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3D Level 2

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3D LEVEL 2 LOGAN VAN DYNE After the creation of our first 3D level using the Unity 3D Game Kit Lite, we received a new theme to work with for the creation of the second level, which involved building up to a boss battle with smaller encounters throughout the rest of the level. The theme for this assignment was a medieval setting, which was rather different from the previous theme of a Sci-Fi jungle setting. Our previous experience with both the probuilder and assembling levels within Unity using the geometry and materials provided, I was able to better handle the task of making a more unique and immersive setting for the level to take place within. As for the boss encounter, I simply upscaled one of the enemies and increased its health at the end of the level, which was reached by clearing through the rest of the encounters before reaching the final room. The traps, doors, platforms and enemies as well as the main player stayed the same for the entirety of the level, so I was able to r...
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3D Level 1 V2

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 3D UNITY LEVEL 1 VERSION 2 LOGAN VAN DYNE Playtesting the unity platformer levels created by the rest of the class was a great opportunity to be able to get more ideas and inspiration for our own levels, as well as locate and discuss ways to solve whatever issues or improvements the level designers could make for our levels. Many of the issues we encountered weren’t based off of the design of the level itself, rather the occasional game kit bug here and there, such as health kits or collisions not working properly. The main feedback for most of our levels was to make them longer, so for the second version of my level, I decided to double the length of it and change the level from 5 areas to 10.  In the new locations for the level, I primarily relied on the moving platform mechanics for traversal, which in turn stretched out the level alongside the new locations added. By referring further to the example level provided within the game kit, I was able to fully implement the thr...
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3D Level 1

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 3D UNITY LEVEL 1 LOGAN VAN DYNE After creating a plethora of levels utilizing dungeons and dragons (Roll20) and Mega Man Maker, it was now time to create a 3D level using the skills gained from our previous programs and levels. Using the feedback we have been gathering from our playtests, experience in creating levels with good flow and difficulty, and learning better ways to give the player a fun and teachable experience as they play the game, we utilized a unity package including a 3D starter game kit to create a level in a sci-fi forest setting. Thankfully the package contained pre-made assets such as the character, interactables, level designer, enemies, and obstacles, which allowed us as level designers to focus primarily on the design itself and the elements of design which went into it, such as teaching the player the mechanics provided, the flow and path of the level, and the difficulty of the level.  Considering that we had all of the tools available to us to use, my...
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Mega Man Level 2

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MEGAMAN LEVEL 2 LOGAN VAN DYNE After we finalized our first Mega Man tutorial level, we began working on concepts for a second level, for a higher skill level of players, and a different theme- this time in a jungle setting. This opened up new opportunities for both the player and the level designer in terms of platforming, enemy usage, visuals, and different unlockable abilities- as an additional goal was to utilize different weapon types, doors, and keys to complete the level. The main premise of my level was utilizing “vines” created by hanging ladders as the primary source of platforming, alongside spikes, falling platforms, and quicksand.  Once concept art and annotated maps were created for the level, we went on to properly designing it. I started by placing wooden platforms to look like tree trunks and branches, and then added the ladders and platforming segments on top of them. The vines were somewhat problematic to implement, as they had to be placed a certain amount of sp...
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Mega Man V2

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 MEGA MAN LEVEL V2 LOGAN VAN DYNE  After the creation and playtesting of the first iteration of our Megaman level, we were presented feedback from our playtesters on things we could improve upon or change about the design of the level, in terms of the pacing, enemy count, difficulty, and more. We then fixed and expanded our levels, since hardly any of them met the 10 minute minimum requirement that we were presented with, and then conducted another playtest with the same people. The basis of my level stayed the same, especially at the beginning- it was simply expanded upon in place of where the ending of the level used to be in the previous iteration. More enemies were added alongside additional platforming sequences which also rose in complexity and difficulty, adding extra enemies to previously uninhabited platforming segments to add additional challenges to what were once easy segments of the level. The additional enemy that I added was the Colton, who shot ranged projectil...
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Megaman Level V1 Feedback

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 MEGAMAN LEVEL V1  LOGAN VAN DYNE The first video game levels that people were able to create were simplistic and did not have as much room to work with as current games do. Level designers had to work with their limitations to create entertaining levels which teach the player and make the game they are playing entertaining to both watch and experience. Mega Man is a good example of games which take advantage of this, still being able to have a great amount of variety and customization for the levels provided, leading to unique and entertaining learning experiences, for both the player, and the level designer themself.  Working within these limitations, we created a tutorial-style level in a western theme, ensuring we implemented a good amount of mechanics to teach the player in a safer environment before throwing them in with enemies and additional challenges. My level takes place in a Western Mineshaft, which leads the player to travel downwards through different tunne...
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DnD Map 2 Feedback

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  DND MAP 2 PLAYTEST LOGAN VAN DYNE Our second Dungeons and Dragons map was completely different from the first- With a new ruleset, mechanic system, and prompts to work with, we had to rebuild everything we’ve done and essentially start completely new for the level design, characters, enemies, bosses, and even new items. The prompt for our level was a prison break in the setting of a post apocalyptic alien invasion, and we had to incorporate checkpoints, item drops, and ensure that this level was a step up from the previous tutorial difficulty we had previously worked with. We used annotated maps to lay out basic ideas for more complicated level design concepts, starting with the checkpoints. With the way I laid them out, they would be present before or after difficult encounters, however after playtesting, many of the enemies were either too weak or too strong. This makes the checkpoint system relatively useless until you get to the weak enemies, so a possible fix for this would ...
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