Level design

Level designers are responsible for assembling the environment for the playable character. However, there are a range of responsibilities such as planning the level layout by designing blueprints, designing the 3D world, importing assets, designing the game’s control scheme, designing the combat system, and whiteboxing, which we learnt with Martyn, which will also be explained in the experiments blog further down of the webpage. Whiteboxing is a method of creating a prototype of the level. A 3D blueprint but in white. This way, this communicates with other level designers by giving each other feedback and about how they will fully assemble the level. Then once they have confirmed with each other, they will use the whiteboxing plan to fully create and render the level.
Lead level designer - Lead level designers organises and prepares the level designers for the game. They are responsible for supervising the assemblance of all the game components and ensuring that they are all compatible and in order. In addition to this, they are also responsible for avoiding and overcoming any technical issues. The asset artists and animators will export their work to the lead level designer, who will work with the level designers to then import the work from the asset artists and animators to now compose the final game in Unity or any other professional game engine. Despite its duties, it will also attend the production as a level designer.
Level designer - Level designers create the level layouts for the game. During pre-production, they will plan out the level designs with blueprints, yet maintain in line with the writers’ story and artists’ location designs. Then they can test the game’s mechanics, ensuring that they are functional and suitable for the game, such as the distribution of enemies and challenges. In production, the level designers will use their blueprints to build their levels digitally by white/greyboxing, then bringing the game assets, characters and enemies, interactive objects and building the terrain. Level designers will also create the system components within the gameplay. For example, scoring and health systems, controller scheme and character creating system. The level designers are responsible to deduct how many enemies the player will face, how many NPCs will interact with the player, and where the challenges will appear in the level. In relation to that, the layout must be fair for the player, so they don’t become frustrated and rage-quit on the spot of dying many times.

2 years' experience with Game Level Design experience in a studio -Match 3 is a must
Good knowledge of Game Structure, Systems & the ability to produce clear & workable documentation.
Good experience looking after creative individuals.
- Totaljobs | Match 3 Games (date unknown)

Roles & Responsibilities:

Reference:

Totaljobs | Match 3 Games (Date Unknown) Game Level Designer-Match3 [Online]. Available from: https://www.totaljobs.com/job/game-designer/understanding-recruitment-ltd-job88047137 [Accessed 7 November 2019].

Sam Shahrani (2006) Educational Feature: A History and Analysis of Level Design in 3D Computer Games - Pt. 1 [Online]. Available from: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2674/educational_feature_a_history_and_.php [Accessed 7 November 2019].

IMGyear2 (2019) The Design
Department [Online]. Available from: https://www.imgyear2.com/leveldesign [Accessed 7 November 2019].

In the early days of video games, a single programmer would create the maps and layouts for a game, and a discipline dedicated solely to level design did not exist. Early games often featured a level system of ascending difficulty as opposed to progression of storyline.
An example of this, a YouTube (Google, 2005) video by AllUKn0wGames presents a video about behind the makings of Tomb Raider (Eidos Interactive, 1996). Heather Gibson, the level designer, mapped out and produced the world by a series of clicks and automatic coding. Within the program, it held an interface of a list of textures Gibson was able to import into the world to texturise the objects. Another example, Gibson also demonstrated the ability to make the wolf chase Lara Croft at a certain distance. Even though today’s technology includes automatic programming, but in the early years of level designing, there were not many job roles for level designers unlike today - where we need a team of every department for a single game.

History:

In addition to this, level designers in the early days of video games only created highly simple objectives of mainly one task: to score, make the ball pass your opponent/defeat all aliens/reach to the end of the level. Whereas the sudden explosion of millions games today, are now included with dynamic, advanced level designs. For example, detailed trees and grass, the trees sway in the wind, and the character creates sounds of footsteps in certain textures of the ground. Today’s level designs also include a series of quests/missions and multiple objectives, along with one main, advanced objective, most commonly the defeat the boss. This is because the majority of games contain a storyline, so in order to tell a story, players complete quests/missions/tasks to progress to the next stage to explore more about the story.

