DevLog_02 Level Blocking

Level Blocking

This week I have been working on the level structure and design for Ampi. The main goal was to complete the basic layout and structure of the first level, even if only with placeholders, and then have a design for the second and third level ready to put together. These levels are by no means final designs as they will be changed over the coming weeks as more gameplay elements are introduced, but they will keep the core ideas and layouts.

World Design & Art

The design and art of each level is really dictated by Ampi’s journey through the body. So, the first level has to be the mouth. The idea of running along a moving tongue is pretty gross, unappealing, and might be boring. So, I decided to have Ampi run along the teeth as platforms. 

Ugly early sketch of potential first level (The Mouth)

To spice things up a bit the teeth are uneven, and they have braces. The braces allow the placement of a wire to act as a bridge in one section. Other key parts of a mouth include the uvula (big dangly fellow towards the back). The uvula is a natural obstacle, and I couldn’t resist the idea of having it swinging and hitting the player with a force strong enough for instant death.

The uvula of death.

Another key part of the mouth is the fact that a person is always breathing. So, I decided to add this as an area after the uvula to force the player to try out sprinting.

The second level is a completely different design to the first and third. It is a shorter level with the player just falling down the throat and dodging obstacles, as well as attacking falling bacteria as well.

Mock-up of second level design. Not currently functional.

The third level is based around the stomach, with a heavy focus on platforming and avoiding the acid. Many platforms will be floating and can move depending where the player stands. The last section of this level will involve rising stomach acid and the player having to jump up multiple platforms and escape the rising acid in time. This is to give more of a challenge once the player is more comfortable with controls.

Short section of stomach level with acid. 

Tutorial Structure

The structure of this first level is designed around getting the player to learn the mechanics of the game. At first, they will learn to move, then the first jump can be made with the press of the jump button. The next jump requires the player to hold the jump button, so they learn to jump higher. Then there is an enemy to learn how to attack, and finally a sprinting section to learn how to sprint.

Tutorial section

Enemy Placement

Enemy placement in the first level isn’t particularly important, as long as they are all after the player learns how to attack. In the third level, the stomach, the enemy placement is much more important. As I mentioned earlier, in the final section of the third level there will be rising acid, and the player will be trying to outrun it. Placing enemies at key areas here will add an extra challenge to the timed platforming. 

Player Feedback & Future Bugs Fixes

omg this is looking great so far!! totally love the use of the drawbridge (i did fall through the gaps a few times tho). no complaints about the level building, and i love the little germ enemies - just adorable!! – Georgie

I’ll definitely have to tighten up the bridge. It seems to be fine for the player to stand and jump on, but over time it starts to sag. See sag below..

Awesome work. The art is great, I bet those are Streptococcus mutans . Yeah same comment as Georgie said, I fell through the bridge when landing on it a couple of times. I find the attack a bit difficult to reach enemies above but minor fix I suppose. Any plans on music or sound effects (maybe when spitting the antibiotic? or the enemies shooting particles) Any dynamic element on the background in mind? maybe some saliva river? Everything looks very cool so far and original ! – Alejandro

I love the idea of a non-static background, especially in the mouth. I will be adding a moving tongue in the background at some stage. I might not get to a river of saliva as that could become a serious object to spend time on for not a huge reward, but if I find the time, I will add it in. I’ll also have to think about how to deal with enemies that float too high to attack easily. It may be a case of making sure the enemies are never that high up or tweaking the attack somehow. Music and sound effects are also already on the way!