CAGD 270 Mega Man Level 2 Feedback

For my second Mega Man level, the requirements were to feature two power ups from a list, and use any platforms and enemies from Mega Man 1 and Mega Man 6. I picked the oil powerup and the kick powerup. I also utilized the flip platform, plantform, and spike platform. 

The first two screens are a quick tutorial of how the new platforms work. I’m proud of how I got the invisible tutorial to work. The flip platforms are pretty self explanatory, but for the spike platforms, I set up a passage where players will first step on a downwards facing spike platform to see it flip over, and then hit their head on the underside upwards facing spike platform to see how they can be flipped from the bottom. In the next screen, there are some plantforms and an easy enemy, so that when the player shoots at the enemy, they will see how plantforms can be opened by hitting them with shots. 

The first powerup I introduce is the oil. The player first encounters a lake with a ledge too high to jump to. However, if they swim under the lake, they can acquire the oil powerup. The cave is full of water, so when the player uses the ability to defeat enemies, they will realize that the oil floats and that they can ride it across the surface of the water. Eventually the player loops back around up to the lake, where they can figure out they can cross the lake on the oil. 

The second powerup I introduce is the kick. I have a ladder the player has to climb to jump to a ledge that’s out of reach. Because of the ladder climb, the player can’t use the oil to reach it. The player instead has to climb a different direction to acquire the kick powerup, go through a brief tutorial that shows how it works, and then return and use it to make the jump. 

I had several people playtest the level today on October 24th. For the successful parts of the level, all players were able to figure out how to use the powerups, and everyone completed the level. Players liked finding the oil powerup in the cave, and then realizing they could use it to cross the lake they couldn’t cross before. The following screen, where players skate past a bunch of enemies, was always successful as well. One player really appreciated the kick tutorial that showed how it can be used mid-air to gain extra distance. Most players found the challenge level to be very fair and deaths were rare.

For the challenges, a few players couldn’t figure out that they should return back to the lake from the cave right away. I think I could’ve made the circulation more clear on the cave exit screen. More players struggled to find their way back to the spot where they needed to kick to clear a jump. Additionally, while the jump tutorial worked for some people, others got stuck on it for a while. The player ascends three screens with the ability, but some players got stuck for a while since falling at the top means you have to climb the whole thing again. The penultimate screen, despite only having two enemies, was incredibly difficult for all players. From one perspective that’s good game design, since it creates a notable challenge by combining a few simple elements, but in practice it was way too hard. I think splitting it up into two screens with one enemy each would’ve been better.

CAGD 270 Mega Man v2 Feedback

This is the feedback post for version two of my mega man level. This level was limited to only using the basic attack, only having enemies from mega man 1 and mega man 6, and only using destructible blocks, quicksand, falling blocks, and key doors. The first version of my level was successful, but I still noted the feedback I received and made a handful of improvements. I had several people playtest version two of the level, and here is what I found during the playtest. 

For version two of my level, I made several overall changes. The main one was adding large health orbs at every checkpoint. I also introduced key doors. I added one door with the key in the same screen early on in the level to introduce the concept, and then at the middle of the level where the key is a few screens away. This shows the player that sometimes they have to search for the key. Since the player is ascending, the player sees the door first, so they know immediately that they need a key and where they need to bring it back to. Once they climb higher and find it, they don’t feel lost because they already know where the door is.

There were also some smaller changes I made throughout the level for quality of life improvements. In the early section, I made some platforms bigger or closer together. In the midsection, I reorganized some enemy placements to make it easier to get in and out of secret areas. This area also got some simpler platforming and one of the tougher rooms was made easier. The later sections of the level remained mostly unchanged, with some extra tiles to make it easier to backtrack through screens to reload them without bumping into enemies.

I had several people playtest my improved level. Most of the changes were subtle, but players noted how the overall flow of the level was greatly improved. No players died at all, which is desirable for an introduction level. Players were still challenged to approach encounters in a thoughtful manner, and some faced setbacks like falling down or losing health, but the quicksand and new health pickups ensured that these were easily recoverable and non-punishing. I think that my level is very successful as an introduction to these mechanics.