Reference:

AllUKn0wGames (2011) ‘Behind the scene of Core Design - The making of Tomb Raider’ YouTube. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_j01Nm0gzU [Accessed 26 November 2019].

Patrick Holleman (2018) ‘The History and Evolution of Videogame Design - The Game Design Extracts Episode 1’ YouTube. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct8a3D7FvB0 [Accessed 26 November 2019].

When it comes to level design, there are many responsibilities and ensuring themselves within the initial plan by the team.
Ernest Adams, a philosopher of level design explains the general principles:

‘The level designer creates not only the space in which the game takes place-its furnishings and backgrounds-but also the player’s moment-by-moment experience of the game and much of its emotional context.’ - (Ernest Adams, 2014)

I highly agree with Adams’ principle, because it is essential for the players to at least consider and appreciate the work of the level designers. Especially games with high detailed assets and features of an environment, object and challenges - like Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games, 2018), a game with quests that tell the story in a fair sequence and the programming that creates the visuals of the natural world seem real. For example, the wind against the trees and the long grass.

Another principle:

‘Successful level designers draw on fundamental design principles that apply to any kind of game, such as ensuring the player always knows his short-term goals and the consequences of risks, as well as design principles specific to the type of game being designed.’ - (Ernest Adams, 2014)

I also agree with this principle, as it is also important for the player to understand the cost of the quest they are about to take before they lose their great loot and items when dying an overpowering death.

Case study: Ernest Adams

In addition to Adams’ principles, he also discussed his key principles:
Make the early levels of a game tutorial levels - This key is self-explanatory, especially for people who have experienced this type of rule in games - which is the majority. But this principle I agree with because it is vital for the players to learn the controls, user-interface, how to defeat an enemy, how to use a tool/weapon, etc.
Vary the pace of a level - Pacing levels is important in terms of entertainment and maintains the fun for the players. Otherwise keeping the levels at a same pace, especially a slow one, it would be certain the player would lose interest. But in terms of pace, it can be the amount of enemies and the environment structure.
When the player surmounts a challenge that consumes their resources, provide more resources - As a rule I experienced myself from an MMORPG Minecraft (Mojang, 2009) server called Wynncraft. When given a quest, the cost of time consumption and health was rather large, and being given a generous reward was satisfying, but in terms of resources, I remember having to pay a lot of my emeralds in order to proceed with the quest, but in the end, I was given more emeralds than I paid. This is important to ensure the players are satisfied with what they are given before they proceed with disappointment and then quit on the spot.
Avoid conceptual non sequiturs - This rule explains that when level designing, you must not ‘build elements that make no sense, such as rooms accessible only via ventilation shafts’ and most importantly, ‘don’t put dangers or rewards in places in which no sane person would possibly expect to find them.’ - (Ernest Adams, 2014). Simply by make sure that when building the level, ensure that every danger or rewards are in a place where they can be accessible, and to travel somewhere, they have other routes or a route that is not so awkward.
Clearly inform the player of their short term goals - As another experience - from Wynncraft and Riders of Icarus (WeMade, 2016) - there’s the main quest that costed a lot of time and resources to victory, but then the game must not leave the players hanging over what they think they should do next - because there’s nothing… the ‘next short-term goal should be obvious’. A game with this rule (depending on theme and genre), it is important to keep the players in the flow of the story and gameplay.
Be clear about risks, rewards and the consequences of decisions - As explained above, the player must know the cost of what they are about to face. A different example can include The Walking Dead seasons 1 and 4 (Telltale Games & Skybound Games, 2012-2018), where decisions are made throughout the gameplay - which therefore implies to the audience that each choice they make has a consequence.
Reward the player for skill, imagination, intelligence and dedication - ‘These four qualities distinguish a good player, and good players deserve to be rewarded.’. I highly agree with the principle and the explanation. Players who, for example, completed the entire game, they should deserve a praise. Or another example, a player found an NPC who is in need of help, the player decides to put their main mission aside and helps the villager, then the player receives a generous reward. ‘Players like to be told when they’ve done a good job.’.
Reward in a large way, punish in a small way - Personally this depends on the game and what quest are given. This also depends on the consequences the player has accepted to face - in relation to the other principle above. But Adams explains that they hope of success motivates players more than the fear of failure does. If a game smacks them down hard, players will become discouraged and abandon the game with a feeling that they’re being abused.’. In fact, instead I agree with his point. Games like Dark Souls (From Software, 2011-2016) have constant hardcore smack down battles. However, there are players who enjoy the repetition of difficult challenges because of their determination to earn the victory and reward.
The foreground takes precedence over the background - Of course, level designers must design the visuals of the level in order to maintain the player’s attention is naturally drawn to their immediate surroundings. Which I agree, as it would be difficult to defeat my enemies whilst gazing at the bizarre yet possibly beautiful background.
The purpose of an artificial opponent is to put up a good fight and then lose - Personally this is rather harsh, yet supposedly it improves the player’s abilities of coping with the challenges until they succeed at all of them. However, in multiplayer games, as experience it takes practise but also luck of the players decide who wins. Like Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment, 2019) for example. Whereas in a singleplayer game, the player always wants to win eventually.
Implement multiple difficult settings if possible - Simply by ensure that the audience have the ability to switch the difficulty of the level to expand the large variety of players that have their own personal suiting. This principle can include the game Cytus II (Rayark Games, 2018). However, this principle also depends on the type of game, as some games are set at their own difficulty, therefore it was marketed for its target audience. But either way, players find their games similar to their likes and will play it, because it suits their difficulty and style.

