Creator’s Focus: Royal Flushed (Trial 2)
A behind the scenes look into the creation of Dr. Bomkus’ Trials
Creator’s Focus is a six-part series focused on the game creation process of Dr. Bomkus’ Trials and its unique gameplay features.
Hold your breath and dive into the Sunken District. Find your way through this Bomkus-designed underwater maze and back to the surface! The second of the Dr. Bomkus’ Trias, this unique underwater level was designed to give players a taste of the all-new swimming mechanic.
Royal Flushed was created to present and test the new 0.8 swim feature and the fun gameplay mechanics that we can have inside the water.
- The level design team calculated the doors movements & crossed the gates on an exact window of opportunity. The curve of difficulty is increasing through the level by adjusting “gates size” and “doors speed”.
- Interaction underwater with the fun part: you can make the race difficult to the others by closing the door from the interior side.
- The finish line celebration: it was intentional to have it out of the water that can players have a fresh air and joyful moment in the end of the race
- On the art side this is a new challenge for our artists to unleash their talent on the amazing underwater world.
Insights from the Level Design Team:
“Mainly, the experience was designed to showcase the new swimming mechanic in the 0.8. build.
When considering the concept, it’s crucial to consider the Game Engine constraints in the multiplayer levels, including performance, multiplayer versus single-player behaviors, game client limitations, etc. You might have an incredibly creative concept paper, but it might not be feasible to implement it in the Game Maker.
In the next step, you begin constructing your level, adhering to certain rules such as implementing Multipath in the multiplayer levels. You have to pay close attention to the size and scale of the doors to ensure their significance. Incorporate intriguing level design patterns, steer clear of one-way and closed paths on the main route, and aim for a smooth flow to prevent player frustration. Provide players with the option to select the path that allows them to save time in the race and introduce variety in the environment and player direction. Additionally, you want to encourage interactions among players for a dynamic gaming experience.
The race was entirely underwater, compelling players to utilize the swim feature. I must admit, I wasn’t satisfied with the level during my initial test. I struggled to incorporate resting areas with ample space before entering the next challenge section. It’s crucial to ensure players don’t feel trapped or confined within tight spaces for extended periods.
So, in the end, it was a pure level design versus a new game editor.”
After the Dr. Bomkus’ Trials Event, you will be able to find the experience templates in the Game Maker! Make them your own, test out the new features and publish your own challenges.
Download the Game Maker: LINK
More 0.8 features: LINK
