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Burning Trees Solo Project
Gameplay/Level Design
Two-week solo project building a fan made Ratchet and Clank level.
Built multiple gameplay mechanics oriented around level enjoyment outside of combat
Level Walkthrough
Level Development
When starting this project, I first researched what makes a Ratchet and Clank level. My finds were platforming, destructible crates, grappling, and a side quest within each level. I used these as my pillars when drawing up the map and wanted to especially give focus to the grappling mechanic. I also needed the player to finish the level close to the start to prevent back tracking and give them an alternate route back to their ship for them to move to the next level. This was the core thoughts when mapping out the level.
Photoshop Draft Map
A core pillar to the game Ratchet and Clank is combat, and even though my focus on the project was level design, I needed to create a level with encounter areas to showcase combat. Because of the theme I chose for the level, I ended up using the landscaping tool for a lot of the ground work and BSP/Maya for the assets and platforming.
Overview of environment
I drafted a critical path and a side path that leads to a collectible within the level. The critical path mainly focused on combat encounters and story building, while the side path was meant to be a grappling platform puzzle. This side path loops back to where the player first embarked so they can head directly back to the critical path when finished.
Side path leading to collectible
Gameplay Development
Although I was focusing on level design I wanted to get the general feel of Ratchet and Clank, so I still implemented a HUD, shooting, melee, health, ammo, and enemy stand ins to capture the combat feel within the game. I also crafted breakable crates that drop currency, health, or ammo when destroyed.
Crates and Enemy stand in
I crafted a pick up magnet as well to collect currency with some flair and without stepping on top of it. This also works for collectibles, health, and ammo. When shooting or aiming, the crosshair will appear and a slight zoom will occur to better aid the player and bring them closer to the action.
Pick up magnet
When shooting or aiming, the crosshair will appear and a slight zoom will occur to better aid the player and bring them closer to the action. I implemented sound for player feedback and utilized level blueprints to create story beats within the level.
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