Ernest Adams also defines level design with four keys:
The space in which the game takes place - This definition by Adams, would mean that, for example, when loading up the game, it depends how the player sees and reacts first by the environment around them. Adams explains:

‘level designers determine precisely what features will be in each level of the game and where these features will be.’

Therefore, whatever objects, assets and detailed features there are, they define the world for the players.
I agree with this, even though players don’t realise it, because they’re already in the flow of the gameplay, it is important for the level designers to ensure that whatever objects and assets they include and wherever they place them, ensure that the world is defined correctly to also ensure the players know where they are or that everything suits with each other.
The initial condition of the level - This is also in relation to the definition above, except with interactive objects. For example, a coin spins in front of the character, which we all know means the player can approach and collect. It also means the amount of enemies the player faces, the amounts of any resources the player can control at the beginning of the level, as well as the location of resources that can be found in the world. However, it depends on the theme and genre of the game, otherwise the initial conditions would be different.
Despite whatever game consists of this rule, I also agree with this rule, to allow the players to familiarise with what types of enemies they may face in future progressions - not with a swarm of overpowering enemies of course - but also familiarise the interactive objects such as coins, tools and weapons, and other items. But again, it depends on the theme and genre.
The set challenges within the level - This defines the structure of the challenges for the player. Most of the games provide challenges in a linear and direct sequence, and if so, the level designers have to determine the type of sequence, how it will be constructed in a suitable space and where to place the challenges within it. Otherwise in other games, some challenges are not in order - or players don’t read them, because the designers designed them in an interface where players are given a choice to read the quests.
This is also important, as an experience from playing MMORPG games of Wynncraft and Riders of Icarus. Riders of Icarus has many quests - in fact too many side quests that players lose track of the main quest that holds the story. Or the side quests do tell the story, just players - nor I read them, because the text is tiny and we all want to receive that satisfying loot. However, it is important for level designers to design the layout of quests correctly along with the other plans by the other members of the team to ensure the game is being made in accordance to the plan.
The termination conditions of the level - Termination conditions are the victories and/or loss of the challenges. But games such as Monument Valley 1 & 2 (ustwo games, 2014-2017), their simple objectives consist of figuring out the pathway to proceed to the next level. However, every level doesn’t contain any danger, or any asset to make the player lose. It’s a concept of merely walking around beautiful buildings to find the next level. All winning but no losing.
The interplay between the gameplay and the game’s story, if any - Simply, level designers must work closely with writers who planned the story to “interweave gameplay and narrative events”. - (Ernest Adams, 2014). Whether the team are making a game with story, therefore the level designers must work closely with the story writers to ensure that the layout of the environment is in flow with the player’s instincts as they are reading the narration or an NPC delivering a quest that also delivers a piece of the story.
The aesthetics and mood of the level - This is also important as the mood of the character is influenced by the environment around them, which therefore makes the player feel the same. Hence why level designers work closely with artists too. However, ‘the game designer and art director specify the overall tone of a level and artists create the specific models and textures, level designers take the general specifications and decide how to implement those plans’. Simply by, the level designers think with the plan by figuring out how to make the level present a sense of serenity, for example. Of course, I also highly agree with this rule - essentially all games provide a certain design of levels that express certain moods and tones.

