The Last Agents
Created a 3D puzzle game demo in 1 week; solo development
Date
December 2024
Role
Solo dev: Game designer, programmer, writer, sound designer
Contribution
Gameplay mechanics design, Programming, Sound implementation and design, Level design, Dialogue writing
Skills
Unreal Engine 5, Blueprint visual scripting, Audacity
Play Link
Mechanics
Character Switch
- The player is able to freely switch between agent Purple and Blue to go through puzzles.
Color Floors
- The agents can only walk through the color floor of their respective color.
Color Blocks
- The different agents can only interact with the color blocks of their respective color. They can push the blocks to jump over taller obstacles.
Laser Floor
- Laser floor damages the player in a tick when they are stepping on it.
Supporting Skills
- The agents each have a unique supporting skill they can use when they are off field with a cooldown.
- Agent Blue's supporting skill modifies the jump to have higher height but have no air control, allowing the player to get a better view of the level and know where to go.
- Agent Purple's supporting skill shoots a laser that can break a special wall.
Objectives
Collect Keys
- The player can collect keys, which will dictate the ending they see. It is not required to move on to the next level. If the player dies, the collected keys reset.
Reach the End
- Once the player reaches the end of the level, they can use the portal to move to the next level.
See Endings
- There are two endings with different dialogues depending on if the player has collected all the keys during the playthrough.
- If the player has collected all they key, they see the "good end."
- If the player hasn't, they see the "bad end."
Reflection
What went well:
- I gained familiarity with programming reuseable systems and mechanics.
- I gained more understanding on games with character switch mechanics.
- I gained a deeper understanding about custom collision channels and Chaos Destruction System in Unreal Engine.
Obstacles:
- My professor emphasized the importance of sound cues, but it was hard to find voice lines online for the characters.
- I wasn't able to create an actual level besides a tutorial due to time constraint.
Future Improvements:
- I would like to create more levels to showcase how the mechanics could be used in real puzzles.
- I would like to make the system more cohesive as a puzzle game by increasing the stakes for character switching, like limiting the number of switches for each level.