Lantern Trip
*Introduction Video
·These games played a significant role in my college journey.
·Despite the final product not reaching excellence, they served as a bridge, connecting the skills and knowledge essential for 3D game production.
Overview
This 3D action shooting game encompasses Miniature Garden , a sophisticated combat system, and a decryption component, embodying a comprehensive array of elements typical in 3D games. During its conception, my intention was to delve into the intricacies of 3D game design.
Hence, at the project's inception, I amalgamated all requisite elements to explore and understand the nuances of creating a 3D game.
Input System
A
W
S
D
Space
Movement
Jump
E
F
Dash
Interaction
Shift
Run
Hold down the left mouse button to shoot
TAB
Switch Tinder
Mechanism
The game's central system revolves around a construction system centered on three colors of lights.
Players possess green, blue, and red lights, each crucial for sustaining their life. The duration of light burning varies, and should a player lack any illuminated colored lights, their character faces imminent demise.
These colored lights—green, blue, and red—each correspond to distinct mechanisms. Players must adeptly switch between these lights to navigate puzzles and engage in battles throughout the levels.
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This is a green flame, the longest burning flame, and the most basic flame
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This blue flame, after being picked up by players, will increase its movement speed by 1.2 times and burn for a medium duration.
This is a red flame, mainly used for scene destruction and combat
A significant portion of the game mechanics relies on "plate movement." To link the plates in the scene with the player's archery, a "trigger" is essential to activate these mechanisms.
The trigger, in this case, is the ball held in the frog's mouth, and it also comes in three colors. Players must use bows and arrows of the corresponding colors to shoot the ball, thereby triggering the movement of blocks in the scene.
Trigger
Level Design
In mapping the routes, I drew inspiration from the Miniature Garden level design seen in games like Dark Souls 1.
My aim was to craft a three-dimensional map that maximizes terrain reuse for an efficient and immersive gaming experience.
The game map is divided into two layers: the lower layer is the beginner map, and the upper layer is the main map.
Beginner Map Design
The purpose of the beginner's map is to help players understand the basic content of the game and reinforce it.
The beginner map is divided into five rooms, each of which allows players to learn and train the necessary content for the game.
This is where the game begins, and players will learn basic operations here: movement, picking up Green Tinder, and shooting
This is Room One, where players will practice jumping and sprinting.
Finally, by using shooting mechanisms to activate platforms, they will ascend to the next room."
This is Room 2, where players will hone their skills in utilizing the Blue flame and switching flames. As players navigate a moving platform, they must swiftly switch to the Blue flame and target the trigger ahead to prevent obstacles and confront a menacing monster on the lower level if unsuccessful. Both paths ultimately lead to the next room, offering diverse challenges and encounters.
This is the place to obtain the blue flame. Players here will learn to switch between different colored tinder
This is the elevator leading to the lower level and also the convergence area for the two paths in Room Two.
This is Room Three, where players first acquire the red tinders, then replenish the blue and green tinders, preparing for subsequent levels.
Because the red tinder provides higher damage to enemies, a combat area is set here to help players learn how to use the red tinder
This is Room Four, where players will complete a decryption challenge to enter the final room.
This decryption combines all the elements learned earlier, including jumping, sprinting, shooting, and switching.
This is Room Five, the final room of the beginner level. Here, players will engage in a boss battle, and upon completion, an elevator will take them to the main map
Main Map Design
Following the beginner levels, players progress to the main map. To enrich the player's experience, I crafted three distinct level themes: Decryption, Combat, and Speed.
Positioned at the base of the inverted pyramid, players decide the order in which they confront these challenges. After completing a level, players return to the pyramid's base, selecting another challenge iteratively until all three are triumphed.
Floating island
Ruins
Vally
The pyramid comprises four levels, each culminating on a distinct floor and interconnected by a vertical shaft.
The Ruins conclude on the second level, the Floating Island on the third, and the Valley on the fourth.
Despite similarities in endpoint structures, completing a battle on each level prompts the door to the corresponding level's vertical shaft to open, facilitating players' return to the first level.
Vertical shaft
Level 1 : Floating Island
The room features a variety of movable blocks and rotatable pillars. Players must strategically place frog triggers on the pillars, move blocks, plan their routes, and reach the endpoint of the room.
After players shoot the frog triggers, all the blocks in this room come into motion.
This room challenges players' planning abilities, testing their capacity to find the true path to completion amid dynamically changing routes.
I have crafted two completion routes for players: the orange arrows denote the essential path, while the yellow and green arrows signify alternative routes.
This decision aims to test players' planning skills rather than intentionally creating difficulty.
Level 2 : Ruins
The level focuses on combat, taking design inspiration from Dark Souls 1 with a miniature garden map style.
Inside the room, players must consistently explore, face enemies, and defeat them to advance through the level.
This represents the player's planned route. It incorporates multiple visual cues to lead the player onward, ensuring the route design minimizes the interference of alternate paths to maintain player focus.
This concealed area on the main route is intended to stimulate the player's exploration instincts. Uncovering these hidden spaces rewards players with fire seeds, incentivizing them to delve deeper into the game world.
Level 3 : Vally
The level centers around speed as players embark on a thrilling roller-coaster-style journey in a small minecart.
Initially, the design aimed to integrate shooting with the ride, enhancing the level's depth.
However, severe programming bugs prevented the implementation of this idea.