Level Design

The level design for Buggy Bogey proved to be an interesting challenge. The player changes size throughout game so the level needs to take this into consideration. Another factor is that there are no fixed points in the game progression at which the change will happen, so the level needs to be fun for both a player at the smallest size as well as a player at the largest size.

Initially we played around with the player starting in the tent and leaving that to explore the level.

This design had our Hero props in close proximity to one another. This design ultimately felt too cramped. The structure didn’t leave much in the way of space to play around with with the whimsy that we wanted the game to evoke.

Stepping back, we looked back to the physical prototype as well as trying out different simple designs for levels.

We reached an agreement that a spiral was the ideal balance between structure and whimsy. The spiral also provided a solution for the player growing as it funnels the player towards the more open areas as they increase in size. It also allows us to make the starting areas better scaled to smaller players. This way the player is more likely to be at a certain size once they reach a certain area (as seen in the color zones in the image above).

We originally had the player start at the entrance and make their way towards the big top tent. Following a natural progression that most people would experience when going to a carnival. However, certain concerns were raised that the player might be too big at the end of the spiral. We reversed the direction of gameplay to better match the spiral and that was how we reached the current design.

Currently the player will start in the yellow section. Within the player is very small. They will be picking up crumbs such as coins and tickets. This will allow the player to reach the next size level. The player can choose to stay in the starting area or leave to the next area. They are incentivized to leave as their new size allows them to pick up larger crumbs that are worth more points. This continues as the player progresses through the level. The areas also feature crumbs that are too large for the player to pick up at the scale for the current area. For example, in the food court (green) will have small crumbs for pickup and medium to large crumbs as obstacles. The Game Alley, (Blue), will have medium for pickup with large and extra large crumbs as obstacles. This will continue for the rest of the level. This will reward the player for further exploration while still pushing them to continue towards goal.