Project B
WIP //Work with three other players to manage a submarine and explore a mysterious, water-covered planet. Collect treasure and avoid dangerous monsters while balancing resources and staying ahead of lurking threats.
ABOUT THE GAME //This currently-unnamed project is a cooperative survival game being developed outside of class by myself and a group of 4 other students. Players must coordinate to navigate a submarine through dangerous caves while searching for treasure.
Credits:
Lead Designer: Rulon Adams / @Rulyguy
Programmers: Asher, Chris
Team Lead: Adam Kaci / @Stickguy
Lead Artist: Hayden Hogan-Doria
GAMEPLAY DESIGN //This project has been a major group effort, with everyone contributing to the basics of the gameplay design to ensure we were all on the same page. However, as the game designer, it’s been my job to refine the specifics as the game progresses.
Project B is a larger project than any I've worked on before, so managing the scope and ensuring we don’t overcomplicate things has been a challenge. Rigorous planning and detailed documentation have been crucial in keeping the gameplay focused and well-designed.
For the Game Design Document, I expanded upon the format used in the Disquietude GDD, adapting it for this project. The document is continuously updated to ensure everyone has a single reference point for any aspect of the game.
As the programming progresses, I plan to conduct extensive testing and adjustments to fine-tune the mechanics we’ve implemented and plan to implement.
LEVEL DESIGN //While our game draws inspiration from Lethal Company, we chose not to randomize the game as it would complicate too many aspects of development. Instead, we took inspiration from Subnautica’s approach of having a large, fixed area with randomized starting points and elements to create the feel of a procedurally generated world.
At this stage, I’ve only planned the level design for the tutorial level. Designing this turned out to be quite challenging, as it involves a large 3D space with numerous tunnels and floating elements. After careful consideration, I decided to structure the map into tiers, using a top-down slice for each section, with an additional side view for clarity. This approach was tricky, but it ensures the design remains as readable and manageable as possible for implementation in-engine.
SUBMARINE DESIGN //Another crucial aspect of the level design was the layout of the submarine where the gameplay takes place. Since the submarine's design is central to the experience, I went through several iterations before landing on one that felt right. The challenge was ensuring the layout felt difficult to navigate, making cooperation essential, while still being intuitive enough so players wouldn’t get frustrated trying to move around.
Initially, I designed the submarine with a futuristic spaceship aesthetic in mind:
After gathering feedback, I refined the design into something more detailed:
As the setting and theme solidified, we needed to adjust the design to make it feel more like a real submarine. By combining insights from the earlier designs, we arrived at the final submarine layout.
This final design works well because it captures the cramped, tight atmosphere I was aiming for while maintaining a complex layout that encourages teamwork. It feels much more like a real submarine, which was a key goal.
CONSOLE DESIGN //Throughout the submarine, there will be a variety of consoles that players will use to control different aspects of the ship. These consoles will be displayed as interactive screens, and I wanted each one to feel like its own menu within the game. To achieve this, I needed to plan the concept and layout of each console.
This process wasn’t just essential for building the game but also helped us refine the gameplay concept by revealing missing details that we had overlooked in the initial design document. As I worked through these console designs, I identified areas we needed to address or decide on to complete the gameplay experience.
For the first console, I focused on the power allocation system, which manages the power distribution on the ship and controls which consoles receive power. Initially, I went with a futuristic design, but after receiving feedback, I realized it didn’t fit with the submarine's more rudimentary aesthetic we had developed—similar to the style of Iron Lung. After doing some research, I adjusted the design to fit the desired look, which I think turned out very well, as shown here:
Once we established the aesthetic, I moved on to the other consoles, continuing to refine each one according to the design language.
SHIELD CONSOLE //
PLAYER STATUS CONSOLE //