Also unlike last time, no players got stuck anywhere, even on sections that proved troublesome. 

There was only one flaw, which was that some checkpoint areas had small cracks players could fall through. I intended these to just be for decoration, but in this case I think gameplay is more important, and adding an extra tile or to would be beneficial. Still, only one person had trouble with these.

I agree with the players that most of the improvements I made had much to do with the overall flow of the level. Players progressed through sections where everything functioned as expected, and didn’t get caught on awkward geometry or enemy placement. They didn’t struggle with where to go, what to do, or what the outcome of actions would be. These elements are critical to the flow of gameplay, and make for a very satisfying introductory level.

CAGD 270 2D Mega Man v1 Feedback

For our first intro into Mega Man level design, we were given the following requirements: ten minute time, quicksand, falling platforms, breakable blocks, mm1 and mm6 enemies, health and checkpoints only, and a western theme. I had several classmates playtest my level in class. 

The level was split into five sections with four checkpoints between them. The first section introduces breakable blocks, enemies, quicksand, and platforming, all at a slow and easy pace. The second section adds more platforming and enemies, increasing the challenge slightly. The third section introduces sliding and has more platforming. The fourth introduces a few more enemies, and the last section introduces falling platforms. 

Overall, it went really well. The level was fairly linear, and players had no trouble figuring out where to go. Players rarely died, and most were able to complete the level with little difficulties. Players were able to flow through the encounters without getting stuck and by making good use of the mechanics. 

For breakable blocks, players had no trouble breaking them to clear their path or find hidden areas. I added lots of sections where enemies are positioned atop breakable blocks, and all players realized that they could shoot out the blocks under enemies to cause them to fall, defeating them with much more ease. This worked perfectly. 

I added quicksand as a hazard at the bottom of levels that was much more forgiving than death pits. It’s much easier since players can jump back out with a charitable timer before they sink. This also worked perfectly as intended, as players were still challenged by platforming but in a very easy, non-punishing way that had lots of room for error. 

Players were also able to complete the segments with falling platforms without much difficulty. All players enjoyed discovering that they could defeat tough enemies by crushing them with falling blocks. The first encounter like this worked as intended every time, with players going for the health pickup and killing the first tough enemy with the blocks. This meant that in the second encounter, they knew what to do right away.

Players were able to slide under blocks with ease, but not everyone thought to slide under enemy projectiles. However, none of the projectiles were damaging enough for this to be too harsh. 

Checkpoints were spaced well, with about three to four screens between each. The secret areas rewarded players with health, but often times this wasn’t especially needed. All the elements were introduced at a comfortable pace to get players used to each, and nobody had difficulty understanding how they worked or what to do.

There were several notes I took as players playtested the level for some improvements:

• Checkpoints need health pickups, so players going through the whole thing in one attempt can replenish their health without dying to reset their health being the optimal strategy.

• A few difficult encounters could benefit from having more health pickups.

• A few platforms at the start of the level could be a bit bigger.

• A few areas had the respawning enemies get in the way, so they should be adjusted.

• One player got out of bounds underneath the quicksand in one area, so that needs to be fixed.

Those were the major takeaways I found to improve the level. However, the fundamental design was highly successful. The enemies were the right amount of difficult, the platforming was intuitive in most places, the circulation elements and path forwards was obvious to all the playtesters. 

CAGD 270 Simple DnD Map v3

 For the Simple DnD Map v3 assignment, Valerie played the rogue and Kyle played the ranger. Because of the new rulesheet and theme, I designed a completely new level. The theme was an alien prison break, and the new rules changed the stats and replaced skills with items. 

The starting room is the armory of the prison, giving the players three treasure chests right off the bat. One chest will contain one of four possible items used to unlock doors or cross gaps: the lockpick, c4 explosive, photon bridge, or relocator. Another one will give one possible defensive item, either a medkit, shoulderplates, or a gabapentin shot. The third chest has a random assortment of items. 

