Stack-O-Bot Level

For this level, I used Unreal's Stack-O-Bot game starter kit to reimagine one of my MSU classrooms into a 3D platformer level. The main objective was to focus on the beats of the level with a variation of platforming, combat, puzzle, and more. I am most proud of the puzzle section as I figured new ways to incorporate the character's simple abilities.

Game Beats

When I decided to use the Stack-O-Bot starter pack, I knew I wanted to focus on recreating my classroom on a larger scale to be able to traverse the room like a toy soilder.

The level has elements of:

2D and 3D platforming
Puzzle and mirror maze
Minor boss fight in the ceiling

Key Section:

The puzzle section of the level is a highlight for me, because I feel like it is a well thought out area with a unique take on the carry object system. I was able to figure out how to use the boxes on the platforms and how to deactivate fans with a button. All that followed by a mirror maze. Thought that was a fun addition.

Playtest Modifications:

Playtest #1: Players saw the vision, but the build lacked direction. They were impressed by the recreation and wanted to see more thought into how the level was going to flow. This feedback was something I took seriously because I wanted to live up to what the players thought this level could be.
Playtest #2: The second playtest had more of the room completed and some collectables and enemies placed throughout. There wasn’t much flow to the level and it was heavily leaning on exploration as a crutch at this point. The players wanted to be able to explore more of the room and it made me rethink my original starting and ending locations.
Playtest #3: Playtest was the most helpful as the players helped point me to the finish line even more with a more linear approach. Switching the spawn location and reworking the level backwards created very positive feedback. I found the path which players travel and carved out a few fun puzzles and different areas to work with.

Post-Mortem

Scale: One thing I would have done differently is pull back the idea of a truly accurate recreation of the workspace to make more sense within the reality of the game mechanics.
2D Camera Mode: I would like to revisit this project and dive deeper into what the 2D platforming could look like and push it to a new level. One of my early ideas were to create a platforming section on the whiteboard to make it look like the character was climbing around on the drawings that would be present.
Process: This was a level design project that I dove into too fast on the design of what I wanted the level to look like before slowing down to think about the flow and overall beats of how the level was going to work.

Reference Gallery

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse