Tutorial Level (Gears Of Discovery)

Blockout

Opening Area

The first state of any level is a plan and then a blockout. For the beginning stage of the level I wanted an open area where the player can get a handle on the conroles of the game. This area is open and has no obstacles that the player should need to worry about. Within this area there are a few pop ups that tell the player how to move and look around which leads them down a hallway, informing the player on the bolt pickups throughout the level and how to jump.

First Platforming Area

When the player reaches the first official room they are given a path to follow that leads upwards. This area is made for the player to gain a slightly deeper understanding of the controles, allowing them to move around, sprint, look around, and jump. These will be used throughout the level so the player needs to practice these skills quickly. The player is tasked with climbing a ramp and crossing two gaps. One gap can be crossed without the use of the sprint function, and the other is best crossed while sprinting. This then leads the player to the first puzzle room where they will learn the primary puzzle system within Gears of Discovery.

Puzzle Room

The puzzle room consists of 3 doors. These doors must be opened by picking up the cube within the room and opening each door with it to obtain another cube used to open the next door. Within this room the player will then master their movement skills by sprinting and jumping to cross gaps, collecting bolts, and maneuvering with picked up cubes. Once the player completes the second room within the primary puzzle room they will have obtained the 3 cubes necessary to open the final door.

Steel Mode Introduction

This area is a smaller hallway that teaches the player how steel mode works. It is set up with turrets on either side that shoot tracking projectiles at the player. The player is then tasked with timing the use of their steel mode to tank all of the turret shots at once, protecting them from the damage. These turrets will continue to fire off so the player can get a grasp to how steel mode functions.

Pickup/Inventory Introduction

The final stage of the tutorial level introduces the player to the inventory system and the use of pickups. These pickups include the speed boost and shield pickup. The player is tasked with using the speed boost pickup to cross a very large gap and the use of the shield pickup to quickly travel through a row of dangerous spikes. Once the player has passed this final section they are send off to the next level with a recap of how many bolts they collected throughout the tutorial level.

Player Direction

With this level being a tutorial level the player should have a clear path to the end. At no point within the level should the player be asking themselves, “okay now where do I go”. With this in mind the level is layed out very simply. The player is always show a clear path towards the objective. In the tutorial level this is hallways, ramps, and collectables. With the use of popups as well the player is well informed on what their current task should be and how they should go about completing it. Through various playtests certain areas were tweaked to give the player a better sense of direction. Some areas were too open or too crowded at times and that caused confusion.

IPM (Introduce, Practice, Master)

In the tutorial level IPM is extremely important. Movement is the first part of IPM in the tutorial level. The player is introduced to the movement controls in the first area and is given time to experiment with them a bit before proceeding. In the next room the player is given their first platforming section where they will practice their newly learned skills to traverse the area. Every point after that the player must use the knowledge of movement to complete puzzles and avoid obstacles in their path to complete the level.

The next portion of IPM is during the puzzle room. The player is given a cube and a popup explaining how to open doors with them. Once the player opens the first door they are given a second cube. This cube will give the player the ability to open the second door by placing both cubes on the pressure plates in front of the second door (Practice). Once in this final room the player must platform to obtain the third and final cube. Where they will bring it back to the main room and open the final door by placing all 3 cubes on their respective pressure plates (Master).

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are very important for the player. They allow the player to traverse a level in a desired way without them thinking too much of it. The use of breadcrumbs in the tutorial level is the bolt pickups and stamina pickups. The player has the option to pick up these bolts throughout the level but they are placed in a way that show the player the proper path to take. These are shown over gaps, on important components such as the pressure plates, and in platforming sections at the top of fan lifts, and moving platforms. The use of stamina pickups are something a bit less optional. If the player wants to move quickly throughout the level they will need to constantly be obtaining stamina pickups to recharge their meter. These pickups are placed near areas of interest and along the golden path.

Objectives

The tutorial level has 4 primary objectives for the player to learn/complete. These are to understand how the movement features function and be able to use them confidently, understand the primary puzzle system by using movable cubes to open doors, steel mode functionality, and pickup/inventory usage. These objectives are just the introduction to what the player will encounter in future levels. With each section of the tutorial completed the player will have learned a new skill they can use in their experience.

Golden Path

The primary use of the tutorial is for the player to understand how the game functions and see what they can expect from future levels, so most of their time should be spend exploring and getting used to the game. However there is still a golden path within the level. A route the player takes that is the quickest and most effective. This route is layed out to the player with the use of breadcrumbs and leading lines throughout the level but will primarily be used by players who already have an understanding of how 3D platformers play.

Conclusion

Working on the tutorial level was a lot of fun and allowed me to increase my knowledge on building levels from the ground up. Many iterations of the level were had before the final build and it was a ton of fun to see what worked and what didn’t. Blocking out the level and collecting data as new versions where put out was by far the most valuable. While things can make sense on paper there is so much insight to be had by getting the level in the hands of a player.