Freezing Friction
About Freezing Friction
Level Designer & Game Designer | 16 Weeks | 18 Developers
FAST-PACED THIRD PERSON SHOOTER where you SKATE and GRAPPLE through icy caverns to unleash fire on MASSIVE WORMS and their spawn.
700+ downloads!
FAST-PACED THIRD PERSON SHOOTER where you SKATE and GRAPPLE through icy caverns to unleash fire on MASSIVE WORMS and their spawn.
700+ downloads!
My Responsibilities
- Sketched & whiteboxed main level layouts.
- Organized weekly QA and playtesting sessions.
- Tested level metrics.
- Developed player onboarding section.
- Balanced gamemode, enemies and the difficulty progression.
Player Experience & References
Primary intended player experience includes but is not limited to Mechanical Mastery, High Octane, and Massive Enemy.
Our main inspiration is Risk of Rain 2 which has similar intended player experience and even character 3Cs. Our secondary inspiration was Kill Bug which is a game that further embraced the somewhat chaotic non-stop action approach that we wanted to recreate.
Our main inspiration is Risk of Rain 2 which has similar intended player experience and even character 3Cs. Our secondary inspiration was Kill Bug which is a game that further embraced the somewhat chaotic non-stop action approach that we wanted to recreate.
Core Player Features
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Slide
Sliding is the core of player movement. It generates heat which can be spent on grappling and shooting. Sliding also allows the player to dodge enemy projectiles.
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Grapple
Grappling adds to the incredible agility of the player and allows for quick changes in movement direction. Grappling time is limited by player's heat.
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Slash & Shoot
Player's ability to fight rests on their powerful sword and a long range machinegun. Using melee against small enemies overcharges the sword which then deals significantly more damage to the worm.
Level Features & Systems
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Verticality
Players are encouraged to utilize vertical movement by using the grappling hook and double jump. Level supports these mechanics by having stalagmites, hills and tree branches for the player to grapple to.
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Enemy Spawns
Early on in development enemy spawns were placed to lure the player into different areas, so that the player explores the entire map. In the latest versions, enemy spawns are dictated by both spawn points and worm paths.
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Worms
Worms are the mini bosses of our level. Worm paths have been done via splines. Splines surround the entire arena to showcase its different parts. Worm moves both vertically and horizontally. Chasing the worm becomes an integral part of the game.
Level Design - Main Arena
Inspiration
Our main source of inspiration was the skatepark and its various elements and features. We wanted to transform our cave into a natural skatepark by utilizing similar elements and layout. To achieve that, terrain was shaped in a circular way with an addition of elements like ramps and bowls. Over the course of the development I have experimented with different shapes and sizes. However, most were discarded for the simplicity of the level. Most ramps turned into pyramids or hills to accommodate a multi-directional approach.
| Initial Iteration This project began as a continuation of previous prototyping module. Thus, the team already had some ideas and mechanics in place. At that stage the level solely reflected the movement mechanics of the player. Hills were present to allow for physics based sliding while floating crystals were used as grappling points. Players warmly received this level layout but an open arena felt too spacious for some including myself. It lacked consideration for multiple enemy types and worm pathing was too predictable. |
| 2nd Iteration Our team expanded throughout the project and multiple environments artists joined our efforts. Level layout was kept simple but the addition of new props allowed for better control of player flow and more vertical gameplay. The tree was introduced as a focal point of the arena. Its branches combined with stalagmites created new grappling points and made the gameplay more dynamic. Players were generally happy with the changes but a larger arena lacked enough detail and some parts were underutilized and remained unexplored. |
| 3rd Iteration In one of our latest major iterations, the issue with player's lack of exploration was solved by adjusting worm paths. Worm being a primary target always attracted player's attention. Surrounding the map with interconnected worm paths made the player follow the worm into all corners of our level. Additionally, more stalagmites were introduced. Some were placed in such a way to act as columns for the players to swing around them and change directions. |
Onboarding
| Initial Iteration The complexity of our game grew quite fast and based on playtesting results it was decided to start the level with the onboarding section. I assigned myself to be in charge of the onboarding and began with a level focused approach. I planned to utilize level features to introduce different mechanics. This approach felt natural but many of our players did not find it intuitive enough. |
| 2nd Iteration Players felt frustrated with the length of onboarding, so the section has been reduced. It still required the players to learn the movement and grappling before entering the main arena since those were the core player mechanics. Additionally, pop-up explanation have been added to the onboarding section to clarify the way our heat system works. |
| 3rd Iteration Playtesting results showed improvements since players were less confused about the heat system and core player mechanics. 3rd iteration expanded on that and added onboarding tasks for the player to fully learn the interconnected relations between movement and combat. Movement and combat pop-ups required players to complete an action to continue to the next pop up. Information about heat system and other mechanics has been displayed with pop-ups that required the player to click on a continue button and hold it for a few seconds. This approach ensured a complete onboarding to all our game mechanics at a cost of occasionally breaking the flow of the game. This trade-off wasn't an easy choice but it was informed by observation data that proved how vital onboarding is for our game. |
Difficulty & Balancing
Setting Up
At the start of the project when uncertainty was high the difficulty of game became secondary and was tweaked only when playtesters complained. Over time, the number of different parameters only increased and a more structured approach was needed. Thus, all the parameters were assembled in a single table.
Our systems designers assembled a wide range of tweakable variables (see some of them on the image to the right), so that I could work out how to match our intended difficulty curve.
The purpose of our intended difficulty was to limit the play time, so that the players can experience all the content within the first 15 minutes. As a result of that decision, after roughly reaching a 15 minute mark the players should experience high pressure and a great challenge that would prevent most players from playing too much (a big issue during our game presentation/playtesting previously).
Our systems designers assembled a wide range of tweakable variables (see some of them on the image to the right), so that I could work out how to match our intended difficulty curve.
The purpose of our intended difficulty was to limit the play time, so that the players can experience all the content within the first 15 minutes. As a result of that decision, after roughly reaching a 15 minute mark the players should experience high pressure and a great challenge that would prevent most players from playing too much (a big issue during our game presentation/playtesting previously).
| The Beat Sheet Structured approach helped us match playtesting data with our intended difficulty and we could finally start making adjustments. The beat sheet was created, so that the changes to important variables could be tracked. Over the course of the development, I was responsible for keeping it up to date which proved useful when balancing became an issue. As a team, we knew where to look and what to tweak. There were issues with that approach too. Despite tracking, tweaking, and testing we struggled to find the perfect difficulty. |
| Major Difficulty Problems & Their Solutions Despite a structured approach, we could not increase the difficulty (without being unfair to the player) until the very last moment before the project presentation. With so many variables at my disposal and a very limited time, playtesting small changes was not an option. Part of the solution was to use game stages (waves) as milestones. When a player would reach a certain stage, the difficulty would spike. It was possible to roughly estimate the stage number closer to 10-15 minute mark based on the playtests. Therefore, the linear increase of difficulty would be additionally modified by a one time increase in enemy stats at certain stages. Second part of the solution was to adjust enemy projectiles because they were the primary damage dealer in the game. Any change to projectiles had an effect on both difficulty and performance. It was decided to increase the accuracy and the speed of projectiles closer to 15 minutes. This change introduced a new challenge for the players who had to shift focus from chasing the worm to dodging missile-like projectiles. Overall, during the game's presentation the desired effect has been achieved. Spikes in difficulty acted as skill checks for the players and they were no longer bored after playing for too much without a challenge. |
