Orcosmica

Level Designer

Unreal Engine 5

Team Size: 8

Project duration: 4 weeks

Rail Shooter

Orcosmica is a rail shooter where instead of controlling a spaceship firing lasers and missiles, you play as an orca using their telekinetic powers to defeat enemies and progress through levels!

Role: Level Designer

During the development of Orcosmica it my was responsibility to:

Blockout, iterate and finalize multiple different unique maps and environments.
Construct different scenarios of varying difficulty so that gameplay doesn't feel repetitive and players of different skill can enjoy the game.
Communicate and collaborate with the rest of the team to ensure that the game was following the intended vision.
Game testing and handling feedback to improve on the gameplay loop, levels, controls, etc.

Gameplay beats

Orcosmica is a linear game divided into 3 levels. As level designer on this project I mainly worked on level 2, and level 3.

When designing the levels I divided the levels into multiple different sections. This way I got a better overview of what each section should accomplish and what type of player behavior could be induced and rewarded in each specific area.

Level 2

Level 3

Boss Areas

Level 2

Level 2 Goals:

Challenge players and have an increased difficulty level (from level 1) when it comes to both fighting enemies and navigating the levels.
Increase player agency. Until this point the player doesn't have any meaningful choices that change the way they approach the level.
Create an interesting and dynamic setting that entices the player to explore the setting.
Introduce verticality without removing player agency.

Level 2-Area 1

The world of Orcosmica mainly consists of objects with basic properties and shapes.
Area 1 re-introduces the player to all the main mechanics of Orcosmica while increasing the difficulty slightly from the previous level.
Frames the environment as to foreshadow where the player will eventually go.

Example of how the environment builds anticipation by framing areas players will get to later in the level using simple shapes.

Level 2-Area 2

Area 2 introduces more player choice with two different paths, one with more focus on enemies and one with more focus on changing environment and player movement.
A ramp introduces a level of verticality to the level without reducing player agency.
Moving pillars forces the player to make quick choices and makes the level more dynamic.

Area 3 has two objectives, focus on forcing player movement and slowing down gameplay to create tension as the player reaches to boss.
Lots of small cubes create a maze like structure forcing the player to find a new path to avoid colliding with the environment.
The amount of enemies and environmental threats are reduced before arriving at the boss.
The player and camera are rotated 90 degrees as to frame the boss reveal together with the horizon.

Level 2-Area 3

Level 3

Level 3 Goals:

Increase the difficulty even more. Since this is the last level of the game (for now) it needs to challenge the player enough to bring about a satisfying enough ending.
Promote different play styles during different sections of the level.
Look and feel different from the previous levels while using the same assets, shapes and mechanics.

Level 3-Area 1

Area 1 consists of a tunnel that forces the player to do a lot of small precise movements to dodge obstacles and grab collectibles.
Colored pillars move when the player nears them. This works as a tool to lead the player where to go.
Instead of being an open space this area is closed of. This creates a claustrophobic feeling of uncertainty and the player has to be on their toes to not crash into the environment.

Level 3-Area 2

Area 2 puts a larger focus on bigger movements and forcing the player to plan their route. The area is filled with gates that reward the player with extra points.
The size of gates change closer to end end of the area, increasing difficulty and tension as the player moves forward.
There are also multiple gates that the player quickly has to interact with, as to not collide and take damage.

Level 3-Area 3

Area 3 introduces a new type of enemy, who's bullets the player can pick up and use for themselves.
Since the two previous areas are focused more on level traversal, the decision was to instead focus on combat during this final area.
Clever timing of using their ammunition rewards the player as it can bounce of the changing environment to knock out multiple enemies at once.
The player and camera rotates 180 degrees to create a feeling of a dynamic and uncertain environment.

Boss Areas:

Both level 2 and level 3 ends with a boss encounter. During play testing we realized that the contrast of the boss together with the horizon created a cool perspective that emphasized the vastness of space, while also keeping the attention on the boss itself. Instead of focusing on the level around the boss, i therefore put more attention and focus on creating a clear scenario that informed the player that something different is going to happen.

Approaching boss area level 2:

Approaching boss area level 3:

Challenges

During the development of Orcosmica we were as a team met with a bunch of problems and challenges that changed both the way the game and the levels were designed.

1. Using basic shapes in interesting ways

As we didn't have any artists during the development of Orcosmica we decided as a team that the best course of action was to use simple shapes to construct an abstract world and universe. Therefore it was important that all shapes were distinct and similar shapes were not used multiple different purposes.

As a team we decided to keep the following shapes for elements within the levels.

Using only squares rectangles I therefore decided to create elements within the level that connected the levels. In some areas they were only used to visually guide the players, while in other areas they were connected to the environment the player interacted with.

In level 2 clusters of cubes can be seen from start and foreshadows where the player is heading. Since we didn't have any artists during the project this was an effective way to visually impress the player and create anticipation.

I decided to use the same pattern of cubes in level 3 as well. This was for the player to hopefully create an association between the two similar elements in the different levels. Even though the atmosphere of each level was unique, I wanted the player to feel like they might be part of some bigger universe and not just locked into a single setting.

In level 3 the cubes are also a bigger part of the gameplay as the player themselves have to dodge them during parts of the level.

When creating on-rails games such as Orcosmica, it is difficult to give the player a sense of agency since they are stuck on a spline and are not free to move openly in the world they play in. Instead players are able to move within a certain bounding box on a x and y axis from the camera. Early on it was evident that if the spline that the player followed had a lot of vertical movement and rotation, the players sense of control was reduced drastically since it made them feel like they were taken on a ride instead of having the opportunity to choose where to go themselves.

