My Role:
Gameplay, Level Designer and Scrum Master
Created the whole level and designed the game's main mechanic and components around it. Also organized the work flow and tasks for the team.
Team Size:
8 People
Duration:
4 Weeks
Date:
Sep 2023
Team Size:
8 People
Duration:
4 Weeks
Date:
Sep 2023
UE5
JIRA
UE5
JIRA
PERFORCE
GITHUB
"Tweaky, an everyday game object, has become self aware of their own existence and wants to find a way out from the over scoped game project. Something the game developers can't let happen."
Tweak'EM Up! is a light hearted 3rd person puzzle game where you have to use the "tweak" mechanic to manipulate your own, as well as other objects and enemies' inner code.
the concept of the game
and the design
There is no wrong way to do things. The game and the "tweak" mechanic is meant to create diversity through simplicity and let the player experiment and play around to reach their goals, and make some chaos off course . Whatever the player does is consider right.
Story Time!
Tweak'EM Up! is created around the theme "Inner conflict." I came up with the game idea based on that we did not have any artist working with us on this project. It led me to wanting to make the game be inside of another game. A game that is still in development. Just so we could get away with making it look like a prototype. The team liked the idea and all the directions we could go with it. Especially the possibilities of working with meta humour. When digging deeper into meta humour, I started playing around with the thought of putting the settings of an settings menu into actual gameplay. With that thought, the "tweak" mechanic was born.
Gameplay Design
Sketching up the "Tweak" Mechanic
Based on the game idea and theme, I brought up the "tweak" mechanic, which has become the game's main mechanic. The first thing I did, was to draw up a first design of how the "tweak" mechanic potentially could be. Made some small sketches, and looked for references. Making it able for the rest of the group to get a more clear idea of what it was.
Sketching up the "Tweak" Mechanic
Based on the game idea and theme, I brought up the "tweak" mechanic, which has become the game's main mechanic. The first thing I did, was to draw up a first design of how the "tweak" mechanic potentially could be. Made some small sketches, and looked for references. Making it able for the rest of the group to get a more clear idea of what it was.
Sketching up the "Tweak" Mechanic
Based on the game idea and theme, I brought up the "tweak" mechanic, which has become the game's main mechanic. The first thing I did, was to draw up a first design of how the "tweak" mechanic potentially could be. Made some small sketches, and looked for references. Making it able for the rest of the group to get a more clear idea of what it was.
Finding Fun
Before this stage, I had made some levels for pleytesting the first version of the "tweak" mechanic, but more of that later.
What we saw that players tend to enjoy the most, was just messing around with everything using the mechanic. The more they could mess things up, the better.
I went to the "drawing board" and played around with making different blueprints. As people usually like to destroy things, I did mechanics around that. Not only though. I did what came to mind and what I felt I had time for.
Tried to threw as much sticky things to the wall and see what got stuck.
Finding Fun
Before this stage, I had made some levels for pleytesting the first version of the "tweak" mechanic, but more of that later.
What we saw that players tend to enjoy the most, was just messing around with everything using the mechanic. The more they could mess things up, the better.
I went to the "drawing board" and played around with making different blueprints. As people usually like to destroy things, I did mechanics around that. Not only though. I did what came to mind and what I felt I had time for.
Tried to threw as much sticky things to the wall and see what got stuck.
Finding Fun
Before this stage, I had made some levels for pleytesting the first version of the "tweak" mechanic, but more of that later.
What we saw that players tend to enjoy the most, was just messing around with everything using the mechanic. The more they could mess things up, the better.
I went to the "drawing board" and played around with making different blueprints. As people usually like to destroy things, I did mechanics around that. Not only though. I did what came to mind and what I felt I had time for.
Tried to threw as much sticky things to the wall and see what got stuck.
blueprints
blueprints
blueprints
Level Design
Level Design
First Playable
To make sure not to over scope we decided to implement one value to tweak at a time. The first one being size.
I created a small first playable level with only tweaking size in mind. Made a quick 2D map, but quickly jumped in to the engine, as it is where I like to be, and started blocking it out. Wanted only to test the mechanic and how people experienced the general idea of it all. What they might understood and what they might not.
First Playable
To make sure not to over scope we decided to implement one value to tweak at a time. The first one being size.
I created a small first playable level with only tweaking size in mind. Made a quick 2D map, but quickly jumped in to the engine, as it is where I like to be, and started blocking it out. Wanted only to test the mechanic and how people experienced the general idea of it all. What they might understood and what they might not.
First Playable
To make sure not to over scope we decided to implement one value to tweak at a time. The first one being size.