As a class, we progressed through the PowerPoint that consisted of the essential principles and rules about level designing by Ernest Adams. Lizzy gave asked us about what are the main responsibilities a level designer must contribute to. As a result, we all said that they should work closely with the team and ensure that what they’re designing is interweaves with the plans by the artists and writers.
Furthermore, I think Adams did not miss any essential rule of level designing, as they exceeded and are highly agreeable. His philosophy of level design expresses fairness for the players. However, perhaps his advice are more implied for platforming or singleplayer games - but they are relevant.

Reference:

E, Adams. (2014) Fundamentals of Level Design, third edition. USA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Mojang (2009) Minecraft [Computer game]. Available from: https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/store/minecraft-java-edition// [Downloaded 4 March 2014].

WeMade (2016) Riders of Icarus [Computer game]. Available from: https://icarus-na.valofe.com/ [Downloaded other date uknown | 2019].

Respawn Entertainment (2019) Apex Legends [Computer game]. Available from: https://www.ea.com/en-gb/games/apex-legends [Downloaded March 28 2019].

Rayark International Limited (2018) Cytus II, version 1.0.1 [Mobile app]. Available from: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cytus-ii/id1290687550 [Downloaded 18 January 2018].

ustwo games (2015) Monument Valley, version unknown [Mobile app]. Available from: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/monument-valley/id728293409 [Downloaded 4 March 2016].

ustwo games (2017) Monument Valley 2, version 1.0.2 [Mobile app]. Available from: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/monument-valley-2/id1187265767 [Downloaded 10 June 2017].

With our first lesson with Tom, we learnt about the duties of a level designer in our groups. He explained how Legend of Zelda (Nintendo, 1986-2017) was a very good example of level designing. How the map is small, yet plenty of activities for the player. Whereas with large maps, such as Skyrim, the map is large, but because of its size, there are not enough assets around the player to be entertained and achieve the game’s objections. Of course, the map is beautiful to gaze at, but after five minutes, it is most likely the player would want something to do.
We had ideas of mechanics for the player to learn within the environment they play in, such as, parkour courses, defeating enemies, movement mechanics and aiming. We were then presented with a video of an example of professional level designing with a game of Legend of Zelda. It first conveyed the player destroying pillars and receiving gems out of them - this reveals an example of level designing, and it’s something I experienced when playing games, that there are hidden rewards in objects that you can destroy or move - this gives an implication of exploring for the player, allowing them to learn about the environment around them. Then the video proceeded with the player aiming, with an archery set, at floating enemies and at eyes that unlocks movement for the platforms for the player to use to continue the journey to the final boss. One of my classmates noticed that the eyes the player shot, were parts of the eyes of the boss that the player had to shoot against whilst battling it. This also reveals an excellent example of level designing. With these assets in the environment, hinting the player of what will come in their journey ahead.
We were then given a task of creating our own blueprints for a multiplayer shooter map with our groups. My group members decided that I should do the drawing, because of how they pointed out that I’m a good drawer. So I collected a sheet of paper and some pens. Level designing was not something I wanted to take further in careers, but as I sat, heavily thinking of how to design the map for a multiplayer shooter, it was quite stimulating and fun. Since Aiden, Jack and I had the most experience of playing with multiplayer shooter games, we worked on the map together the most, while Maya stood beside us, observing and learning, but also pointing out where to draw the buildings on the map to ensure fairness between the players in the game we were designing. As it’s a multiplayer, deathmatch shooter, we all had to ensure that no open spaces were exposed between both spawn points of the two teams, as that would be unfair for both because of spawn-killing, and pathetic camping in a corner, shooting enemies from their normal route to the main area. But also ensure we include a tall building for the snipers to set position in, and cars in a carpark for players to stealth around. This is to allow a mixture of gun ranges the players prefer to play as, both long and close range.

