Realmwalker
ROLE
Designer (3C, Mechanic, Combat and Technical)
Programmer (Combat System, Main Character Control, AI Script, Animation Logic)
Co-Designer (Level)
DESCRIPTION
This is a slice game created with Unreal Engine 5.0. It's a third-person Action Role-Playing Game (ARPG) with Souls-like combat style, where players encounter various battles and puzzles. To overcome these challenges, players must strategically employ an array of weapons, the realms mechanic, and teleportation mechanics.
YEAR
2023
GENRE
Third-person Action Role Play
PLATFORM
PC (itch.io)
Engine used
Unreal Engine 5
Full Gameplay Showcase
Creative Process
Concept
I aim to design an action RPG with a unique feature inspired by the Physical and Spirit Realms from League of Legends. Only certain characters can perceive both realms, and I aim to incorporate this mechanic into intense action combat with a moment-to-moment engage style. The goal is to create a sense of achievement and flow for players, whether through defeating challenging enemies, progressing skills, or witnessing character growth in an immersive experience.
Notes on the conceptualization of the game
Responsible For
Mechanics Design:
Player’s Actions
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Movesets and abilities
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Design different movesets and abilities, allowing players to develop their playstyle.
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Design the mobility of the character like adjusting the cancel recovery actions, invincible frames (I-frames), movement speed, etc.
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Defensive actions
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Actions included: Blocking, Dodging, Parrying (In the order of required precision)​.
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Give diverse tools to the player to help them get familiar with enemies' behavior in a moment-to-moment engage style of combat.
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Mystery Blade Actions
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Actions included: Aiming, Throwing, Collecting, Teleporting​.
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Design how the camera should move between aiming and normal gameplay.
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Design follow-up actions to emphasize their importance during combat, puzzle-solving, and also exploration.
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Realm System
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One Scene, Two Possibilities
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Containing unique elements (platforms, enemies, objects)​.
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Enhance the possibilities of exploration.
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Increases the depth and creativity of other gameplay elements​
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Enemy design involves differences between different realms, to encourage the player to use the realm system and gain advantages in combat.
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Puzzle design involves the usage of the realm system.
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Ensure it plays a big part in the gameplay and has a good gameplay experience​
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Design mechanics and features to make the realm system involved in all the major gameplay elements.
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Pay attention to visual guidance. Giving hints to the player on when to switch realms so they will not get frustrated.
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Combat System Design:
Combat Style
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Designing a "Moment-to-Moment Engage" Combat
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Enemy has the priority during combat most of the time.
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Encouraging the player to get familiar with enemy behavior.
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Design a mana system as a resource for shifting the combat priority toward the player. Get it if the player performs well in combat.
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Building the feedback of hitting
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Using various tools like impact freeze, hit react animations, FXs to build up the feedback of hitting. Ensure the player can sense if the attack has landed or not.
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Through enemy placement, easing the steep learning curve
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Consider the player's knowledge & resources, adjusting the enemy placement during level design.
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Maintain the balance between difficulty and engaging moments, producing a positive gameplay experience.
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Enemy Design
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Various Enemy Design
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Enemies have diverse features​ and behaviors, from easy to difficult.
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Each of them presents a challenge. By defeating them, the player can learn more about the game systems, from the basic combat system to using the realm system and gaining advantages in combat.
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While in combat, it continuously monitors the player character's distance, direction, and state to adopt assigned actions.
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For specific enemies, different behaviors and logic are designed while they are in different realms.
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Using Character State Enummerator to adjust it mobility. Like canceling recovery time by inputing other actions, I-frame, combo attack etc.
Realm 1
Realm 2
These photos serve as the physical prototype of the realm system
A table detailing various enemies' features and behaviors in the game
Issues and Solutions
Scripting and Polishing AI Scripts
Enemy design was a significant part of the combat system, and I dedicated a considerable amount of time to it. Within enemy design, the AI scripting for enemies proved to be the most challenging aspect. While drawing inspiration from other games on how to script enemy behaviors, I also had to polish the scripts extensively to ensure the enemies' actions appeared natural and fluid. Through this polishing process, I could also adjust the difficulty level appropriately.
Time Management
During the development cycle, unexpected situations often arise, affecting the progress of development. The time it took to polish the AI scripts is a good example of this.
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In addition to iterating with teammates and discussing the progress of different tasks, it's crucial to anticipate how long each task might take. A proper amount of rescheduling the game's scope is also necessary. Especially as the deadline approaches, cutting content may be the way to ensure the game can launch with better quality.