the shoes of one of the members of “Suicide Girls”, a punk rock band. The band had a world tour but in the first city, a gang kidnapped Joe the guitar player.

Roxy - one of the game's playable characters

As you battle trough the stages, you will be using a lot of the dynamic tag fighting. This new exiting mechanic will allow you to switch characters on the fly to create amazing combos and kick some ass!

The game takes place on the towns that “Suicide Girls” would be on tour. As you go from town to town searching for the missing band member, the punk rock drive your revenge!

While playing you just press a button to “call for help” and swap characters. Both characters stay on the screen for 3 seconds. And If in that time you manage to launch a combo, by pressing the right sequence of buttons, it unleashes its full devastating power!

Tag team mechanic

By pressing one of the color indicated buttons you tag with a team member. You have 3 seconds to use a sequence of buttons to unleash the combo.

If you are fast enough you can create massive combos with all of the characters. And become unstoppable!!!

Do you have what it takes to help the “Suicide Girls” and release Joe from evil?

Key Features

•  Dynamic gameplay that will keep you on your toes switching between characters to survive!
•  Revolutionises the beat em up genre with tag team mechanics!
• Play with a friend and reek of devastation!
• Listen to the amazing punk rock classics of The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Toy Dolls, Rancid, Buzzcocks, Billy Idol and many more!

Genre

Tag Team Beat ‘em Up

Platform

PC, Mac, iOS

Concept Design Document Guidelines

So I was struggling to find the right way to write the Concept Design Document for my third assignment. A little goggling and I found this guidelines that can help we all.

Gamasutra

The Anatomy of a Design Document, Part 1: Documentation Guidelines for the Game Concept and Proposal

Distance Learning 101

Game Design & Concept Document Template - Distance Learning 101

Gemini Observatory

Conceptual Design Document - Gemini Observatory

Thomas Grové's Blog

Concept Document - Thomas Grové's Blog

Wikiville for Lori Shyba's classes

High Concept Design Document (Treatment)

Awesome!

Metal Slug Freeze Gun

After researching on cold things, I chose to give Metal Slug a new twist by introducing a complete new  mechanic to the game. Freeze!

With the Freeze Gun the player will be able to freeze everything in the scenario for 15s and make some position changes.

The gun has only one charge and as soon as it's used the screen freezes and you can re-position every movable item on the scene.

Every movable item becomes blue and can be selected and positioned with the joystick.

as soon as the Freeze effect ends, the frozen things will suffer the gravity effects dealing damage to itself and to other enemies.

Mario Time Suit

Studying time and how it works I had the idea to give Mario the ability to bend time.

With the Time Suit, Mario has the ability to pause, rewind or fast-forward time. That is amazing. Imagine how many new puzzles will be possible to be created with this new suit.

I thought on the following mechanics for the suit.

The Time Suit can be aquired in certain stages and the user click the C button on the nunchuck to open the menu then select the desired ability.

By choosing one of the icons you choose witch special ability Mario will use. As soon as the player chose one it stays until the player dies or the level ends.

Pause

With the ability to pause time, Mario can stop time for 5 seconds.

For example when Mario is chased by loads of baddies, the player can pause everything on the scenario but him. Allowing time to escape.

Fast Forward

The super speed allow Mario to run 5 times faster than the usual. He can jump further and higher because of the speed.

Rewind

Allow the player to rewind the whole level until the very second it activated the rewind ability. The coins the player collect using the rewind suit does not rewind with him. Once collected, they will not come back.

This way the player can go the areas where he couldn't.

Like the example below.

In this example, the player can descend the pipe, grab the coins than rewind time to continue.