My Contributions to ALTER!
Best 2D Physics Technology - Continental Automotive Singapore
Best Sophomore Technology - Finalist
Koei Tecmo Singapore most Innovative Design - Finalist
In Alter, I was in charge of designing and implementing the main game mechanic, the marquee selection tool for the game. As a Game/UX Designer, Sound Designer and Systems Designer, I focused on achieving the experience players wanted and helped make scripting within our custom game engine easier.
We wanted Alter to give players the ability to customize the world around them, bend things to their will as well as providing a different way to engage in combat and puzzle elements in a 2D platformer style game. In order to achieve this, I had to:
Together with my team, came up with the concept of controlling the world game world
Planned out how the player progression will tie into the core game mechanics
Design and implement the core game mechanic, the marquee selection tool which provided players with a familiar tool on the PC
Created the BGM, ambient as well as other SFX used in the game to provide audio feedback for players
Designed and help implement the AI for various enemy encounters
Hosted multiple playtesting sessions along the way to create a better player experience
Roles and Contributions
Main Mechanic Design
Physics Based Platformer
The game is built around the mechanic of being able to move and rotate objects in the environment to open up new paths for the player.
As a platformer, this mechanic creates an environment where the players can choose to have fun in their own way ontop of the encounters and puzzles we have designed for them.
In this example, we see the player having fun with the physics system to create a slope up.
Main Mechanic Design
Marquee Select Tool
We wanted our main mechanic to be intuitive for everyone. We limited the number of components to only 2 main features, the initial marquee selection square which anyone using a computer will be familiar with and a knob to indicate rotation.
Upon the first use of the mechanic, most people instantly recognised how it is used.
Example of how the marquee select too can be used to select, move and rotate objects.
AI Design
Enemy Encounter Design
Outside of the boss, there are 2 main enemies the players will encounter, a melee and a ranged enemy.
Each encounter is designed in a way where there are tools scattered around the area to aid the player in a multitude of ways. The player can choose to wall themselves away from danger, drop heavy rocks on enemies to kill them, or even utilize other enemies attacks to their advantage to name a few.
Some of the encounters can even be bypassed through the clever use of props to bypass most enemies if they have prior knowledge of where certain props are.
All of this is built around the core mechanic of the game, reinforcing what the player already knows.
Using a projectile from the worm to attack the charger, props scattered around can also be used to get past this encounter.
Level Design
Level 1 - Tutorial stage
The intent for this stage is to be a relatively linear style of progression for the player. It starts off with the standard tutorial to ensure the players know what they can do.
I then gradually increased the intensity to strengthen familiarity of the player and the main mechanic with each trial. Eventually exposing the players to an enemy encounter where there are multiple options for the players to overcome the encounter.
The video showcases a run through the level using the main mechanic.
This player shows a high level of mastery over the marquee selection tool, utilizing it to eliminate all threats before proceeding on.