Roadmap

The current state of the project and my roadmap forward.

There are 2 epics for the alpha milestone crossed out, this is because I think those epics are unnecessary in that state of the project.

Block-out Assets: Creating block-outs of assets first is an unnecessary step, hence I have removed it from the next milestone. It would be an important step if the project is bigger (either by more people or larger time frame). However, because I am working solo on this project, I can skip this phase

Lighting Pass: Doing a lighting pass is a form of fine-tuning, if lighting is not part of the overall game experience. Thinking that the lighting in the game will not be an essential part of the game experience, I have decided to remove this fine-tune pass for the next milestone. The first lighting pass will be done after the release of the alpha. Not ideal, but necessary for this project.

Current state of the project

Prototype Core Mechanic - Done

Goal: Goal of this epic is to create the core feature of the game in the prototype build. Important is to also have the best suitable system for this core in place. Meaning that the logic behind the core can also be transported to the secondary features of the game. If I have this already within the prototype, then expending further out of the core will be a lot more easy.

Result: The core feature is done and playable in the prototype build. Because I used a reusable system for the core feature, I could easily create one of my secondary features with it, the contiguous cubes feature. This feature is also playable in the prototype build. The puzzles in the prototype are example puzzles, that are explaining the feature and show the possibilities with it. The puzzles are meant as examples/tutorials and not as complicated puzzles.

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3

Solveland Prototype levels

Narrative Design - In-Progress

Goal: The goal of this epic is that I would have a narrative about the game. This will help me create the world and the assets. It would also be an answer to why the player can rotate the cubes in the world, where the player starts at the beginning of the game and what the end goal would be for the player. The narrative design is not there just for the story of the game, but rather the logic and coherency between all the different elements in the game. 

Result: This epic got unfortunately postponed to next milestone. Reason is that I had to spend more time on other tasks. However, I have made a good start on the task. At the start of this task, I thought I could create this within 2 working days, but that was a but optimistic. The game isn't going to have a deep diving story-line, but the narrative of the game is important. The narrative will have an influence on the world design, level design, player's objective and player's goal. 

Puzzle Design - Postponed

Goal: Creating multiple puzzles with the features that I have set out to create. Therefore, the goal of this task was to have several puzzles of each feature and several puzzles with multiple features. Different difficulties in puzzle design and different types of solutions for those puzzles. All of which, are under this task. 

Result: I was way too optimistic in planning to have this done at this stage of the project. That was a mistake. There are several tasks that have to go before this. The schedule for this task now is to have several puzzle designs for next milestone, most of which should be of middle difficulty and then create even puzzles after the alpha, so that they can be implemented for the beta milestone.

QA Structure setup - Postponed

Goal: Have a structure setup which will help me collect feedback, log bugs and receive data. My experience on this is limited, so I have to do some research into the topic. The idea is to have this done early, so that I can receive the same type of data throughout the development phase. 

Result: Not started on this task just yet. I want to have the structure setup before next milestone, so that I can receive feedback and data correctly and that it is consistent (consistent in the way that I receive this data). 

Testing - Done

Goal: The goal for each milestone is to create a build that consists out of the bullet-points that I have stated in my roadmap. Once a build is made, I need to test if all the elements are working as intended and to double-check if everything is working correctly. Once a build is made, I will pass it to several testers, who will give some criticism and feedback. Once I receive those, I will either try to add them to the build or write them down for a later build.

Result: For this milestone, I have created a build that was missing some important features.

1. The player was able to walk over cubes when they were rotating. This can cause bugs and clipping issues. I created an invisible box that will block the player when a cube is rotating. If the cube is standing still, the blockage will be disabled.
2. Secondly, I created a placeholder menu, so that there is a functional gameplay loop. If the game is started up, the player comes in the main menu. In the menu, the player can start the game, go to options (which is currently empty) or quit the game. There is also an end-screen once the player finished the prototype. In the end-screen the player has the option to restart the game or quit the game.
3. I also added in a static message, stating that the product is in working progress and that the player can rotate cubes by pressing either Q or E.

Concept Design One-pager - In-Progress

Goal: Creating an one-pager that is covering all the vital information about the project and game. The one-pager will cover all the basic information of the game. What type of game is this, what genre, platform and mission? In this single page document, I will also state what the gameplay will look like, how the level design will be and what the aesthetics of the game will be.

Result: The document is in progress. Everything in the document is done, except for the narrative. I had to postpone that part because I first had to look at the narrative design on a bigger picture. 

I will post the one-pager on the front page of this project once it is done

Paper Prototype Puzzles - Done

Goal: Create all the important pieces of the game concept with paper, and build puzzles with them. Once I have some puzzles build with paper, I can play-test them and see if the puzzles are working as intended. If so, then I can build them in Unreal, if there is some sort of flaw in the design of the puzzle, I can easily adjust my puzzle in real-life with this paper prototype.

Result: I have created multiple cubes and some puzzle layouts on paper. Once created, I tested them with some play testers and adjusted the design based on the feedback that I received. Satisfied with the results, I build them in Unreal in my prototype.

Core Mechanic Breakdown - Done

Goal: The purpose of this task is to have each core feature broken down in a document. Describing what the player can do and what the player cannot do. This will make it easier for me once I have to start working on the Blueprint for that feature.

Result: I have created a document, in which each core feature is broken down and explained. This helped me understand the feature better, how to systematically create those features.

Thank you

The reason why I am creating those devlog is to log my work publicly. To give a sense of pressure to myself. However, I am always open for feedback and constructed criticism. If you have a question or feedback, feel free to leave it below! Thank you again for reading!