Chip: A Sub-Par Adventure
Chip: A Sub-Par is an RPG Minigolf hybrid! Explore course like dungeons as and save the world as a golf ball!
Roles: Game Design, Level Design, Programming
Team Size: 6
Timeline: September 2022 - April 2023 (8 months)
Tools: Unity, Excel, Clickup, C# and Github
Gameplay Footage
Contributions
Programming - Created in-engine systems to help make development easier. Created the back end of a dialog system that worked with a excel file and updated within unity. Developed level mechanics and UI. Managed the git repository, set coding standards, and made optimizations to systems.
Game/Level Design - Created GDDs, game flow, loop and progression with other designers. Designed and implemented the tutorial sections of the game, teaching players basic game play aspects like shooting, bouncing off walls and being able to shoot multiple times.
Prototypes - Created rapid prototypes (1-2 weeks spent or less on each one) to test out new design ideas and features. Prototypes include a leaderboard system, camera and control prototype and an enemy prototype that displayed many enemy concepts.
Process Work
Prototype One
Identify, Plan, Graybox and Test!
These examples show the multiple different tutorials and how their layout and feel changed over the course of development
Prototype Two
Prototype Final
Early personal sketch work of levels and ideas. I was focusing on when to introduce new mechanics, specifically how to teach the user to use them.
Prototype Three
I also created a leader board system! I designed and implemented a scoring system that displayed player time and shots taken.
I created and implemented the UI along with the assets used. It went through a couple iterations to find a version the team liked. Here are some concept images created in Illustrator.
Check out the game on itch!
GDD download
My Approach - Tutorial Creation
Targeting Mechanics
Building Comfort
Testing Knowledge
Targeting Mechanics
When creating levels that introduce new mechanics to the player, I want to set an end goal. This goal is the ideal state of mind that the player should understand coming out of the tutorial section. The first rough goal draft of mechanics and systems I create always changes from the first draft. As more playtesting is done, it's important to keep an open mind and adapt the list to include and remove items. My first rough draft included the following items:
Basic Controls
Switches
Hazards
As testing goes on and our game’s design changes, it’s important to change these goals. These goals are good for a prototype; they help identify the basic components of our game. However, it's the tutorial’s job to get the players ready. After a couple of revisions and making sure to keep the player at the center of these goals, the tutorial became less about introducing mechanics and more about getting the player ready for the challenges ahead. Before the player entered the dungeon areas, I wanted the player to be able to fully explore and experience them. They should have a clear mindset of how to interact with our game at the end of this section. The final list looked something like this by the end. Some of the bold elements are notes that are more important goals identified through playtests.
Understanding Controls and Movement
Drag to shoot
The player does not need to wait until the ball is stopped to shoot again
Shot Power
The more you slide back the more power your shot has
Planning shots
Players should be comfortable shooting their ball. Having an understanding of where their ball can go and what lay ahead of them.
Understanding Terrain
Players should understand how they interact with walls
Using terrain to their advantage
If a player has experience with real life mini-putt, they can use that knowledge to help them reach this goal but it still had to be taught that they can do this
Slopes
More then one shot for a ramp is needed
Knowing the goal of the game
Players should know the end goal of the game and how they are progressing.
Know that their goal is the hole at the end of a level
Building Comfort
Building comfort comes with introducing mechanics or systems in ways that encourage the players to interact with them at later points. It’s important to build up player confidence during tutorial sections. If not, then they may avoid interacting with certain systems down the line. The player should walk before they can run. They should understand everything there is to walking before they get to run down a track.
The starting section of the game does this really well. Using the targeted mechanics from before, we make sure to never overwhelm the player with something they don’t already know. In the game, we never try to do two things at once. First, we teach players how to shoot; then we can start having them bounce off walls. Reinforcing comes later when we know the player can use the systems and mechanics created. Building comfort comes from giving new things to the player in safe environments.
Reinforcing Knowledge
The last part of how I approached building the tutorial section was making sure to reinforce the player's knowledge of systems and mechanics they have previously encountered. Most people do not remember a one-off encounter, just like how most players don’t remember what each level layout is like. It's important to reinforce mechanics or systems they are learning. This is mainly done through the reuse of mechanics or systems they have already encountered. Let’s take the final example of the tutorial section. The level starts off with one shot; we introduced shooting in the first level, and we make sure the player can do that here as well. Then comes a ramp; we just reinforced ramps in the previous two levels, teaching players how much power to use when getting over them. We then have a ruin structure of sorts, making sure the player can control their ball in tight areas. Finally comes a large ramp. We taught previously that we need two connected shots to go up this ramp. This big teach-test enforces that the player can shoot while moving.
All these elements have been built up from previous levels. By testing them again, we make sure that players are constantly building their knowledge, using tools they have from previous lessons to tackle whatever layout is in front of them. The key to the level is that, yes, it tests multiple systems and mechanics that players have encountered. It never does two at the same time. For now, we did not put obstacles on a ramp that requires two shots or a bank shot with specific power to complete the level. Doing so would not create the intended mental structure we want our player to have. There may be a time and place for those sections in the future, but during a tutorial, it's important to build up and reinforce a player so they can run in the future.
Take Aways
Experience working on a large project
Developed visual and practical communication skills
Designed building blocks to fit a larger player experience