SMU Guildhall Graduate Catalog Spring 2019 — Cohort 27 | Page 52

Blake Philley Level Design « Drain Drain is a procedurally generated, twin- The project is also my attempt at teaching It’s a project that focuses on my ability to example, the menu must be interacted stick shooter prototype developed by me. design systems, design levels, and script gameplay behavior. The whole goal of the project is to build a game from a specific systemic type of gameplay. In this case, the central theme and core mechanic is spending the player’s health in various ways to buy items and stat upgrades, as well as perform other tasks around the dungeon. Forcing the player to spend their health as a main gameplay mechanic with by moving the player character around in 3D space. This forces the player to learn how movement works without being directly told in any way. They must simply experiment. The special ability rooms are similar. Each room can only be accessed by acquiring the requisite ability, and the player can only progress into the dungeon by using that ability effectively, thereby learning the ins and outs of the ability. recontextualizes how the player interacts I chose this project to show off my space. Any moment where the player can design skills as a gameplay designer. The with and understands the gameplay purchase upgrades becomes a decision between safety, keeping their health, and more power. By making these decisions impact the player’s most valuable resource—their health—any decision becomes significantly more meaningful. 52 the player as diagetically as possible. For LEVEL DESIGN technical skills as a scripter and my project took about five months across one semester.