During the start of the project the intention was to have multiple different splines for the player to be able to move between at set points. This would have resulted in giving the player more opportunity to impact the choice of where to go more and give a sense of exploration. After week 1 of 4 we realized as a team that this didn't fit the scope of the production plan and the problem had to be resolved using another solution.

To enhance the feeling of agency I designed certain parts of the level as to give the player more choice and opportunity in deciding where to go.

2. Player agency

I decided to create one bigger area where the players choice would impact what type of obstacles they would encounter during their play-through. Even though they still stay on the same spline no matter what path they choose, players are able to make an active choice during gameplay that impacts what type of experience they have. This is one of the many design decisions done to increase player agency.

If the player would decide to take the left path, they encounter lots of moving pillars and have to focus on being precise with their movement

If the player instead choose to take the right path, they have to fight against a lot of enemies that barrage the player with bullets.

Through early testing, we realized as a team that it felt better for players to play, without major changes to either vertical or horizontal movement along the spline in both level 2 and level 3. This because players lost agency when the spline brought them somewhere they didn't expect and made players feel like they weren't in control.

The only place in these two levels that there is any vertical change along the spline is along the big ramp in level 2. Together with a big spiral of cubes it foreshadows what area the player is heading towards.

To work around the issue of player agency reduction, I made the ramp huge and the travel time along the ramp longer, so that players moving along it acclimate to the new direction they're heading.

To remove the focus away from the vertical movement during this area I focused on drawing the players attention to environmental changes and obstacles. During this area moving pillars extend as the player moves along the ramp. This makes the player focus on the movement they are doing and can control, instead of the movement of the spline.

The third thing I did to give the player more agency during gameplay was to lead the player to go certain places as an active decision.

The clearest example of this is during level 3 where the player can go through multiple gates and gain extra points gathering pickups. These gates get more and more difficult to reach, while also change in size, as the player traverse the level.

Instead of forcing the player into specific areas by reducing the amount of space they have, the gates instead works to reward the player who picked the path they are on.

In turn, this makes players feel like they are actively making the choice of taking the path and works to increase player agency.

During play-testing this effect was well liked as multiple play-testers mentioned that they enjoyed the area with the gates the most.

Combat was always a core part of Orcosmica from the start of development. It was however something that changed a lot from start of development until the end product. During the start of development the plan was to have similar combat to other games in the genre (our biggest inspiration being Star-Fox 64).

Week 2 of development we realized as a team that using the mechanic of telekinesis for combat was more appreciated during playtests. We decided to pivot into what players liked which forced the level to change to complement the new playstyle.

Using our physics based telekinesis for combat I quickly realized there were mainly three different principles that the level design could complement players to express skill and game knowledge. When players realize these mechanics, they can therefore gain a better score using timing and positioning.

All of these principles take advantage of how telekinetic objects collided with walls.

Making combat interesting with level design

1. Ricochet

Rotating walls to certain directions it was possible to place enemies in specific relation to the walls to that telekinetic cubes ricochet and collide with other enemies as they hit the wall.

2. Area of Effect

Similar to ricochet, by placing walls in certain locations it was possible to give players the opportunity to use the environment to their advantage for an area of effect attack. Throwing telkinetic cubes from straight ahead, towards an enemy with a wall behind them, makes the cubes bounce of in different directions also having a high chance of striking other enemies nearby. Strategically placing enemies in close proximity to each other near walls therefore provided the players with the opportunity to shoot their ammunition at the best target to create as big of an area effect as possible.

3. Collateral damage

The final way of enabling player agency through combat is to position enemies in a way that spreads projectiles outwards in a cone after destroying the first enemy. This forces the player to also think about their positioning in relation to the enemy when they attack. If the player is aware they can therefore reposition themselves to optimize their attacks to strike as many enemies a possible, similar to a strike in bowling.

Reflections:

For me this project has been valuable as I've had the opportunity to reflect on how to empower the player while restricting their movement and control. By placing the player on a spline and removing the ability to move freely, it required me to come up with different ways that the levels could support the game mechanics and instead make the player feel in control when playing.

During the development of Orcosmica I've also had the opportunity to work on different combat scenarios and the way players approach different battle segments. In Orcosmica the battle scenarios aren't perfect, but they made me reflect on combat dynamics in regards to the environment, speed and other mechanics that can conflict with players attention.

Orcosmica was for me a unique experience in regards to level size and playtime. Having worked with metrics for different projects before helped, but with Orcosmica being a rail shooter and basically a long scripted scenario that players can interact and move in, had a bigger impact on players perception of speed and intensity then originally anticipated. Mostly because the player character doesn't traverse and interact with the level in the same way as in, ex. an FPS game, where naturally adjust to the world as they run around in it.

To improve upon the project i would have liked to expand on player agency and bigger choices for the player that would bigger impact on their path. Our initial idea for the game included multiple different paths with different splines that the player could choose between as they played. This idea was scrapped because of time constraints but I believe that it would have been a good addition for the game as it would have increased the amount of meaningful choices for the player.

This project was another good opportunity for me to collaborate with new people and practice creating a good and rewarding team environment that promotes creative thinking and new ideas. During the entire project our team did a good job helping each other, collaborating on ideas and compromising if needed. In the end it has helped me to improve as both a level designer and teammate.