For Programming class we had to create an activate-able falling trap for a 2.5D platformer using Blueprint. It was fun to set up this little guy, and create a little "challenge" which you can see in the video below.





Just for fun, we made faces that change on the falling blocks to make them just a bit more lovable after they crush you into oblivion. Here's a look at the blueprint that runs these guys below



The "challenge" at the end came about when I realized that lots of people jumped on top of the blocks after their attacks to get to a higher vantage point, or just for fun. I thought that having more on top of each other would make for an interesting challenge, as the player needs lightning fast reflexes to react to falling blocks on top of more falling blocks! I also added in unstable platforms because destruction looks great, is fun, and adds another mechanic to the game that encourages the player to act swiftly!
In our Game Design II class, we were tasked to design, and eventually build a platformer level. Therefore, I put together a simple map of the layout I would like to create.


The player will start out in a risk-free area in order to learn how to navigate. They will learn to jump and to push blocks to activate certain items. Once up the lift, the player will interact with turrets that will shoot in a straight line. Once through the first door, the player will have to learn to push blocks while also dodging bullets. Once to the next area, the player will have a choice, to either travel up or down on a lift. Both the top and bottom areas present the player with a different challenge they must overcome to press the yellow button, opening one of the two yellow doors in the "nexus" area. They will then teleport back in order to ride the lift to the other challenge area they did not complete.

Once both areas are complete, the final area will open, presenting the player with a familiar sight -- the starting room. However, when the player attempts to travel up, the lift will instead fall down, surprising the player. They will then have to complete one final challenge that combines both previous challenges. Then, the player will reach the end room. If the player collected all the coins (to be placed later, once the level is created) then they will attain an alternate ending through the "special door"
The Impossible Game is a fun little platformer created by Grip Games and published by FlukeDude. It first came out on the Xbox 360's marketplace  in 2009, which is when I first bought and started playing it. It's been a long while, and now it's been ported to mobile and even PC. The game is very simple, very difficult, and very addicting, mostly due to how the game's music matches up with jumps, making the player enter a sort of 'groove' as they play the game. When the player fails a jump, the music stops abruptly, causing the music and level to reset.

The music is the main driving force in this game, as it is utilized as a reward mechanic for the player, as well as a hint system. There are many "beats" of sound that ring out at points prompting the player to jump. If the player continues to jumps well, they are rewarded with the ever-building music titled Fire Aura by kid2will. If the player fails, the music restarts, often at the worse moments. In fact most of the most difficult obstacles are placed specifically at builds in the rhythm of the music, completely depriving players of the satisfaction of a complete measure of music. And since the game resets so quickly (in literally one second) the player is compelled to go farther than before to hear the rest of the song.

The player controls the jumps of an orange cube that continues at a steady pace across the screen. There is only the jump mechanic, which has various subsets. There is what I call the "tap", the "hold", and the "slide." The difference between these is simply how long the jump button is pressed. When a player taps the jump button, the cube jumps once. When they hold the jump, the cube jumps continuously until the jump button is released. The slide is to just stop jumping.

These controls are important due to the two obstacles the player must avoid, spikes and blocks. If a player hits a spike at all they reset the level. For the block, only if the player hits the side of a block or falls off onto the black ground do they reset. Therefore, the player must alternate their focus on landing on top of blocks and avoiding spikes. Taps are mostly used to jump over spikes and land on singular blocks. Holds are used when blocks are arranged in "stairs". Slides are for long platforms and "short stairs"

Example of a "stair" with a where the player must "slide" to avoid the spike


Example of "slide" where not jumping allows the player to progress, where a precise "tap" at the end would jump the pit


Here is a map I complied of the first level for the iphone version of the game. Because this is a very horizontal game, it was difficult to cut this map up logically.


During the first stretch of the game, lots of space is given to the player to figure out how to jump, and how to interact with spikes and blocks. The musical cues for jumps are extremely obvious, while there is a distinct tonal shift for the parts where the player must hold. The player learns to time jumps over single and double spikes, as well as learning to hold on the blocks without fear of hitting any spikes or falling.


However, the game introduces the first slide at the end of the third group of blocks. Even the music tricks the player into falling for the spike at the end of the hold, teaching the player to always stay vigilant during holds. The player hops more until the first musical culmination at the fourth grouping of blocks. Here the game introduces jumping spikes while also trying to land onto blocks in the air.


The player is reintroduced to a trap at the end of the flat area, with a spike on top of a square. This reinforces the slide to avoid traps. At the bottom is a very long hold, which lets the player catch their breath and refocus.


Once at the top, the player is faced with another short slide. At this point the background rhythm and jump beats start to meld together, and are not as obvious, but subconsciously they assist in timing jumps.  


At then end of the long hold down the stairs, the player faces a triple spike for the first time. This obstacle requires a very precise jump to clear, and is a major pain. The difficulty is also compounded by the fact that the music culminates at the point the player clears this jump, severely annoying players when they fail, but motivating and eventually rewarding them once they clear it.


After the triple spike, the player is faced with an almost chaotic area where holds and slides are mingled, and confuse the player. This area demands good control of the holding and sliding mechanics. Another triple spike waits at the end of this challenge, making sure the player has gained enough skill to proceed.


After that challenging section, the player is rewarded with a long hold to refocus, but not for too long, as the spike at the end might trick a player if they zone out.


After all that, there is a double-triple spike waiting as the final challenge. The player must pull this off perfectly to proceed. After this, the level is pretty much finished, and player can breathe a sigh of relief. However, how many attempts did it take?



After replaying this level hundreds of times, I can see just how important music is to gameplay, and how it can add an unseen dimension to a game that can affect how a player acts or feels. I will keep this in mind as I design my projects into the future.
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