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Rapture
Rapture is a movement shooter, drawing inspiration from Doom and set in a futuristic Middle Eastern world. Control a cyborg awakened from statis with the purpose of destroying a rogue AI controlling an army of robots.
Genre
FPS
Time Frame
8 months
Team
10 Members
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5 Game Designers
5 Game Artists
Softwares
Unreal Engine 5, Confluence, Jira, Office 365, Creative Cloud
My Tasks
Game Design
Core Mechanics
Game Feel
As a game designer for Rapture, I designed the Rage gauge and Dash kill features, focusing on translating conceptual ideas into engaging gameplay mechanics. I conducted extensive playtesting to balance these systems, ensuring they were both rewarding and challenging for players. Through iterative refinement and feedback incorporation, I enhanced visual and audio feedback to heighten player immersion and satisfaction.
Dash Kill
The Dash kill feature grants players invulnerability during a dash, allowing them to kill low-tier enemies and reset the dash cooldown, with successful kills providing health or ammo rewards. This mechanic integrates into the Rage gauge, encouraging strategic use of dashes to maintain momentum and boost gameplay dynamics.
The first iteration of the Dash kill feature proved successful, making the game more fun to play. However, further playtesting revealed issues such as player confusion after the kill explosion, lack of indication for chaining dash kills, and inadequate communication about the feature's existence.
After multiple iterations, we refined the Dash kill feature to enhance clarity and engagement. We resolved player confusion by replacing the explosion with ragdolls for a cleaner death animation and added a rapid blinking effect to the dash bar in the UI during dash kills. Additionally, we ensured players understood the mechanic by starting the game without a weapon, forcing them to use the dash kill until they acquired their first weapon.
Rage Gauge
The Rage gauge in Project Ransack accumulates points from player-inflicted damage. Once activated, it enhances player speed and damage, allowing players to sustain its effects by continuously dealing damage until the gauge depletes at varying speeds based on its level.
The first iteration of the Rage gauge was flawed; players didn't feel empowered, mistook the bar for another UI element, and its effects had minimal impact on gameplay dynamics. Despite initial challenges, we recognized the potential of the concept and worked to refine its implementation for greater effectiveness.
In the last iteration, we significantly improved the Rage gauge by replacing the UI bar with a unique symbol featuring animations. We enhanced the gameplay impact with increased camera FOV, pulsing borders, faster player animations, and an acceleration boost that enhanced player movement throughout combat areas, solidifying the Rage gauge as a valuable feature in the game.
Level Design
Arenas
As a level designer for this project, my tasks included creating the first arena section of the game. These arenas are straightforward rooms where players must defeat all incoming waves of enemies before proceeding to rest of the level.
Arena Design
The first version of the arena was successful; its simple layout and enjoyable navigation were well-received by playtesters. However, some issues needed fixing, such as angled jump pads throwing players in the wrong direction and the lack of an entry point making it hard for players to locate themselves in the games flow.
The final version of the arena addressed previous issues by placing the jump pads on flat surfaces and prototyping a spectacular entrance to the arena. This entrance was not only used in the final version of the first arena but also adapted and modified for the second arena, enhancing the overall level flow and player experience.