Full Sail University - Project and Portfolio III: Game Design

Post-Mortem

During this month at Full Sail University, we were tasked with creating a new mechanic for a base template we were provided. We then had to document our mechanic before picking a peer’s mechanic to implement. I chose to create a Mirror Player Entity for my mechanic and to implement Mirrored Block Movement, which was designed by Daniel Marinaro, a fellow student. 

What went right: 

• The Mirror Player Entity was an interesting mechanic to work with and kept me interested in the project. Coming up with ideas for puzzles utilizing the mechanic was very fun, creatively. 
• The implementation of the Mirror Player Entity was very straightforward, simply mirroring the movement of the player. Although the Mirror Player Spawner was a bit more complex, I was able to utilize the template objects to make it easier to implement. 
• Although initially somewhat difficult, after reframing the concept, the Mirrored Block Movement mechanic ended up being very easy to implement. I was able to utilize the basic code for the blocks, only adding a small segment to move the connected boxes for the mirrored movement. 
• The simplicity of the Mirrored Block Movement concept lends itself well to puzzle design and gameplay. I would like to add a visual signifier of the connected boxes to make it less confusing for players. However, it serves as a strong tool for level design with my project.

What Went Wrong 

• Initially I had overcomplicated the execution of the Mirrored Block Movement. After a few unsuccessful attempts I took a step back and realized that there was a very easy way to implement it. 
• Just as the Mirrored Block Movement I had overcomplicated the connection between the Door and Buttons. I was initially relying on the animations to update certain events. This turned out to be unreliable and after reworking the idea I got it to work eventually. 

In conclusion, the project was a test of ingenuity and proper documentation. It was good practice for working on existing projects and implementation of ideas from another person. I think the lessons I learned from this project will prove useful when working with a designer and on different engines. I was happy with the idea I had for the project and how it turned out. I plan to continue working with this project and refine the work I have already done.