Production diary: Week 1

Then, after Tom’s lesson, it was Martyn’s lesson to attend, where we started learning how to whitebox with Unity (Unity Technologies, 2005). We started by learning how to create a level in basic standards. We first imported a plug-in called Blockout, which consisted of assets of blocks, rocks, trees and bushes, and some urban features such as cones, a tyre, shipping containment, a skip, pipes and fences. We were assigned to recreate a map, level, or environment from a game we played. I decided to remake a patch of an area from RiME (Grey Box & SIx Foot, 2017), the first level of the game called Denial. The particular scene of this area, I remembered that there was a fountain in the middle, with two pillars at the end holding a large white building. But because the assets were limited because the plug-in was Blockout Lite. So I recreated RiME’s initial design of their area by putting a mixture of sizes of the plug-in’s rocks behind the pillars. Some trees and bushes on the side. An empty fountain out of rock, water as a solid ground - as I didn’t know how to recreate water with the plug-in, so I imagined the floor was water. In addition to the design, I added more rocks - but smaller, to add detail to the recreation of RiME, or new area of my own for future uses - which I would like to, because the design is personally, appealing and I may take it on further.

With our second week, we were introduced to the essential features of variables of storing data. For example, when storing data of the different types of hamster breeds, the data would be the form of a string because the information consists of letters - characters. Or storing data of types tyres, it would be float and string, string for the brand name, and float for data of numbers with decimals - because of the tyre’s specific measurements. Integer means a whole number, and boolean means the activation of true or false.

We were given a worksheet of the types of data storage. I felt as if I was back in secondary school where I chose to learn computing for one of my GCSEs, where I also learnt the essentials of computer science of variables, coding, computer assets and many other features.
This worksheet did stimulate my brain to thinking which variable goes with which storage type. Whereas my partner, Jack, was rather confused, so I briefly explained to him their meanings, and he started to understand and volunteered to fill out one of the sections. As we progressed through the sheet, the questions for which data goes with which became harder that we thought too much into until the activity suddenly stopped for us to proceed to the coding of camera control in Unity.

I realised why we needed this activity as the four essential variable types were within the Unity script - therefore it was important for us to know what each variable type meant, so we knew why were putting in the script as we copied the handout from Martyn.

Week 2:

As soon we finished with first activity, we began with coding. This taunted me as I don’t particularly enjoy programming, because of the frustration it causes and the aching in my head when skimming through lines and lines of code. But at least we were given a handout for us to copy from to warm us up around the environment of code.
The lesson was to learn about how to apply a camera onto the player to create a first-person view game. We first had to find the main camera in the scene, and drag it to the top of the player’s head (capsule object). However, this caused some frustration to some of us… but it was laughable. Firstly, I tried to drag the camera to my capsule, but as I dragged across the scene to fit the camera into the scene for me to drag closer to the player, it only followed my view! It was funnily irritable, but I called for Martyn’s help in the end, and he managed to bring the camera to my player by using the preview as the view mirror. I then proceeded to create the code for the camera view. However, my classmate who sat next to me, Josh, asked me for some help to bring the character to his player too. I willingly went to help him, using the same technique as Martyn - except I was running the with same issue I had with my camera. The process of dragging it took some time, with a few of my classmates looking at me concerned because I was a bit loud with my frustrations and stress, including Josh. But the possible time it took for this process was around twenty minutes, until I gave up and suggested to Josh that he ask Martyn for help, until his friend David came to resolve the issue. He directed to Josh to delete the camera, then create a new one, and confidently drag it to the player. However, that didn’t work either… but it helped a little, as the new camera was a bit closer to the player. I let Josh to his task, and proceeded with my script for my camera, except the time of the lesson flew by and I did not have enough time left, and it ended with the script unfinished.

