Temperature Shift
Roles: Level Designer, Technical Designer
Genre: First Person Action Platformer
Development Time: 1 Month
Team Size: 1
Engine: Unreal
Temperature Shift is a First Person Action Platformer where the player controls and changes the temperature in order to reach their main objective. They also have a variety of movement abilities to help them traverse the ever changing environment.
It is heavily inspired by Titanfall 2's Effect and Cause level.
Responsibilities
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Prototyped and implemented all mechanics, such as Level Streaming, Wall Running, and calculating player inertia
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Tested mechanics extensively before implementation in order to ensure smooth gameplay
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Researched similar games to understand what felt great, what didn't, and why
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Used Unreal Blueprints to quickly concept ideas and expand on them
Movement Systems
One of my main goals when making this game was to have a smooth movement system that was fun for the player to use. My first step was to create a base wall running system that would carry over players speed using Unreal Engine's Blueprint system. Once I fine tuned it through testing, I implemented additional movement options like a double jump and boost to create a wider variety of movement options.
Level Streaming allowed for players to switch between two different levels seamlessly, letting players switch between them at will to traverse the level
Before creating the main level, I made sure to test how the level streaming worked with the movement system, making sure they would compliment each other when combined
Level Streaming allowed for players to switch between two different levels seamlessly, letting players switch between them at will to traverse the level
Different Routes
A focus of mine while designing this prototype was making sure that there were a variety of different routes that the player could take to the end. Each route has a different feel to it, ranging from open to flooded and cramped. Players can make use of the Level Streaming to switch the temperature, revealing new routes to explore while closing off others.
The final movement system allowed players a variety of ways to both traverse different paths and gain more momentum
The first version of the Movement System
The final movement system allowed players a variety of ways to both traverse different paths and gain more momentum
Level Streaming
One of the initial challenges creating this game was figuring out how to seamlessly switch between two separate levels at will. After some research, I discovered that by using Level Streaming I could achieve this effect easily. By using the blueprint system, I was able to quickly allow the player to switch between the 2 levels quickly, as well as allow both levels to accurately line up as intended.
Once chilled the water becomes ice, letting the player access new routes while blocking off others
The ice can melt into water, allowing the player to go through it at the cost of slowing them down a bit.
The ice can melt into water, allowing the player to go through it at the cost of slowing them down a bit.
Once chilled the water becomes ice, letting the player access new routes while blocking off others