The Ruins
A Third Person Puzzle Adventure
Introduction
Details
This project is inspired by the many temple maps I was introduced to during my time at Lund University studying Ancient Mediterranean history, sparking my wish to use the classic architecture of Ancient Greece to make a fun and rewarding level experience.
In this level I wanted to focus primarily on puzzle design and onboarding but also reward exploration and enforce my level design with meaningful composition.
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Individual portfolio project
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Developed over 5 weeks half-time
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Unreal Engine 5
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Blender
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Venus statue from FAB by Mathurin Moreau
Overview
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Chaos Dimension
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Legend
Mechanism
Portal to Logic Dimension
Portal to Chaos Dimension
Puzzle pieces
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Summary
This level takes place on an island with an ancient settlement lying in ruins, filled with mysterious mechanisms that the player takes advantage of to traverse the ruins and make their way to the temple. There are two different versions of the island that the player switches between, as shown in two different overviews above.
Core Features
Dimensions
The first feature that the player is introduced to, and that the entire level is based upon, is that the island exists in two different dimensions. The player uses portals to switch between dimensions and need to do so to solve the puzzles in each area. Everything may look different in each dimension, for example a building might be standing whole in one dimension but is in pieces in the other, allowing the player to climb it.
Puzzles
The player cannot progress through the level unless they solve the environmental puzzles in each area. These puzzles function mainly on a button-like mechanism that will move objects around the world. The puzzles also incorporate switching between dimensions since some mechanisms only exist in one dimension or the other, as well as work in different ways in different dimensions.
Exploration
I wanted this level to be a primarily linear experience but that it should require the player to explore and find the way forward. To reward the player for exploring beyond the main path, I have added small detours that lead to chests which contain collectables.
I strove to find a balance between findability - making the main path as clear as possible - and discoverability - making the player want to explore and find unexpected rewards. Each area follows an hourglass design, the area itself promotes exploration but has only one solution to the puzzle which unlocks the way forward, bottlenecking the player.
Level Flow
KI-SHO-TEN-KETSU
After experimenting with many different ideas and layouts for this level, I ultimately decided that I wanted to structure up the level based on the concept of Ki-Sho-Ten-Ketsu. It is a common storytelling structure in chinese poems and japanese manga and is commonly used in games to introduce and highlight a specific feature or theme, as well as familiarize the player with it.
My goal was to make the player feel as if they are mastering the feature through gradual growth in difficulty as well as adding twists to make the player actively think. Using Ki-Sho-Ten-Ketsu in my design made it easier to divide the level into more enclosed areas, and focusing on guiding the player through new features systematically through moment to moment design.
Ki
Sho
Ten
Ketsu
The Gate
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Ki
In Ki, the player encounters the level's core features one by one. These puzzles are designed to be simple and straightforward, letting the player see cause and effect of the features and learning what they do without any other mental clutter. Each of the puzzles are designed to be skillgates, which won't let the player pass without interacting with the feature introduced.
After the entering the large gate, the path becomes less obvious, encouraging the player to explore around. This leads them to find an opening in the rocks which requires crouching to enter. Inside they find a mechanism, which once interacted with creates a staircase leading up to the ruined temple.
After the player has left the starting area, they encounter their first portal. There is no way forward, only a broken bridge, but once the player enters the portal they are shown that the undamaged bridge exists in the other dimension.
Sho
In Sho, the features that was introduced in Ki is explored further and shown in different scenarios, familiarizing the player with them and giving them a deeper understanding of how they work.
In this part of the level, the player has to use both portals and mechanisms to solve the puzzle and make their way to the next area. This also leads the player to realize that just like the bridge in the beginning of the level only exists in one dimension, even puzzle mechanism like buttons can be limited to exist in one dimension.
The Baths
The Amphitheater
Ten
In Ten, an unexpected twist should be introduced to change how the player interacts with the features. In this puzzle the player has to activate buttons to lift broken parts of the amphitheater, but realizes that when they are in the Chaos dimension the moved parts are impermanent, moving back to their original place after a while.
This forces the player to rethink their approach as well as heightens the tension now that compared to the previous puzzles where they could take their time to think and explore, they instead have to make their way through the puzzle on a timer.
Ketsu
Ketsu is the final part of this four part structure and represents the conclusion of the level.
After solving the puzzle in the amphitheater, the player finally arrives at the temple they've been seeing throughout the level. Upon entering they discover a statue of a goddess and a mechanism upon her altar. Activating the mechanism opens up a large door behind her and the level ends. With one powerful interaction the level is wrapped up and the player can progress onwards.
The Temple
Level Design Techniques
Composition
Each time the player enters a new area of the level, I aimed to show clear points of interests and goals that stand out from the background through an establishing shot. I never wanted there to be a situation where the player didn't know where they were supposed to head, even if the way there wasn't as clear.