Then after the camera controlling script, we proceeded to learning about the character controlling, which was the most interesting result. However, I still had to finish the camera controlling script as I helped other students in the previous lesson, which took out my time. But I managed to finish both the scripts in this lesson. As I copied the code from Martyn’s hand-out, I was merely copying, but it was a way of learning. Except, programming was never my forte, so supposedly it was learning something along the sides or as a back-up for future references.
As I was ready to drag and drop the camera script into the camera’s inspector panel, an error appeared saying it couldn’t find the script - other words - it cannot import the script into the panel. Since I’m still new the use of coding and the use of Unity, I merely thought of a possible system error of the program, or a minor error within the script, thinking that nothing was wrong. Nevertheless, I asked Martyn, and he only found some laughable spelling errors. For example, ‘mosue’ instead of ‘mouse’. Martyn fixed it, imported the script into the camera’s inspector panel, and set me off to set up the camera x and y axis and mouse sensitivity. The result excited me as I achieved a functional first-person view camera.
Luckily I still had plenty of time to create the character controller script. Again, I copied the handout from Martyn, and in the end I checked for any spelling errors. So far, I didn’t find any errors, and drag and dropped the script into the player’s inspector panel. The error message appeared once again… I checked for spelling errors again and nothing came to me. I called Martyn for help and as he skimmed through my work - he found spelling errors. I was a little embarrassed, but at least I learned that next time I’d simply just need to check through the work - thoroughly - for spelling errors. However, Martyn imported the script to the player, but the player still didn’t move. So Martyn added a movement component to the player to assist the script, and it finally worked. Both camera and movement smoothly functioning.

Week 3:

Our last lesson for level designing, we finally assembled our level blueprints in Unity. I didn’t manage to complete the entire map, since I didn’t have enough time because I accidentally was doing the wrong task for level design that due to be in progress the week after.
Nevertheless, I gathered the blueprint Aiden, Maya, Jack and I created around three weeks ago and started whiteboxing. It was a hard start to place the box level with the ground since it spawned in random places. So I figured I’d add a series of flooring to create one whole floor of the entire map. After copying and pasting the floors, I finally imported the block, and it automatically spawned neatly on top of the floor, easy for me to smoothly place it wherever needed in accordance to the blueprint.

On our blueprint, we included a building for snipers - and the block I selected was perfect, a perfect height and width for snipers in the map. Satisfied, I moved it to the area it was initially planned and laid out the remaining blocks.
Clearly, I didn’t manage to meet the blueprint we initially planned, since we were assigned to download the Lite version of Blockout, as I needed a curved building, as a form of a hotel for our map. But I also didn’t have enough time to complete because I accidentally was processing a different task.

Overall, as I quite rushed the task, I felt particularly indifferent, but if I was to create a level of my own, or had myself some more hours to create the level at my own pace, I would enjoy the task more and given more care for it.

Week 4:

For our fifth week of experimenting and learning with Unity, Martyn introduced us to an upcoming task of the lesson: to create a shooter mechanic. But firstly we explained why first-person shooter games are popular.
First-person shooter games are majorly played in this decade, especially on PC because the aim muscle memory and reaction time is better than console. And because it’s first-person, it’s more immersive because the point of view makes appear like you are seeing what the character is seeing from their eyes.

