Revisiting BUILT

Some time in January 2020 I drew up and submitted a concept of a platformer for my Game Design module evaluation at Kingston University. In this concept, the player has the power to create their own paths by laying down platforms. I created a short proof-of-concept prototype of the idea along with a design document of what would the game would be. The idea was well received and I scored a pretty decent grade in the evaluation, and with that was the end the end of that chapter.

So I have been thinking about this particular concept lately. At the time of creation I thought this idea has some legs in it, and I still do. I feel like I have done injustice by forgetting about it as soon as uni was over. I should be expanding on this a bit further and develop a better prototype, one that actually feels like a game and not just an empty scene to test out a mechanic.

Birth of the Concept

"What if tetris blocks were hollow on the inside and one could roam around in it?" was the first thing I thought to myself when we were being briefed about our Game Design module evaluation.

I liked what I was thinking so I kept that train of thought going:

"What if tetris blocks were hollow?"

"What if the player hops across endless stream of platforms to avoid falling to their doom?"

"What if the player can arrange the platforms in a manner that creates a path from A to B?"

I eventually ended up on this iteration. A platformer in which, instead of a pre-existing route, the player has complete control over where and how they place their platforms to get from one end of the level to the other.

Core Mechanics

As mentioned before the most important part of the game is to place these clusters of platforms. Where they place them and what orientation is completely up to the player. The idea is to give the player creative freedom to create their own routes. There are no wrong answers as long as it gets the job done.

I wanted the game to be all about the player using this idea of path creation to solve whatever problem the game may throw at them. To do that, I need to make the player vulnerable to hostile elements in a head-on conflict.

To counter the inability to fight back, I wanted to player to have as much freedom of mobility as possible with additional tools and abilities that they can unlock as they progress through the game. I picked the most common movement mechanics in video games and crammed them in. This includes double jump, wall slide and wall jump.

Game Loop

Win Conditions - Level Clear vs Level Complete

To clear the level and progress further, the player will need to just try and reach the end. However, some levels may have additional requirements that the player must fulfill in order to clear the level. Some examples of such requirements are carrying fragile objects (cannot take damage), avoid detection from enemies (stealth), activate/deactivate machinery within the level (puzzle).

However, to 100% a level, the player will need to finish additional objectives. One such objective is to stay within the platform limit. This will encourage the player to fine tune their route for efficiency. Not completing these objectives will still allow the player to clear the level.

Platforms

Here are some examples of the different types of platforms the game will have

Glass will break when the player stands on it long enough or jumps on it a couple times. Players can use it as temporary platform that opens up another path when broken or even as a trap from enemies to fall through.

Dynamic Blocks such as a gravity affected block can be physically moved around and interacted with by the player during their run. Can be used as a step to reach higher places, provide concealment from enemies or even be used as a weapon.

Automated Platforms are mechanical objects that have a looping action. They work independent of the player and cannot be stopped. An elevator is one such example, and depending on how it is placed, can move either up and down or back and forth.

Triggered Platforms are similar to automated platforms, except they require an external input to activate/deactivate. Such platforms are triggered by buttons, adding weight, by presence of player or enemy entity, or by trade of resources.

Player Abilities

These are some player abilities that I have included that I could think of at the moment. These, I believe will compliment the core mechanic of the game.

Unsafe Water Gun provides a short burst of upward thrust when pressing the 'Jump' key mid-air. This ability, when acquired, will replace the standard double jump.

Home-made Goop Maker allows the player to shoot a temporary 1x1 platform to where they aim with the mouse. The surface of the platform is sticky, causing the movement speed to be slower. When standing on this, the player is unable to double, however, the player will not slide down when hanging from the sides. The platforms created with this tool are temporary and will eventually melt away.

Chatterbox is a noise-maker device that the player can throw to attract enemies to it. Used as a diversion or lure.

Enemies

One-Eyed Guardian is a static turret that does not move (because it is static). But they do fire fast projectiles towards the enemy. They act upon spotting the player and will stop shooting when the player is out of sight.

Flying Taser Does not need platforms to move around the environment. They are flying flying entities that can shoot at the player but can hurt by contact.

Walker Turrets move along the length of the platform they are on. They shoot the same projectiles as the static variant and will also chase the player till there is no more platform to walk on.

One-Eyed Watcher is a static turret that, unlike the Guardian, does not shoot. Instead, it shoots a Sensor dart at the player position. When active, the sensor dart will relay the player location to other enemies nearby.