BLOCKOUT to Final
Pre-Alpha
This is where it all started. Ironically, this isn't a particular blockout for the main game but more of a testing ground for the mechanics. Since we didn't have programmers I needed to code the game from scratch, first starting with the player movement. So I quickly whipped together a level that was large enough for movement while also adding in some elevated ground that was only accessible via ramps so I could work on player speed and carried momentum.
Alpha 0.1
This was the first official blockout of the game. With the player mechanics almost out of the way, I began throwing together some iterations.
My goal for the layout is to help players understand their surroundings and adapt it into their gameplay to overcome the enemy player. I don't want the map to just be an arena to fly around, I want the map to synergize with the mechanics and re-enforce that flow of movement.
We had slapped together about 4 different iterations, all varying from different lengths, widths and placement of obstacles.
We ended up choosing this one here because of its size and we we're happy with the placement of obstacles, providing enough ramps to boost over as well as cover to flee behind but didn't take up too much space to take away from the players, we wanted to provide the player with enough room to breath and take in their surroundings while propelling at full speed.
Also, one of the main inspirations of the game was an Audio Spectrum Visualizer. Originally I had programmed a Spectrum Visualizer for one of my previous projects that had played in the background of a 3D Side scrolling action game. This effect essentially inspired the aesthetic of XEO so it was actually the very first thing I programmed for the game. The idea is that the Spectrum Visualizer would always remain active on top of the Arena the players fought in and react to any song that played. It also ended being one of the key trademarks of the game. :)
Alpha 0.2
While we were happy with the size of the map we were still experimenting with the layout, we were constantly changing placements of ramps and obstacles and trying new things, our Creative Director also suggested a massive podium in the center of the map to act as landmark so the players recognized where they were at all times which I thought was a great idea.
We also wanted to experiment with different levels of the arena and because of our modular setup I was able to add a lower level to the map.
I figured it could also be used as a risk / reward area with slightly narrow paths where if the player falls they will be eliminated.
Of course, this design was subject to change because the idea of narrow paths in a fast paced action game was tedious so we continued to experiment. I'll talk about how this ended up turning out later.
Beta 0.1
This isn't much of an iteration of the map but more implementation of the art work. With the little time we had I decided to take on the waterfall approach with the art team simultaneously sending me their work, we were still trying out new things for the overall layout of the map but with our modular approach and real time lighting, I could afford spending a day to putting together and implementing the art into the scene.
Its a lot of fun adding in the art teams work, going from the bland and boring grey boxes to explosions of colour with shiny glows and finalized models, it was always exciting but at the same time tricky.
We laid out strict naming conventions in pre-production so we could easily update any asset and prefab by replacing the original file in the file explorer, but even with that method the exported files were never perfect, sometimes pivots of assets would change or be rotated which meant I had to manually update those assets in the engine.
Beta 0.2
This patch is where things really started to kick off, with the majority of the art work implemented and finalizing the layout of the map, the game really started coming together. The modular approach really gave me heaps of space and control over the layout which allowed to easily change and adjust assets wherever I see fit.
The lower level of the map was constantly changing too, we settled on having a much wider area for players to fly through but still went through with the danger of falling to death if the player isn't careful. The idea of this lower level was to add shortcuts to to either side of the map for players to quickly travel through but with the downside of it being completely open with no cover.
We also planned to add AI turrets to the ceiling that would target players in this area, essentially forcing the player to be on the move.
GOLD [Final]
And finally the Final Build.
We settled on an iteration much similar to the alpha build but with more elevation and ramps. The center Podium is only accessible through ramps and players can challenge them through raised platforms placed around the outer perimeter.
From our play testing from Alpha and Beta we found players would often get caught in one sided fights so I needed to plan the layout around letting player escape those one sided fights and kite the enemy to their advantage and being able to turn the tables on the enemy by maneuvering around obstacles and collecting health pickups.
Which ended up working exactly how I planned it actually, during our play sessions of the final build, players caught in those sticky situations found ways to kite their enemies and turn the odds in their favor, some of the best players I've seen play our game would use the arena to their advantage with map knowledge and awareness.
It was really satisfying seeing players play that way, it told me that I had achieved my goal of laying out a map that players could learn and adapt their gameplay around it.
We also had some spare time to add in those Turrets I mentioned earlier. There are two of these bad boys resting on the ceiling near both ramps that lead down to lower level, and immediately target the first player that enters their line of sight.
Down in the lower level isn't just a quick shortcut to the other side of the map however, we added an Ultra health pickup which gives the player maximum HP, which added onto our Risk / Reward flavor we wanted with this lower floor.
Here is the Main Menu which is presented to the player when they launch the game. It displays the arena with the Spectrum Visualizer in action :)
I really wish I had more time to dial up this main menu further as well as polish out any additional settings but with what we ended up with I think its more than acceptable.