Our next task for our own Unity worlds was to start creating guns for our character - except we first started with the particles of the gun which was called raycasting. Raycasting is essentially a method where we draw an invisible line from the direction that our camera is facing - like a laser pen. The ray is cast off our forward direction, and like a laser pen, it will be able to pinpoint game objects. If the ray hits something, we can gather information from the object, essentially interacting with it.

After warming up with the activity of defining the meanings of Unity’s essential features, we started copying the code Martyn handed out to us. After I copied the code, I reread the program to ensure everything was the same and ensure that there were no spelling errors. The code appeared flawless, but as I dragged and dropped the script into the shoot point object, but the script wouldn’t be imported so I asked Martyn for help. I was hoping he would easily get it fixed but he was confused as I was. I noticed that there was another shooting mechanic script I accidentally made the week before which appeared to have caused interference with importing.
So we copied the code from the old script, pasted it into the present one, and confirmed with the new script. As a result it finally worked and the script was successfully in the object’s inspector panel. However, for some odd reason, as we tried to attach the camera to the objects’ “Fps Cam”, they would attach, and the input simply remained blank. Martyn and I became really confused as to how it could have occurred, even though the programming was correct. I suspected it was the PC itself because when we previewed the scene, it was lagging - unlike everybody else’s who smoothly attached the camera to their Fps Cam. Martyn had to help other students and while I wasn’t able to think of any other solutions, I decided to proceed to write a production diary and hope that another computer would let me attach the camera.
It was the classroom of negatively abnormal computers…

Week 5:

In our sixth week, we began with a starter activity about types of abbreviations in programming. Firstly it was the basics:
+ addition * multiplication
- subtraction / division.

And then to the advanced features, that are much useful to programmers when using them as a form of an electrician connecting many wires that will trigger a specific switch when a specific activity occurs.

== Equal to >= Greater or equal to
> Greater than <= less or equal to
< Less than =! Not equal to

Luckily, I knew these abbreviations since I did computing GCSE, so I know how to use them in programming as well as the practise with Construct 3 (Scirra, 2017).
Once we familiarised ourselves with the abbreviations, we were all given a worksheet that had around four sections of code that had errors for us to find and fix. Since we adapted with the environment of scripting code for Unity, I figured out where the semi-colons would be placed and spelling errors scattered around.

After we corrected whoever’s work we sat next to, we proceeded with our scripting in Unity and assembling our first-person shooters. Since I sat a different computer to the previous week, I fired up my faith that hopefully the camera will attach to the shooting script.
Disappointment flooded as the issue occurred once again… I called for Martyn to help and he suggested I look for spelling errors, even though the spelling was correct when we checked in the previous week. I desperately skimmed through any kind of error that could have mismatched with the handout.
Unfortunately there was nothing - everything was the same as the handout. Becoming desperate I called to Todd, as he’s quite an advanced expert with Unity. I asked him for help in hope he could possibly find anything that interfered with the camera input. Todd changed a line of code that performs the same effect, except he hoped it would have at least made a difference to the issue. Then he created a new camera and imported it to the Fps Cam. Nothing - remained the same. The script in the inspector simply did not input the new camera. Todd, indeed, became confused and couldn’t think of any other solution.
I called for Martyn again, and he checked through my spelling first, and then became confused again over this unexplained issue. We both Googled our issue, in hope someone discovered this and resolved the situation to share with other people - except, however, their cameras were referred to their own differences that contrasted to ours… therefore we couldn’t find the solution.
Martyn then clicked on every object to see inside their inspectors in suspicion of finding a possible duplication of a script in another object that could have interfered and stopped us from inputting the camera into the Fps Cam. Unfortunately, Martyn couldn’t find anything, and suggested I restart the entire world, except copy and paste the script to ensure I save time.
I felt quite disappointed and wasted by this renewal - but despite that, I really wanted the script to work so I fired myself up and started building my mini world again and the game mechanics. Unfortunately, the lesson ended just as I was about to import a copy of one of the scripts. Nevertheless, I at least had a whole new project that will hopefully work when I successfully import the scripts.

