Basic Level Blocking!

In this dev log I will be going over some of the decisions I am currently making about the general design of levels (and progression in the game) as well as a bit more in depth layout of the first level of the game. The player movement is now feeling smoother from some adjustments to the players speed, jump height and collision. These tweaks were made based on player feedback from the past week and now I am onto designing the first level. The first level (based in a forest lake biome where the fisherman resides) is coming together and the general vibe is feeling good. All art assets are original and have been made in Aseprite.

Movement:

Combat:

Level Ideas:

 As it stands, I don’t know how many levels I will be able to complete for this assignment! However, I have some ideas for level themes/biomes that might flow and add to the narrative that is slowly being developed.

                  Level 1: Forest Lakes

                  Level 2: Caves

                  Level 3: The Beach

                  Level 4: The Docks

In each level I am looking to introduce different movement options (grappling, dashing etc.) as well as additional puzzle solving/combat options/items (electric rod?, knockback rod?, wall smash). These ideas may be too great for the scope of this initial implementation; however, I will seek to add as much as I can and continue to add features past the assignment due date.

First Level

Initially I had thought the player would have access to all movement options at the very start of the game. However, after watching people play around and receiving some feedback from peers, friends and family it seems that the pacing would be better if mechanics were slowly, more intentionally introduced. Having access to the grapple at the start for example, may be too complex for new players. Instead I am looking to add some narrative moments in which the players movement is restricted (e.g., at the start of the game the fisher does not have their grapple hook). This restriction will hopefully allow the player to grasp the basic movement concepts in the first section of the level. I believe that this will pace the level well and make the unlocking of the grapple mechanic more satisfying. 

In the first section of the first level, I want to introduce the player to basic movement (left/right/jump) and shape the level to get the player comfortable while showing some of the limitations of grapple-less movement. In addition, in this first section the player will be introduced to combat, as well as catching fish when their health is low (see image below for basic blocking of the first section).

I intend to for the levels to progressively increase in difficulty with the introduction of new mechanics. Much like in the Legend of Zelda franchise from Nintendo, halfway through the level, I want to have a boss battle that unlocks a new mechanic, to be used for the rest of the level. An example of this, shown in the first level plan (see image below) has the player unlocking the grappling hook after a boss fight with an enemy that is blocking the fisherman’s way to his fishing equipment stash.

After unlocking this item, the level switches focus from basic movement to utilising the grapple mechanic (see image below). After this grapple section I am thinking of temporarily changing the biome to a cave section in which the player will continue utilising the grapple as well as being introduced to wall jumping. In the caves I might introduce some new enemies that seek to slow the player down from yeeting through the level too fast and provide some more catching opportunities.

After this section the player will move back to the forest for one last high-stakes platforming opportunity (generously accompanied by a checkpoint) in which if they fail the character dies*.

*note: when the player lands in water their position is reset to land and they take damage. When the player falls through the forest floor, they die.

Completion of this section leads to a boss battle with a new enemy that challenges the player, utilising the unlocked features! Upon level completion the player will enter a rest zone, where they receive a level summary and have the option to replay level or continue forward.

Other Level Ideas:

This was just a general overview of my current approach to designing the levels and an update on development of The Last Fishing Trip! Here are some bonus ideas i would love to play around with.

Catching the Mysterious Fish in Each Level (Like the challenge rooms in Pizza Tower, by Tour De Pizza). Touching a certain item teleports you to a level in which platforming is challenged! Breaks up the gameplay and makes some random whackiness in between the adventure.

As to encourage level replay-ability it could be fun to include alternate paths through utilisation of new mechanics in previous levels. Little foreshadowing statements could be hints to the inclusion of a locked aspect of the level that should be noted and returned to!