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Circuitry was a design challenge where I intended to create 3 events in UDK, including a small boss fight, with the main mechanic being something atypical. My process consisted of creating event diagrams, filtering through mechanic ideas, and thorough testing throughout developing the level. Design Goals: Atypical boss fight mechanic Dynamic difficulty Timer-based hint system Visual feedback representing the math/logic behind the level   |
A full playthrough of Circuitry
The introduction to the mechanic is in a dark room where there are gaps in the piping structure running along the floor and walls. By placing loose pipes in the gaps, the player can send charges down the pipes to operate different machines; in this room, the lights. The player must also figure out how to use 1 loose pipe to carry a charge past 2 gaps in order to open the door. The player is timed from the start of the level until they open the door. The longer they take, the easier the following boss fight is. This was also thoroughly tested, and the average playtime for the entire level ended up being consistent. A successful difficulty adjustment in my book. Average time to solve the puzzle from playtesting ~ 3 minutes. |
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The goal of the level is to obtain the “charge crystal” from the altar in the 2nd room. However, it is behind a force field projected from 4 sources. The player is given 2 new loose pipes to work with, and must overcharge the force field projectors. This functions as a more complex version of the previous puzzle, and continues the “quickly move pipes while charges are moving” concept. The 3rd event takes place in the same room, so this period of time allows the player to familiarize themselves with the “boss room” in a calmer setting.
Average time to solve the puzzle from playtesting ~ 7 minutes After taking down the force field and approaching the alter, the security activates. The boss fight consists of a “tug of war”-esque game with the security system. Depending on how long the player took to solve the 1st puzzle, the security system will charge energy for 15, 30, or 45 seconds. Once it completes a charge, it sends that charge to a randomly picked turret around the edge of the room. The player must use the loose pipes to send charges to control the turrets, and once all 4 are firing at the security detector it deactivates. The room also changes color based on the player-turrets compared to the security-turrets.
Average time to defeat the boss from playtesting ~ 8 minutes |
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To allude to the level being a vertical slice of a larger game, the “charge crystal” allows the player to activate/deactivate turrets and doors without the use of the pipe structure anymore.
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