Assignment Brief

This was a piece of individual work done for a University Assignment. The assignment brief for this particular project was very open with the only requirement being that whatever was created had to fit the theme of 'Sci-Fi city port'. Prior to this assignment at the University I had already created Sci-Fi city ports so decided that instead of creating a traditional level I would try and create a different style of game. I found some tutorials for a UDK top-down games and decided to make a similar game within Unreal Engine 3.
When starting the assignment I wanted to make the project feel more like a game than a simple level, so split the Sci-Fi port into two separate levels. The first found the player running through an old factory district at night trying to collect crystals while avoiding the enemy patrols. Once they had collected the three crystals the player climbs down some stairs into a dark room which was a hidden route into the space port. The second level was in a brighter cleaner space port which was based off an airport terminal. The player had to collect crystals while making their way to a docked ship outside to fly away from the planet.
Each level had three crystals scattered around which could be picked up in any order. The players HUD would display how many they currently had collected while the timer bar along the bottom showed how much time was remaining. The crystals positions were located in areas which would force the player to sneak past patrols and other gameplay elements. When designing the game I wanted the player to have to think about the route they took to avoid the patrols rather than just shooting/killing them so the weapon was removed. If the player died they would respawn at the start but kept any crystals they had claimed.
Pick-ups alone do not create a fun and enjoyable game and so other objects and obstacles got added into the game. The first obstacles which were added into the game where path blocking objects which the player had to walk up to and then pick which direction to move them. These objects worked well at slowing the player down throughout the level as well as hiding objects such as health pickups. This was done using kismet to create the movement as well as creating the custom arrows which in turn had their own kismet to give them the proper functionality.
The second obstacles which the player had to navigate in order to complete the level was some smashing blocks which if the player was not quick enough through would slam shut and instantly kill them. The blocks were set up so they would stay open for a random amount of time making it harder for the player to judge when to run though. However the minimum amount of time the blocks would stay open for was just enough time for the player to get through. The smashing blocks were found inside the factory parts of the level and made to blend in to the rooms they were found in to keep the player watching for them.
The final obstacle which the player had to navigate through to complete the game was some moving conveyor belts, which were inspired by the conveyors seen at airports which carry bags around. The ones used in the level were designed to make it difficult for the player to move against the flow, which made the timing of runs much more important. The smashing blocks were also added to the conveyor towards the end so the player had to time running through them perfectly. The conveyor part of the level, I felt was the most fun and the level I was most happy with.