Blog Entry 37 - [FRUIT, BOOM!] Level Design -The Fridge Level (1)

These days I designed my last level, the fridge level. The main feature of this level is there will be multiple layers, and players need to move vertically through all these layers. Therefore, I have a scene in my head: Every few minutes, the layer will change into freezer mode, so the players rush from this layer to the upper level. Because this is a battle game, I don't want the players to spread far away, so it might be wise to limit the players to the same layer during the game.

Then I decided to have 3 layers, each layer will last for 5 minutes. If after 15 minutes, this game still not end, I can have these 2 solutions:

1. Players will go back to the previous layer and continue the game until one player collects all the needed juice

2. All players enter the 4th layer, but this layer is not a normal layer, it is a final battlefield where the players are gathered in a small space and they have to shoot others and try to collect the most juice within 3 minutes (at this stage, they don't need to care about what juice they need).

The Special Mechanics in this Level

There will be ventilation systems installed on every layer. The equipment will turn on randomly during the game and also can be activated by props. When they start to blow, the players near the air outlet will be blown (their position will be changed) and there are risks that they may touch some scene objects and lose their juice.

The Initial Planning

Therefore, the first thing I started to design is the position of the air outlets since they are the most important thing. Similar to the actual fridge, I will also have my level based on a rectangular shape. Below shows the plan view of the initial plan.

For layer 1(bottom layer), there will be 3 air outlets that have the same blow direction. The platform towards the next layer will be placed near one side.

For layer 2(middle layer), the air outlet will be in the centre and blow the wind outwards. The platform towards the next layer is at the centre, this will be a platform that moves vertically.

For layer 3(top layer), the wind will be blown from the boundaries and the middle area is hollowed, which means players will fall off the layer and lose their juice.

Building the Basic Shape in 3D

Then I moved into the 3D world and did my blocking. The image below shows the 3 layers.

Next, I will add details to each layer and also add the props. Also, I will finally decide which solution I'm going to use when there is no one wins after 15 minutes.