With this equipment, the players exit into the first encounter: two escaped convicts. They’re simple and easy. From there, there’s a shortcut if players can get through a vent grate. Players can unlock it with the lockpick, or blow it open with the c4, or teleport to the other side with the relocator. If they do not notice it, they head into the next encounter in a big open room. There’s a pit in the middle that can be crossed with the photon bridge. There’s two ranged prison guards, so players will have to use cover as they work their way closer if they can’t cross the pit. There’s also another vent that lets the players sneak into the lower area, past this encounter, if they can open it. The last thing of note in the second encounter is a chest that will provide one of three weapons. 

If the players go down, they can find a chest with armor in it, a chest with another lockpicking item, and another encounter with two escapees and one melee prison guard. If they go right, they can find the medbay, where there’s a ranged guard and a tough melee guard. There’s two chests with an armor set and a healing item. Behind the tough guard is a big locked door and another pit. This indicates where the players are supposed to go next. After getting past it with one of their lockpicking items, the players will encounter the boss.

The boss arena has lots of chasms, which will be to his benefit (or the player’s if they can cross them). The warden boss has two abilities. First, he can dodge up to three times, which negates 1d8 of damage from an attack and then relocates up to seven tiles away. Second, his forcefield gives him three bonus defense against ranged attacks. 

The players in the playtest breezed through the first encounter. They used the c4 to open the vent shortcut and went to the medbay. The prison guards gave them some trouble and they had to use some healing items. They got some more equipment, giving a regenerating armor to the rogue. They then used the photon bridge to cross the gap around the door to reach the boss fight. 

The rogue rushed the warden boss, who dodged two of her attacks. The ranger threw the c4 at the warden for a large amount of damage. The rogue used her armor and the gabapentin to sustain against the damage from the warden’s attacks. Realizing ranged attacks wouldn’t work very well, the ranger finished off the boss with a melee attack. 

The players really liked the variety of items. They also liked getting to use the lockpicking items to interact with the environment. They found the boss fight engaging and challenging. They also found that the vent passages made things pretty fast, although that’s the only way we completed things within the time limit. 

I think it went very successfully. I think the only changes I would make would be some rebalancing on the boss’s defense, since the c4 did a lot of damage to him. While this was resourceful of the players, I think it was just a little too effective, so I would probably count it as a ranged attack and therefore increase the warden’s resistance to it. 

CAGD 270 Simple DnD Post-Mortem v2

 For the second iteration of my Simple DnD assignment, I made several modifications. Mainly I improved the visuals to make it clearer where the level bounds are. I added two new enemies: one weak enemy in the right path, and one medium enemy in the middle. I also got better graphics for the chests. 

The structure remained the same, featuring two initial paths: the house with a locked door, and a path through the forest. Either one of these will be the first encounter. Both exit into the same place, the second encounter, which leads into a cave with the boss inside.

For the playtest, Valerie played as a mage and Kyle played as a rogue. They picked the right path this time instead of the left one. They made quick work of the easy enemies, each one dying in one or two attacks. I think this was the perfect balance for this encounter. They got an upgrade scroll from the treasure chest. The second encounter was more difficult. When enemies get lucky rolls it does a lot of damage to the players. They were successful, but it was closer than I would have liked it to be. While part of it is just the nature of dice rolls, I might want to make the ghoul enemy do less damage. The boss fight also proved challenging for the players. They had less treasure as a result of taking the right path instead of the left. They were successful as well, but I might decrease the magic damage of the boss.

What went right?

The first encounter was balanced really well. Players appreciated the improved visual clarity of the level. Players liked treasure. They completed the level a little under the time limit, so the length seemed perfect. The boss was challenging and presented them with interesting choices. The lich summons skeletons or performs a ranged magic attack each turn. Each player will choose to either focus the summoned enemies or attack the boss, or try to maneuver around the summoned enemies to reach the boss.

Because of the two splitting paths, they got to see a different area of the level this time, making a simple but somewhat custom experience. They still got to use the lockpicking skill on the chest in the middle.

What went wrong?

Some lucky enemy dice rolls left the players at low health. This included the ghoul and the lich. It didn’t happen as much with the weaker enemies since they had melee attacks. 

Also, the players didn’t get to utilize jumping. They only got one chest as a result of the path difference, which meant only one of the players got treasure.

