ZHU ZENG
Sky Road is a first-person adventure game where players can use ziplines with customizable length, curvature degree, and direction as an additional option to enhance their movement. The level design targets the unique zipline feature and focuses on players' proprioception.
Instead of focusing on the difficulty and competitiveness of the levels, this game creates sensory feedback for the players by using the kinesthetic mechanic. Specfically, the game looks closely at the proprioception of the players. I have crafted the zipline with increasing speed that imitates a more realistic experience.
PLAY
Level Design
The repetitive appearance of certain objects in game serves as a clue for players to solve puzzles and navigate in the right direction.
There are a few animations in the game, and all of them require the user to interact with a candle.
Exterior
Spatial Environment
The amount of interior design is approximately equivalent to the exterior design.
The alternation between these two spatial environments creates tension for the players, especially when they move from a house to an open space.
Interior
Verticality
In order to make the game entertaining, the players can have multiple approaches in the game to solve a puzzle.
The players can revisit the past levels to finish their missions or enjoy the scenery.
Affordance
The appearance and shape of objects in game afford the way of interaction with players, guiding them to move in the right direction.
Keep Player in Flow
Auditory Feedback and Visual Consequences
When players collect gems, there is auditory and visual feedback that tells them the gem is collected. Also, when the players fall down from the ground, they will reappear at the level they were. It helps the players understand that they have just died.
Safety Nets: Respawn Points
Considering the various skills of the players, the level design focuses on creating respawn points for each scene. Since this game does not stress the importance of skills, the safety nets help to eliminate players’ anxiety.
Limited Space for Line Collider
To enhance the players' understanding of the line, I implemented a function that displays a red indicator and a cross at the end when encountering an obstacle, preventing them from drawing a completed line.
Game Engine Implement
The "Player-customized path" is the result of an interpolation curve, which builds the game's most innovative mechanism.
The key is to send coordinates in Linerenderer as the moving direction to Unity's rigidbody system.
