GAME OBJECT - MINES
Mines will function as an instant kill object to be avoided. The safety orange colouring aims to be a warning of sorts and is clearly distinguishable from other in game objects.GAME OBJECT - BUMPER
Much like a pinball bumper, the bumper will bounce you away. Largely an obstacle but may also serve to assist the player to reach otherwise unreachable areas. The purple colouring is chosen as the most outlandish colour left available.GAME OBJECT - BLACK AND WHITE HOLES
Black and white holes will operate similarly to the magnetic fields already implemented, only they will be functioning constantly, regardless of the player's polarity. White holes will push the player away with a strength strong enough so that it becomes effectively impossible to touch their inner radius. Black holes will do the opposite, pulling the player in, contact with the center resulting in instant death. I believe their inclusion could make for some very intriguing level design when used in unison with standard magnetism fields.LEVEL FUNCTION - LIGHT PLAYER
A stage that is entirely dark bar a small perimeter of light emitting form the play, necessitating cautious progression through the environment.LEVEL FUNCTION - RHYTHM
Rhythm could be used in our game design in a number of ways: by having the player's polarity change colour on a rhythmic basis, or conversely having the polarity of platforms change to a rhythm. This will create a timing challenge for the player, requiring patient and careful consideration of their movement.
LEVEL FUNCTION - HEAVY SPACE
Heavy space is envisioned as a field overlayed on the stage design where physics are altered to the effect of slowing player movement. Alternatively, physics could be altered to increase gravity.
REDESIGN - LEVEL GOAL
The major issue I have with the current square design of the level goal is that it's far to similar in appearance to the player object, which can cause some confusion at a glance. Redesigning it the green sphere above serves to distinguish it more from the player, the green colouring standing out well against the other game objects. After all, targets should be circular.REDESIGN - EYE
The eye/camera object stands to benefit from a redesign. A full circle design as opposed to semi circle means its tracking mechanic can operate on a full 360 degree radius. A circle design is also fitting with the simple geometric motif of the game.ADDITIONAL IMPLEMENTATION - SWITCHES
Presently our switch objects only serve to turn on or off the magnetic field of a platform. It is desirable that they serve additional function of turning on and off gravity, platforms themselves, or any of the above objects should they be implemented. Ideally scripting should be used on a per level basis to allow for multiple switches being inter-connected and thus increasing level design possibilities.
DESIGN CONCERN - STANDARDS
I feel it's important to set some standards for level design in order to keep consistency for the player's benefit. Stage gravity should be a consistent strength, as should the magnetic strength of fields. Game objects should also function in a consistent way. The exact standards we will have to negotiate after extensive testing.
DESIGN CONCERN - GRAVITY INDICATOR
Given the desire to include levels without gravity in effect as well as possibly having levels that allow for gravity to be switch on and off, it is preferable to have some way of indicating the state of gravity for the player to discern at a glance. One idea is to darken the game screen when gravity is not present, connoting the zero gravity environment of space - cold and dark.
The inclusion of just a few of these elements will improve the game design by a large degree, offering both variety and a level of excellence seen in published games. We must however be wary of scope creep, especially in regards to programming, as our main programmer, Tom, is already over loaded.