I created a small first playable level with only tweaking size in mind. Made a quick 2D map, but quickly jumped in to the engine, as it is where I like to be, and started blocking it out. Wanted only to test the mechanic and how people experienced the general idea of it all. What they might understood and what they might not.
The Alpha
Short after the first playable was finished I started with the alpha. During This time we had gravity implemented for the player to tweak as well. At this stage we had not really decided if we wanted the game to be more puzzle focused or combat focused. As the "tweak" mechanic opens up a lot of options on how you can use it. For the alpha i created two sections in order to test what might be most appriciated.
1st Section
The first one being a more puzzle, and tutorial focused section. Always tried to have in mind that the puzzles are always open to have multiple solutions. To make the player feel that they found their way of playing.
2nd Section
The second being more of a playground with some basic enemies and blueprints. To let the player just play and see what they find most fun.
The Alpha
Short after the first playable was finished I started with the alpha. During This time we had gravity implemented for the player to tweak as well. At this stage we had not really decided if we wanted the game to be more puzzle focused or combat focused. As the "tweak" mechanic opens up a lot of options on how you can use it. For the alpha i created two sections in order to test what might be most appriciated.
1st Section
The first one being a more puzzle, and tutorial focused section. Always tried to have in mind that the puzzles are always open to have multiple solutions. To make the player feel that they found their way of playing.
2nd Section
The second being more of a playground with some basic enemies and blueprints. To let the player just play and see what they find most fun.
The Alpha
Short after the first playable was finished I started with the alpha. During This time we had gravity implemented for the player to tweak as well. At this stage we had not really decided if we wanted the game to be more puzzle focused or combat focused. As the "tweak" mechanic opens up a lot of options on how you can use it. For the alpha i created two sections in order to test what might be most appriciated.
1st Section
The first one being a more puzzle, and tutorial focused section. Always tried to have in mind that the puzzles are always open to have multiple solutions. To make the player feel that they found their way of playing.
2nd Section
The second being more of a playground with some basic enemies and blueprints. To let the player just play and see what they find most fun.
Replaning and The Final Level
It was quite a challenge to try to pin down what to do in the game. The choices and direction of this game is quite overwhelming. Definitely fun, but overwhelming. To handle it I did my best to trust the process of keep testing and experimenting.
Replaning
As the team got more of an idea of what we wanted to do with the final product, and me being super ready to start making the final level… I got sick.
I had to retreat from the project for a week. With me gone,
the Product Owner and I had to rethink the scope. We made the choice to make the game be a fully puzzle game. Giving us more control. We also chose to have it like this as our enemy AI had some technical difficulties. We did not wanted to let the game rely on combat.
Final Level
The other gameplay designer of the project made some quick puzzles. When I got back for the last week of production, I took those puzzles and quickly created levels of them. Tried to adapt them more to the mechanic and the game. I also added the room of the first enemy encounter and the last room of the game which is the "final showdown" room with small puzzles connected to a big one.
Decoration
Me and the other gameplay designer shared the workload on decorating the whole level. The rooms I decorated are from the 1st enemy encounter room (picture 6) to the end of the game.
When decorating, I tried to get the feel that you are in a game that is still in development. That you jump back and forth from more polished areas to less polished. In the last part, I wanted it to look like you are really leaving the main game's border by making the last room full asset free. Using only basic shapes with no textures.
Replaning and The Final Level
It was quite a challenge to try to pin down what to do in the game. The choices and direction of this game is quite overwhelming. Definitely fun, but overwhelming. To handle it I did my best to trust the process of keep testing and experimenting.
Replaning
As the team got more of an idea of what we wanted to do with the final product, and me being super ready to start making the final level… I got sick.
I had to retreat from the project for a week. With me gone,
the Product Owner and I had to rethink the scope. We made the choice to make the game be a fully puzzle game. Giving us more control. We also chose to have it like this as our enemy AI had some technical difficulties. We did not wanted to let the game rely on combat.
Final Level
The other gameplay designer of the project made some quick puzzles. When I got back for the last week of production, I took those puzzles and quickly created levels of them. Tried to adapt them more to the mechanic and the game. I also added the room of the first enemy encounter and the last room of the game which is the "final showdown" room with small puzzles connected to a big one.
Decoration
Me and the other gameplay designer shared the workload on decorating the whole level. The rooms I decorated are from the 1st enemy encounter room (picture 6) to the end of the game.
When decorating, I tried to get the feel that you are in a game that is still in development. That you jump back and forth from more polished areas to less polished. In the last part, I wanted it to look like you are really leaving the main game's border by making the last room full asset free. Using only basic shapes with no textures.
Replaning and The Final Level