Izcalli of the Wind
Axolotl Productions | Dec 2019 - In Progress
Design Process
Work in Progress
Design Goal
To design a massive level with high replayability where players can test their ability with the mechanics. The environmental focus was for the player to be a small person in a divine, massive world.
Mechanics
Izcalli of the Wind uses a suite of mechanics similar to skateboarding and racing games with an added flair of having an over the shoulder, slow-down time shooting mechanic.
All these mechanics interact with an energy resource that either cost energy or build energy. Also, the environment has interactable objects that the player can transfer energy in and out of. Below is the mechanic list.
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Boosting: Costs Energy
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Drifting: Builds Energy
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Jumping: No Cost
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Charged Jumping: Costs Energy
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Shooting: Costs Energy
The types of trials the player engages in are time trial and payload.
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Time Trial: Accomplish a task such as shooting down a series of targets in a course within a limited time.
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Payload: Generate enough energy to deposit that gained energy into the trial object(s).
My Role
Level Design Lead | Level Designer
The Team
Axolotl Productions is a multi-disciplinary team. made up of 16 people. The people I primarily worked with were the programming, art, and design lead as well as two level designers and one lighting artist.
Tools Used
UE4 | Maya | P4V | Jira
Conceptualization and Whiteboxing Main Island
My inspiration for Izcalli of the Wind's level design came from researching environments that are focused on skateboarding and rollercoaster style movement, inspiration that are associated with energy, such as power plants, circuit boards, and generators , as well as looking at concepts at what ancient Aztec cities would have looked like.
A large part of the process of getting to the whiteboxing phase was doing scale testing.
Many games that used our style of game either had controlled environments or large, empty environment with controlled experiences for the player to find. In order for me to make reasonable design decisions, I prototyped small islands, bowls, and ramps at different sizes to see at that stage what felt good and what made sense with our style. Below is the prototype whitebox both in Maya and in UE4.
Maya Concept | Artist Asset Communication | The BowlThis area was created to test an idea I had of creating rings of movement that interacted with each other in at least two ways. The bowl directs movement outwards to the grounded ramps, and those lead to the floating ramps and outwards. |
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Island HoppingDesigned to prototype interesting ramp shapes and platforming. | WhiteboxAfter playtesting the level and receiving the slipstream asset, we were able to explore the rollercoaster moments we were aiming for. |
Another level concept I drafted when drones, turrets, and the payload trial were confirmed for production was the Payload Arena. The concept for this was to make the most use out of the over the shoulder shooting and have the player make use of differing layers of elevation, slipstreams, and structures to build energy, shoot down drones, and turrets, and charge the crystal in the center.
Payload Arena Outline | Maya Concept | Payload Arena Whitebox |
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Payload Arena Prototype | Sample Platforming Structure |
Scoping Down
After around two months of work on the level we received feedback that our world felt too big, too empty, and that something just felt off. Taking that feedback, I realized the main issue was that the level I designed was trying too hard to compromise between expansive exploration and dynamic, targeted experiences to test players' skill. While it is certainly possible to achieve that level design, I knew that with our scope and current progress, the level would have to be completely redesigned to ensure that there was dynamic, fun, and challenging gameplay.
I came up with the new design by crafting the island to have six major parts.
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The Landing Pad
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The Courtyard
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The Conduit
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The Boosting Trial
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The Drifting Trial
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The Platforming Trial
The focus was to compress the amount of level we had and to make each bit as fun and action packed as possible. The trials formed a circuit in the outer ring, each third providing a different experience and testing the player's skills in a different way. I also designed the level that when the trials completed, parts of the level from walls, rubble, and destroyed objects would come together to form three new sections of the map that took the trials to a higher of difficulty.
Later, during consequent whiteboxing and gameplay tests we cut the three levels above and focused on making a layer of slipstreams that interacted with each portion of the map in interesting ways, providing the player a way to quickly get to whatever trial they want and engage in small encounters above the island.
The three trials became refined to show off each mechanic. The boosting trial tests how the player's timing and speed management. The drifting trial tests the player's sense of the world and energy efficacy and would be a payload trial. The platforming timed trial tests the player's platforming and twitch instincts by having sigils to shoot at an
Main Island Layout Redesign | Island Opening UpA large part of this redesign was having the island shift as the island's seals were filled with energy. This was a concept of how the island's pieces and playable area could shift. | Top Down View |
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Perspective Shot | Landing Pad | Courtyard |
Boost Trial | Platforming Trial |
Set Dressing
After getting the gameplay prototyped and play tested, the level design team went onto a schedule of doing passes on the set dressing. My responsibilities during this phase was to set consistent standards in scaling practices, architectural design, use of nature, use of space, design kitbashed pieces, and engage in peer-reviewed critique and feedback. This is the stage we are currently in progress and is not finished.
The Landing Area
The Landing Area is the entry area for the level, making the Conduit be the first thing the player sees. The sides of the Landing Area allows the player to try flying up the sides of the walls, giving the player a small puzzle to solve if they are the more exploratory type of player. I was responsible for the conceptualization and whiteboxing of this area, while another level designer took on the set dressing which my Design Lead and I gave feedback on.
Set Dressed Opening Shot | Whiteboxed Landing Area | Perspective View Set Dressed |
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Perspective View Whiteboxed |
Boost Trial
The Boost Trial is the first segment of the circuit testing the player's timing, energy management, and deflection. I was fully responsible for this trial's implementation, design, and set dressing.
Boost Trial In Progress | Perspective View In Progress | Perspective View Whiteboxed |
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HighresScreenshot00036 | HighresScreenshot00048 | Entrance In Progress |
Entrance Whiteboxed |
Drifting Payload Trial
The Drifting Payload Trial tests the player's sense of the world, energy efficacy, and the drifting skill. This was initially a design I created but handed over to one of the level designers to iterate and develop, while I gave feedback to this area.
Resting Place Entrance | Resting Place Set Dressed | The Second Seal Set Dressed |
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Platforming Time Trial
Initially the Platforming Time Trial was only platforming to test the player's control of speed and jumping skill. As production went along, I experimented with making it use the slow-down sights and shooting ability, creating interesting moments where the player soars through the air and takes a key shot. The overall trial's goal became shooting down three sigils and landing at the end of the trial within a certain time.
This design was my responsibility from conception to set dressing,.
Platforming Trial Set Dress in Progress | Platforming Trial Whiteboxed | Platforming Whiteboxed |
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Set Dressed First Area Closer View | The Third Seal Set Dressed | The Third Seal Whiteboxed |
Entrance to Trial | Kitbashed Structures | Kitbashed Structures |
The Courtyard
The Courtyard is designed as a play area for the player to try out the different mechanics by using the bowl to test drifting and boosting and a jumping puzzle to get them used to the differences between the jump and charged jump. This is also where the player, upon completing the trial circuit, can decide to go up to the Conduit and see the Conduit open up.
Set Dressing In Progress | Courtyard Whiteboxed | Courtyard Architecture |
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