Week 6:

In this lesson, we broke away from the main Unity level production and started learning about UX design and its importance when designing it. To better explain about UX design, Martyn showed us a YouTube video by Extra Credits.

After watching the video about how to work with UX design, I started to understand what it meant and what it takes to design in a particular style to match every aspect of the game. But most importantly including feedback. Not as in what the playtesters would critic about, but how they naturally react in a particular scene or event. For example, the main character is fighting off enemies, but is suddenly accompanied by an NPC that’s fighting the enemies too. Here we see the NPC, and it’s clear that it’s the player’s ally, because they look the same as the player but in a different colour, but a particular colour which is white, so semiotically it’s a positive trait. Whereas the enemies, the feedback is conveyed by their spiky helmets and a filthy brown uniform. In addition to this, normal attacks are shown with red but with a white gradient, whereas the critical hits are also red but with a gradient of yellow to show the high attacks from the player, as well as the bouncy dynamic from the enemies to portray impact.

After learning the essentials and definitions, five of us, from the class, created random genres and themes for all of us to individually choose from and design a UX for them.
I chose the fantasy, rural Japan game. Except I forgot that the platform was Switch, so I got carried away by the PC interface, until I glanced back at the whiteboard. However, when I noticed the particular platform was Nintendo Switch, I realised I can easily transition to the Switch interface from the PC, except the controls would be different but I can modify them to be accessible for Switch.
Since I couldn’t think of an Asian design of the HUD, I scrolled through Google Images to gather references and inspiration.
After experience of drawing a Chinese dragon for presenting for university, I thought I’d add also add the Chinese dragon swirling around the metallic profile image on the screen.
For the rest, I added a quest tab on the side, and Asian, fantasy, metallic design of the health bar at the bottom left, and then a clog and bag on the bottom right, accessible with the start button.

It was not yet designed, but the feedback would consist of Asian, oriental style of music in any kind of environment of battling/saving the game/safe zone/etc. And for characters, they can all wear oriental styled clothes but for enemies, they would a particular design that makes them appear evil in comparison to friendly NPCs.

Week 7:

For our next lesson, we voted to learn about lighting. We began with global illumination, which means something that happens to us everyday without us knowing. And of course, scientifically, light rays bounces off objects to our eyes, enabling us to see the objects.
In computer graphics, there are two ways in which light bounces around into two categories.
Direct lighting - is when light bounces once before reaching the eye.
Indirect lighting - is where light bounces on multiple surfaces before reaching the eye.

Baked lighting is a term from Unity. With this tool we are telling the program to calculate and store all of the lighting values. The stored lighting values are then overlaid onto our objects.

We then experimented with the tools and methods on Unity. We first had to make a box and delete the light for us to create a new one in the box, as well as making another in a different colour to create the great effect of gradual change of colour in the room.
Firstly, we had to create a sphere and place it halfway through the wall, and create a new material, then enable its emissions, change colour of our choice (lime green makes me happy), then implement the material to the sphere to make it the source of light. Then repeat with the other sphere. However, we were not finished, since we needed to further advance the lighting sentence to render the setting.

I followed the steps from the handout Martyn emailed us, but because the steps were quite vague, I only followed what was on the screen, but perhaps I could’ve been my own fault. Nevertheless, I suspected my room of light was incorrect, and Martyn noticed the issue and helped me fix it, as the program loaded the rendering and effect of the lighting. Finally, my room was satisfyingly lit up with the colours red and my iconic lime green. Personally, it was a great experience because it was satisfying to turn the objects into soft, beautiful lights, but the process of ticking the boxes of countless tools and setting still out me off by the environment as a level designer, hence my preferable specialist role of an artist and writer.

Week 8:

Reference:

Unity Technologies (2005) Unity [Computer program]. Available from: https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download [Downloaded by the college].