One of my greatest tools to divide the shot into short-term, mid-term and long-term goals turned out to be verticality. I wanted to enhance the feeling of progression the player experiences throughout the level, which I achieved by placing the goals the player encounters on higher elevation and having the player ascend each time they have completed an area. The goal feels out of reach and towers over the area as a constant remainder of where the player will eventually end up, increasing the satisfaction the player feels when reaching the goal.
- - - Primary goal
- - - Long-Term Goal
- - - Points of interest
- - - Puzzle mechanisms
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To lure the player where I wanted them to go I used primarily stones and rubble as breadcrumbing. I wanted the whole experience to be diegetic - that the objects and mechanics existing in the game world show the player what to do instead of for example an UI element. I also used signifiers to show where the player can climb as this was originally a problem when playtesting.
Guiding the player
I wanted the player path to feel natural and to always offer the player something of interest that they could investigate, but at the same time I never wanted to show the player everything all at once. To achieve this balance I worked a lot with sightlines and designing around which parts I wanted exposed to the player at certain points of the level.
The Bait and Switch
Shown to the left is an example of how I hid part of the solution to the puzzle when the player first enters the area. Instead, the player sees a short-term goal which they are lead to by the environment. But once they reach the staircase they realize it's not the way forward and when they instead turn around they see the portal which will help them solve the puzzle, a technique called the bait and switch.
Development Process
Pre-Production
I began the planning for this level by gathering real life references to build a moodboard, building a solid foundation for the setting and vision I had for the level. Once I felt like I had enough to work with I started sketching different layouts and brainstormed ideas for how the level could look like using ProCreate.
In this stage I focused primarily on the flow of the level, how the core features would be introduced and ensuring the scope of the level wouldn't transcend my overarching plan. By dividing the level up into smaller areas, I could easier plan where and when a puzzle should start and end. This made player progression a natural part of the level flow. I went through many iterations until I settled on the layout I ended up using in the final version of the level.
Scripting the puzzle mechanics
My core features in this level were based on that I could move objects around freely in the world. For this I wanted to create a large encompassing system that could both move and rotate any actor in my level to any location and rotation I specified. I also wanted to be able to put a delay before the objects started moving, in case I wanted to move in a sequence-like motion.
To be able to set the values for location, rotation, speed etc. I used a structure whose values I specified by public variables in the editor. For a single mechanism to be able to move multiple objects with one interaction I had to create an array of the structure.
I also decided that I wanted to add a timed feature, which I called the Snap Back. I wanted to be able to set how long the object would stay where I had moved it before it moved back to its original location.
Design By Subtraction
I originally had a lot of ideas of how to utilize my system in various ways, as well as how to combine it with my dimensions. But I realized early in my blockout phase that introducing these features to the player in a non-rushed manner would require significantly more onboarding and consequently a much larger level than my scope of an introduction level allowed. Rotating objects were one of the mechanics I cut, as well as the ability to restore broken objects in one dimension and have it stay restored in both dimensions.
Blockout
Every area went through many iterations before I was able to make the design as compact and natural as possible. I wished for every aspect of the areas to feel like they have purpose and for the player to feel engaged to minimize player fatigue. I also had to design every area with what they are supposed to teach the player in mind.
Iteration and improvements
Much of the feedback I got from playtesting could be be summarized as unclarity of the right path and the affordability of the environment. Since I wanted the level to be as diegetic as possible and let the environment speak for itself, the most important improvement I made across the board was making it clearer for the player where they could traverse, climb and interact. Once these spots stood out to the player, they started associating my signifiers with the related interaction, increasing the affordability of these spots and decreasing the confusion around the general environment.
No clear goal
I wanted the player to see the portal and for the amphitheater to be an beautiful reveal, but this created the problem that the playtesters started exploring the area instead of discovering the broken path. My solution was to restrict the player's path to make them find the problem but still foreshadow the portal by making it visible through a crack in the rubble.
Too traversable
Playtesters felt like this wall was too traversable and started trying to climb it when it was supposed to be an obvious dead end, it's purpose designed to make them turn around and see the real solution. To reinforce this, I added more ruined walls and raised the rocks higher up to make it feel less accessible. I also added signifiers where the player actually could climb.
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Blockout to Whitebox
Closing Thoughts
This project has been amazing learning experience where I've both gotten to explore new design techniques and work with the knowledge I've honed through the years.
I loved exploring ancient architecture from a gameplay perspective and seeing how a game dev can take references from the real world and adapt them to a rewarding experience.
I would have loved to further explore this concept. Looking back, it became a very linear experience, and I've been thinking that I would like to expand upon it and make exploration play a larger part.
Another part of this is that I would like to add more environmental puzzles where the player simply has to traverse in interesting ways instead of it always having to be a puzzle. This would serve to make the world feel larger and less samey.
Overall, I'm very happy with how this project turned out, and I would also love to see what changes I could have made with more playtesting and itaration.