The overall project was to build a level for the post-apocalyptic sci-fi SCRAPS video game. The level would start the Scrapper out at an outpost, and they would then proceed to go from place to place collecting items and completing objectives based on what a Bast assigned them. The player takes control of a Scrapper, or someone who wasn’t wealthy or lucky enough to live in a bastion, the last cities on earth. The “Basts” are the people that do live there. So, the story for the game revolves around the player, a scrapper, doing things for a Bast in hopes of eventually making it into a bastion. Each individual mission was designed separately, and then combined at the Alpha stage to form one complete mission.
As a core level and mission designer, I was tasked with designing, documenting, implementing, and playtesting an original idea that fit within the core design pillars of the SCRAPS creative vision. I needed to create a feeling of a dystopian future, a forgotten world outside of the big city hubs that were the last beacons of humanity. The player needed to feel alone in this outside world, but equipped to handle obstacles and hazards. That being said, the mission still needed to present challenges to the player that would keep them engaged and in FLOW.
With all that in mind, the design I wanted to go with was a bit abnormal for the SCRAPS vision, as I wanted it to stand out. Along with the other core values I’ve already mentioned, the overall vision included overgrown cities and buildings due to the abandoned nature of the rest of the world. However, my level featured very little plant life at all. This is because I chose to create a burning oil refinery. I imagined that in the not too distant future, where even the great cities still required technology and salvagers, oil would be a hot commodity. So what if these refineries were still reasonably functional?
This level is known as - The Motorman
In it, the player would need to traverse a burning oil refinery to save a large collection of oil drums that were in danger of catching fire, thus becoming non-salvageable. The level fit well within the SCRAPS vision, while the building itself once technically abandoned, at the time the player was visiting it, it was vacant and hazardous. The player was faced with the challenge of overcoming fires that blocked the critical path. This is where I created 2 original mechanics that would allow the player to feel accomplished and engaged with the world around them. I created two ways for the player to douse certain fires, but not in a direct or obvious way. This was to challenge the player and provide an intuitive player experience throughout the mission.
In it, the player would need to traverse a burning oil refinery to save a large collection of oil drums that were in danger of catching fire, thus becoming non-salvageable. The level fit well within the SCRAPS vision, while the building itself once technically abandoned, at the time the player was visiting it, it was vacant and hazardous. The player was faced with the challenge of overcoming fires that blocked the critical path. This is where I created 2 original mechanics that would allow the player to feel accomplished and engaged with the world around them. I created two ways for the player to douse certain fires, but not in a direct or obvious way. This was to challenge the player and provide an intuitive player experience throughout the mission.