Kilan Larsen
3D Game Kit Level 1 version 2
I revised the level design of my level based on the feedback received from play-testers. Then I got more people to play-test my version 2, here are the results.
Layout: The general layout of the level stayed largely the same, with a few key differences. Firstly, I removed the rectanglar walls and provided a more organic fence around the outer edge. I moved the first large pipe in front of where the player starts, making it immediately visible. I also re-did the lakes of acid to better fill the new space, and added some variety in the methods different pressure plates and switches are reached.
These changes received praise and compliments from the play-testers for helping the level 'feel' better. The critical path stayed the same, yet the sights and activities along the way were improved and kept the level interesting.
Hidden Pressure Plate
In the first area the level now has two pressure plates which each need to be pressed to raise platforms in the lake and hit the switch to open the door forward. The first plate is on top of some large boxes, and requires some platforming to get to. The second is hidden inside a pipe with an opening in the bars.
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I was worried players would miss this pressure plate and get stuck, but I actually saw the opposite problem where players found it quite fast, and the other pressure plate was a bit high to be seen from the ground and thus was found second. All players managed to find both pressure plates and learn how to progress.
Improved Backtracking
Here I added a platform that initially only shows a small square of safe area to stand on near the surface of the acid. The large pipes cannot be jumped on from the ground, so the player is forced to go around the factory. After going around the factory and up the stairs, the player is led to the pressure plate which raises the platform to the point shown here. This allows players to climb back up on top of the pipe and get behind the factory whenever they like, preventing boring backtracking around the whole factory.
Dialogue Boxes
While I did work to clean up the dialogue boxes a bit, I still received minor complaints that there were too many and that some were unnecessary as players can learn the material on their own. No dialogue box in specific was mentioned, but I feel like this one in particular is particularly 'hand-holdy', and could be removed entirely in favor of non-verbal teaching.
More Platforming
A big complaint of my first level design was a lack of platforming and verticality. To combat this, I moved a switch on top of the factory, and added some platforms that provide some tight jumps that the player needs to perform in order to get to the top. While players did complain about the difficulty of the platforming, they also made it to the top in only two tries on average, which is actually about the difficulty level I was aiming for.
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A more pressing issue which one player pointed out is that from the top of the factory you can see over the walls and off the edge of the world, which breaks immersion. To fix this, either the
switch should be lowered a bit, or the background of the level should be more flushed out so the player can actually see stuff beyond the walls (and not just the void) which could actually improve the immersion of the level if done right.
Overall, I think it was a fairly successful redesign of the level and I'm looking forward to using what I've learned in level 2!