LAVIN
ROLES
Technical Designer
System Designer
UI & UX Desiger
3 Weeks
TIME
2 Designers
TEAM SIZE
CONCEPT
Lavin is a slow-paced thriller/puzzle game in which our goal was to consistently keep the player on edge while advancing through straightforward puzzles.
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The primary emotions we aimed to evoke in players were a sense of unease and an overarching feeling of mystery.
SYSTEM DESIGN
When designing the systems and different mechanics of the game I typically start by paper designing.
Firstly I brainstorm ideas, then when I had decide on a mechanic I write down what purpose I want it to fill within the game.
Then I moved onto making flowcharts or rapid prototyping to pinpoint more exactly how it should function in game as well as how I should script the mechanic to help me or someone else later in the process.
This is a gallery, click to swap between photos.
GAME PROGRESSION
My intent when designing the progression and puzzles in Lavin was to always provide the player with a clear way forward while still forcing them to think. I did not want to blindly guide them.
I achieved this by ensuring that every puzzle concluded by giving the player a hint of what is to come. For example, when burning down a blockade, you find a key. This key leads to a tool shed that you have seen before. Inside, there is dynamite which suggests to the player that an explosion is needed to progress further. From there, they can follow a cable connected to a detonator and so on.
TECH DESIGN
DESIGN GOALS
As I had full responsibility over all code in this game project I set out to build everything as modular and easily expandable as possible mostly to challenge myself. I made a concious effort to leverage Unreal's structure to make clean and modular functionality.
STRUCTURE
I set up a few Interfaces & Blueprint classes which made up the core functionality.
Using these as building blocks, I customized them for specific functionalities. For instance, I created 'Interactables' (highlighted in yellow) and 'Useables.' This approach enabled me to efficiently and modularly construct the game.
BLUEPRINTS
INVENTORY & CRAFTING
This was my first time making anything like an inventory or crafting mechanic which really exited me. I am very happy with the results overall though there are still some areas I would like to improve. I am particularly happy with the structure I set up for crafting as it makes it possible to quickly add endless recipes with minimal effort. I learnt a lot during this process. As I made use of Enums & Data Tables.
PUZZLES
When planning the lockpicking mechanic I wanted to make sure that it felt intuative for the player. As this mechanic is a small part of the game I did not want them to struggle figuring out how it worked. I also made sure not to overcomplicate the system. Below is Part of the lockpicking code.
