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Mushroomboy 2.1.png

Mushi has to traverse through the forest, encountering harsh weather and a variety of unfriendly enemies and helpful boons that will challenge the player's skill, to collect as many flowers as possible to save the forest.

Mushroomboy logo.png

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Role: Systems designer

Genre: Third-person platformer

Engine: Unreal Engine 4

Team size: 4

Duration: 8 Weeks

Platform: PC (Itch.IO)

Game Design

WEATHER ENEMY

  • Researched Hazards in different climates in traversal platformers.

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  • Sketches for proposals for the Weather enemy.

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  • Created a feature design document including noun/verb breakdown to propose the Weather enemy.

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  • Testing & Establishing Metrics.

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  • Use of decision matrix to inform design decision.

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  • Prototyped and implemented Weather enemy functionality. To be functional in 3 different weather types to provide the player with similar but refreshing level design elements that add challenge to and a sense of danger in other climate areas.

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  • Iteration based on playtest results.

BOUNCY ENEMY

  • Researched Hazards in different climates in traversal platformers.

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  • Sketches for proposals for improvement of the Bouncy enemy.

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  • Created a feature design document including noun/verb breakdown to propose the Bouncy Enemy.

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  • Testing & Establishing Metrics.

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  • Use of decision matrix to inform design decision.

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  • Prototype & implemented technical improvements for the already created Bouncy enemy. To provide the player with level design elements that add challenge and a sense of danger. But when used smartly can also be used as a boon.

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  • Iteration based on playtest results.

SHOOTING ENEMY

  • Researched Hazards in different climates in traversal platformers.

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  • Sketches for proposals for improvement of the Shooting Enemy.

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  • Created a feature design document including noun/verb breakdown to propose the Shooting Enemy.

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  • Testing & Establishing Metrics.

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  • Use of decision matrix to inform design decision.

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  • Prototype & implemented technical improvements for the already created Shooting enemy. To provide the player with level design elements that add challenge and a sense of danger.

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  • Iteration based on playtest results.

BOONS

VINE SWINGING

  • Researched Boons in different climates in traversal platformers.

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  • Sketches for proposals for the Vine swinging.

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  • Created a feature design document including noun/verb breakdown to propose the Vine swinging.

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  • Testing & Establishing Metrics.

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  • Use of decision matrix to inform design decision.

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  • Prototyped and implemented Vine swinging functionality. To be functional in 3 different weather types to provide the player with similar but refreshing level design elements the players could use to their advantage in other climate areas.

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  • Iteration based on playtest results.

BALANCING PLATFORM

  • Researched Boons in different climates in traversal platformers.

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  • Sketches for proposals for the Balancing platform.

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  • Created a feature design document including noun/verb breakdown to propose the Balancing platform.

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  • Testing & Establishing Metrics.

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  • Use of decision matrix to inform design decision.

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  • Prototyped and implemented the Balancing platform. To be functional in 3 different weather types to provide the player with similar but refreshing level design elements players could use to their advantage in other climate areas.

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  • Iteration based on playtest results.

MOVABLE BLOCK

  • Researched Boons in different climates in traversal platformers.

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  • Sketches for proposals for the Movable block.

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  • Created a feature design document including noun/verb breakdown to propose the Movable block.

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  • Testing & Establishing Metrics.

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  • Use of decision matrix to inform design decision.

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  • Prototyped and implemented the Movable block. To be functional in 3 different weather types to provide the player with similar but refreshing level design elements that the player could use to their advantage in other climate areas

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  • Iteration based on playtest results.

OTHER LEVEL DESIGN ELEMENTS

PROGRESION DOORS

  • Prototyped and implemented progression door functionality to ensure that new areas can be unlocked whenever enough flowers have been collected to decide the order of the areas better.

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CHECKPOINT

  • Prototyped and implemented checkpoint functionality to ensure a space where the player could safely respawn after the player dies to prevent frustration.​​

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GAME/TECHNICAL DESIGN

HAZARDS

Level Design

LEVEL DESIGN

BLOCKOUT

  • Combining created features from team members and me into one playable level to be able to test the features.

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  • Playtested the sections with members of external parties.

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  • Polished gameplay based on action points from testing.

MOMENT-TO-MOMENT

  • Created a moment-to-moment roadmap & timeline to indicate how the level looks and plays like, also stating the design intention.

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  • Created a difficulty curve to quickly read the current difficulty of the level and compare it to the intended difficulty to make changes if needed.

PROJECTS ROLES & CONTRIBUTIONS

PROJECT ROLES & CONTRIBUTIONS

GAME/TECHNICAL DESIGN

  • Brainstormed how to improve the current project.

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  • Research analysis of performed research about third-person platformers.

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  • Feature analysis of already-in-place hazards & boons to find opportunities for improvement.

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  • Researched Hazards & boons in different climates in traversal platformers.

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  • Brainstormed technical-level design ingredients.

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  • Sketched technical-level design ingredients.

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  • Created a feature design document including noun/verb breakdown to propose technical-level design ingredients.

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  • Prototyped & implemented hazards & boons as technical-level design ingredients.

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  • Prototyped & implemented technical improvements for the already created hazards & boons.

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  • Prototyped & implemented level progression doors.

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  • Prototyped & implemented Checkpoints.

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  • Use of decision matrix to inform design decision.

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  • Created a how-to document for other designers on how to make adjustments.

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  • Creation of macro design document.

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  • Metric establishment.

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  • Playtest/Iterations.

LEVEL DESIGN

  • Collaborating with designers, I combined all design ingredients into one playable level.

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  • Moment-to-moment roadmap of playable level.

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  • Moment-to-moment timeline.

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  • Created/adjusted a difficulty curve to fit our intended design.

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  • Playtest/Iterations.

Learnins

LEARNINGS

  • How other games have designed hazards & boons that synergize with climates.

  • How to design & create features that synergize with climates.

  • How to Prototyped and implement a variety of AI systems.

  • How to create a balancing platform.

  • How to make an object move along a spline.

  • How to make an enemy smoothly rotate toward the player's location.

  • How to create a swing that attaches the player at a set location.

  • How to create a checkpoint system.

  • How to create a movable block.

  • How to create a Moment-to-moment roadmap of playable level.

  • How to create a Moment-to-moment timeline.

  • How to create a macro design document.

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