For changes, first I would decrease the magic attack of the ghoul and lich. I might also add a shield item to the chests. Another chest on the right path would be an improvement 

Players didn’t get to utilize jumping, so I think a good addition would be a river to jump over dividing the forest from the second encounter. Regardless of which path the players take, they either jump over to reach the second encounter or jump over the gap to get the treasure chest.

I might also open up the Lich’s cavern more to add more space, or gaps to jump over. 

CAGD 270 Simple DnD Postmortem

 For my Simple DnD Map playtest on September 13, I designed a simple DnD level consisting of four encounters. The level was designed to start with a player choice to go into a fortified house or take a longer path through the forest. The house held one locked door, one strong enemy, one weak enemy, and a treasure chest. The forest path held three weak enemies. Both paths exited to the next open area that has one strong enemy and one treasure chest. For the last encounter, players would proceed into a cave for the boss fight.

Since the rulesheet mostly discussed combat mechanics, I figured that a good tutorial level would feature some simple encounters to get players accustomed to it. Each encounter had a small number of overall enemies, no more than three, and none of them were especially powerful. Some had more defense, but none had high offense besides the boss. 

For the playtest I was in a group with Kyle, who picked the Mage class, and Valerie, who picked the Ranger class. First, they entered the house by unlocking the locked door. They killed the enemies inside very quickly, and found the treasure chest hidden in its back room. Valerie got to it first and was rewarded with a health potion. I added this to the game to introduce it as a mechanic and keep things easy. They proceeded to the next encounter, which they also ended in a single turn. Kyle got to the second chest and found an enchantment scroll, which let him choose one stat to increase. They ended the adventure with the boss fight, who could summon weaker enemies to fight, and use strong magic attacks. They dispatched the boss in a few turns, and struggled more to deal with the summoned enemies. However, they were successful.

What went right?

The players enjoyed the simple dramatic element of having to fight a necromancer to avenge your father. They seemed to enjoy finding items in treasure chests. The final boss went well, being somewhat challenging but ultimately ending with them succeeding. The challenge was important as it made the players consider their combat options. They engaged with the majority of the combat mechanics, such as attacks, magic attacks, positioning, and healing from damage. 

What went wrong?

The thing I noticed most was that they ended most encounters in a single hit with some lucky dice rolls. I think my strong enemies needed more defense, or just to have more of them. This may however been due to class balance, since they both picked characters with high range. The players also noted that the level bounds should’ve been more visibly clear on the map. Graying out the out of bounds area would have added to my level. 

For other additions, players didn’t get a chance to use the jumping skills. An improved version of the level would have some gaps or obstacles to jump over. 

Overall, players had an easy time figuring out where to go. They enjoyed a lot of my additions, such as the items and final boss. However, they didn’t end up using the health potion. Because item usage is mentioned in the rulesheet, I could’ve added another possible potion, such as strength, that would encourage players to use it actively rather than reactively. 

Other than that, I think the level was mostly successful at easing the players into combat. With some encounter rebalancing to create a smoother difficulty curve, and some obstacles to jump over, I think it would be very well off. 

CAGD 112 Eporfolio 2

Flipbook

I can't embed the video because of the file size, so here's the first frame of the video. For the Flipbook assignment, we took hundreds of pictures and played them rapidly to create the illusion of motion. I used a monkey figure and some playing cards to make it look like the monkey is playing a game of solitaire. As I don't have a tripod, getting the setup right was tricky as I was limited to just what I had in my dorm room. If I could move the camera, I would prefer a more higher angle to view the cards better. 

Hyper-Realism

For the Hyper-Realism assignment, we used a variety of digital editing effects to combine our source files into a hyper-real result: something that can't feasibly exist in real life. I edited this statue to make it appear as if it is coming out of a stone wall. I also edited the holes from the tree to make it look like the wall was full of tiny holes. My goal was to make something that looks creepy, and I think I succeeded.

Portrait

For the portrait assignment, we had to take a portrait of someone, so I asked my roommate to help be my subject. The editing for this was fairly simple compared to the other projects, I just adjusted the color values of the image to make the reds stand out more and the greens be slightly duller. I also increased color contrast on the subject to make him stand out more.