Toy Ideas

In game design we are going to make a "toy" of sorts with UE4's blueprint system. Here are a few ideas!

1. Gravity Boots

2. Hoverpad

3. Magic light spell

4. Turret-statue (like league's towers)

5. Jetpack

6. Throwable bombs

7. Size-increasing Cookie (increases the player's size)

8. Whack-a-mole-contraption

9. Grappling Hook

10. Force Gun (pushes players back)

EDIT:

I'm thinking about going with the gravity boots idea. I could turn it into a 2D sidescroller game mode and adjust the model's jump velocity and speeds. I could also hook up a cool looking particle effect to the bottom of the player's feet when they jump. A cool level objective would be a slowly rising lava (could be represented by a kill Z volume) and the player must climb towards the top in order to live.

Either that or I could make a pretty nifty skate park out of the boots, where the player could somehow choose between a board or boots, each with different modes of play.

Multiplayer Level

And for the Multiplayer level we're designing I present...

Tech Elf Training

Where you are one of the many elves of the twisted lands of Rivetdell who are undergoing training under their elite training ground for their armada. It's known to be one of the most dangerous trials and not everyone makes it out alive. Those with the highest scores live!

I basically want the players to go head on in the middle of the map. I want to push the players closer together for more of a direct confrontation, so I made a high rise with a bunch of stuff on the top. Think of king of the hill!

I also have the spawn points below the map. When the player spawns, they take an elevator of sorts up into the level. Locations are set at random. This prevents players from dieing as soon as they spawn as well as preventing spawn camping.

Finally, I made sniper platforms at the ends of the lowest level. The elevators lead to rocket ammo at the top, so players can use their rocket guns (since the engine is built off of UE4). This only gives them three shots though, so make them count!

Setting? Rivetdell! During the late afternoon whilst the sun is slowly sinking.

• What time of year is it?

THIS IS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE. THE ELVES HAVE FINALLY PICKED UP TECHNOLOGY.

• Who else lives here?

JUST ELVES. EVERYTHING ELSE IS DEAD.

• What does the architecture look like?

THIS:

MEETS THIS:

• What major event happened prior to the player getting there?

ELVES BUILT THE PLACE IN PREPARATION FOR WAR.

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FPS Multiplayer Analysis (Halo 3)

Halo 3 has probably been one of my favorite FPS games of all time. My favorite map that I played endlessly was Valhalla in multiplayer. My friends and I would stay up all night in online matchmaking and we'd cheer when we got this map every time.

But what is Valhalla?

It was a spinoff of Blood Gulch in the original Halo. However, Valhalla is a forest-y valley nestled into the base of two giant mountain cliffs, with large hills, and a waterfall that leads to a River that runs down the center of the map and into the ocean on one side of the map. One side of the map has the ocean and the other side has a cliffside. The setting seems to be mid-day and has a very free, open feel. Each side of the map has a base that each player team starts from.

Inside this base there are several guns, lift pads that launch players out into the valleys, and vehicles such as the Mongoose, Warthog, Wraith and the Banshee. 

There are also other power-ups available such as the Bubble-Shield, and power drain.

Players can snake through their bases, or they can rush head first into combat via the gravity lifts present in the area where they spawn in their bases:

What I like about this level is that it gives players a choice: Meet head on in the center, or pick up a long range weapon like the battle rifle or the Sniper rifle (or spartan lazer!) and pick people off. Strategies revolve often around the vehicles, whatever power-ups are available, and what weapons you pick up. Game modes range from capture and hold to juggernaut to team deathmatch.

And here is my analysis of it!