Prototyping

When trying to create new gameplay blueprints or implementing new functionality for existing blueprints, I work in multiple simple sandbox environments in Unreal Engine 5. There are numerous approaches to coming up with exciting new ideas for the game, but I enjoy creating random hypothetical scenarios to play test and I determine what gameplay would enhance the player experience. In this particular video, I take my teams' existing blueprints which are a small door, an interactable button, and an explosive barrel and combine them to have an interactable environment that can change the tide of battle in the player's favor.
Then I came up with the idea to have a different interactable button that is not manually triggered by walking up to it and pressing a button. Instead, I brainstormed a button that could be activated on impact. This means that the player can throw the axe at the button (like I did) or they can grapple onto it and hit it with the axe from close quarters. The button changes colors from red to green to indicate that it was hit. Lastly, there might be certain situations where the player would want to calculate when to blow up the explosive barrel after it had been deployed, which is why the first implementation of this idea (on the left) has the barrel plop down to be blown up later. At other times, the player might want an immediate explosion which is why I made sure that the barrels could explode on impact when at higher velocities, which is why the feature on the right side drops the barrel from higher up. With this added gameplay mechanic, there are now two different implementations of this new idea that allow for more fun opportunities during combat!

Gameplay Design: Process and Impact

  • Evaluating tools, resources, and blueprints at team's disposal
  • Seeing room for improvement or new functionality
  • Example was glass blueprint that could only be broken by the axe expanded to include grapple hook
  • Changes resulted in more options for the player and a more dynamic environment
  • Creating scenarios that offer/allow/invite utilization of various gameplay mechanics
  • Player first approach by being mindful of player preferences
  • Playtest and gather feedback to ensure different playstyles are supported
  • Resulted in satisfactory moment-to-moment gameplay across a diverse audience
  • Blueprint Idea (laser pillars for example)
  • Implementation (laser pillars serve as hazards)
  • Purpose (creates challenge of having to be quick and/or precise with the grapple hook in scenarios outside of combat)
  • Impacted the game by adding a unique danger that encourages traversal mechanics and environmental awareness
  • Recognized a need for an unpredictable way to spawn in enemies that is not built into the level geometry
  • Brainstormed several ideas, weighed pros and cons, and determined a drop pod best suited an open environment
  • Breaking it down into parts
              -Spawning hut blueprint that activates after flashy
              entrance
              -can deploy all at once or stagger using time delays
              -Art, Sound Effects, etc. for polished new experience
  • Element of surprise resulted in higher level of engagement among players

Gameplay Design: Playtesting and Balancing

  • Most difficult encounter to balance
  • Boss was too slow and unable to lock onto player if they kept moving at a distance or played really aggressive and up close
  • Adjustments led to boss rapid firing area of effect abilities and shooting his regular weapon simultaneously (too difficult)
  • Endless Wave Spawner flooded space with difficult enemies too quickly 
  • Player Axe Throw Ability was broken/too effective and eliminated the challenge of the boss 
BUT THEN,
  • ​Fixed fire rate and attack time by decreasing the value in the data table for the boss stats, making him more of a threat
​              -Increased fire pause time so boss could not spam the regular weapon, which has a high accuracy
  • Endless Wave Spawner had larger time intervals before deploying more difficult troops to not overwhelm player 
  • Axe Throw Ability changed to where it could not bounce off of the boss multiple times unless ricocheted off of nearby enemy 

Summary

Whether I am evaluating existing blueprints for improvement or new implementation, finding ways to promote certain mechanics or playstyles, discovering missing aspects of the game, or creating entirely new blueprints, there are a lot of critical ways for me to transform games through gameplay design.