Robbin Hood
2D - RPG
Learn About NFT's By Gaming!
Ok... But what IS an NFT?
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Talk to townsfolk to gather information on NFTs, then spread that information to others!
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Use a variety of different arguments - Some people don't care about certain causes
Solve difficult puzzles!
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Hacking is hard and requires learning new tricks - are you up to the test?
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Complete enough hacks, and you may find out who's responsible for the town's NFT craze!
Just like these students at Churchill Jr. High
What did you do?
For this project, I contributed the following:
- 2D Illustrated Mockups
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I drew out a 2D environment layout so we could have a reference before going into Gamemaker2. I wanted to design an overworld that had combat hubs as you see in Pokémon Games. We had certain NPC and Enemy encounters in our overworld. I had to ensure that the players would speak with the NPC first prior to combat, so I designed the world accordingly.
- Designing Overworld/Providing Story Through Asset Content
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I wanted to improve on how I used asset content to tell a story in my designs, so I worked with my environment artist to ensure the world reflected the harms that NFTs were having on the town as well as communicating that to the player through environmental assets and their gameplay experience.
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Created a flickering effect for the lamp posts in our overworld. This not only drew attention to where the player should navigate, but also reflected the impact that NFTs had on the environment and this town in particular.
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I had direct involvement with all the props, enemies, NPCs, and buildings. I created it to give a linear battle/level structure for how the levels would flow in the environment. This was so that it would educate players while also inciting NPC engagement to create an active and compelling town under the effects of NFTS.
- Implementing Minigames & Gameplay Feature
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I created the "Purple Square" mechanic using DND in Gamemaker2 so that we could introduce a new element to our minigames and space out concepts to keep things interesting! This square is a bright purple that stands out against a dark background. This is intentionally colored to invite the player to use it. This square also allows the player to move through the square freely while the enemy cannot.
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Implemented a timer, enemies, collectibles, and events via visual scripting so that our minigames would challenge and engage the player.
- Running Playtests to Improve Gameplay
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I also collected and organized feedback from playtests to improve design & gameplay. This was so that we could iterate more based on the feedback we would receive from players. Our biggest goal was to educate the player and engaging gameplay was crucial to that success.
Level/Gameplay Design
~Minigame Expectations
This level was designed to give the player an idea of what to expect when it comes to the minigames. Starting the player with only the basics such as collecting the icon before the timer runs out and moving around the space allows the player to demonstrate they understand the mechanics and goal early on.
Level #1
Level #2
Level #3
~New Challenge & Building Upon Learned Skills
Level two takes the skills that the player has learned in level one and challenges them further by adding an enemy in the mix. This enemy will chase the player indicating that they are a threat. If the player is caught, they will die, and the level will restart. If the player dies during a portion of the level, they will restart on the portion they died on instead of the game starting all over. This was designed to keep the focus on learning about the harm of NFTs through gameplay instead of the frustration of starting all over if they were to lose. Replaying the portion of the level they die on keeps things challenging while still swaying away from the frustrations that could cause those players to quit.
Level #4
~ New Mechanic
Level three brings in a new concept called the purple square. This square is a bright purple that stands out against a dark background. This is intentionally colored to invite the player to use it. This square also allows the player to move through the square freely while the enemy cannot.
~ Enemy Placement
When introducing the purple square the enemy is placed specifically to ensure that the player will lose if they do not use it. This ensures the player cannot move forward in the game without demonstrating that they understand the purpose of the purple square and what it does. This in turn derives experimentation for the player.
~ Additional Quest
This level also consists of an additional icon that the player must get before they win the game inciting more of a challenge due to the same amount of time restraint all while avoiding an enemy.
~ Level Progression
Each level gets progressively harder while adding more mechanics and challenges. These concepts are spaced out to keep things interesting while also giving the player time to digest the changes/challenges of each level.
OVERWORLD DESIGN
~ Overworld Design
The overworld was designed to give a linear experience from top to bottom to allow for the player to build upon their skills and learn more information ensuring they unlock more buttons as they go. This can be shown visibly by the red arrows. Once all three levels are beaten and those fighting buttons are unlocked the gate leading to the final boss will open ensuring that even if the player did go out of order they cannot win unless they play all the levels. If a player were to find themselves in a spot where they did not have the correct information to fight or started on the wrong level, they have a back button to retreat with no consequences.
Players will need to find NPCs that give them information to battle their opponents. NPCs that give this information can be shown with a white star above their head while the enemy can be located by finding the yellow star.
To keep the players interested as well as inform them even more about the harms of NFTs other NPCs will give comedic relief or information.
- Crucial Informational NPCs
- Battle NPCs (Most in Buildings)
No Stars = Comedic/Story NPCs
~ Two Enemies and Three Icons, Oh My!
Level 4 takes all the previous skills the player learned to get to this final level and increases the difficulty by adding another enemy and an additional icon.
~ Enemy Addition
Level 4 consists of two enemies, the one from the original games played and an additional one that is quicker in speed. Many of these minigames will force the player to be wary of the quicker one while forgetting the slower enemy is still in pursuit forcing the player to become more aware and acquire more skill to succeed.
~ Icon Addition
Level 4 consists of three icons that must be collected to win the game. Due to the placement of these icons, they require the player to outmaneuver the enemies without running out of time. The timer is still set to the 10 seconds that the player started with in level one hence testing the players' skills that they have learned throughout all the minigames to win the game.
Storytelling Elements
~ Level Design, Telling a Story through your Environment
Something important about designing the overworld was the use of storytelling elements. Robbin Hood takes place in a town that has gone NFT-crazy. As NFTs have harmful effects on not only people's lives but also the environment I wanted to reflect that in my designs.
One way I did this was by creating a flicker effect in the lampposts all around the city. This communicates something is wrong to the player as these lights are distracting while also guiding players utilizing leading lines to important NPC areas that will provide crucial knowledge for combat situations.
A LOOK INTO MY DESIGN
ITERATION PROCESS
Iterations were crucial as they allowed me to experiment with different game maps, minigames, and player Ui experiences. As iterations were created, playtests were simultaneously being observed to see what worked best for this game and what the player enjoyed. Iterations also allowed me to start with a basic framework and take what got a positive review and iterate those that did not enhance the game experience.
