2D Platformer in Unity

Overview

During Rapid Games Prototyping I was tasked with creating several different prototypes showing a particular genre and demonstrating the usefulness of using a game engine like Unity to plan out game mechanics and creating a mock-up of how a game might work, this also involved creating a one sheet document outlining the insperation and features of the game.

This particular prototype shows a 2D platformer with player movement including the ability to dash and wall jump, deterministic enemies, collectables, and several animations created in the Unity engine.

One Sheet

To follow industry standards and help plan out my time and resources I created a One Sheet document that outlined key features I wanted in my prototype, the general style I wanted to achieve, and the inspiration for the game.

Getting Started

Once the plan was in place I started by creating animations for my player character and adapting the character controller to allow the player to crouch and dash giving the player more flexibility to navigate the world.

Wall Jumping

After I had created the animations for my player I wanted to work on the big feature of this prototype, wall jumping. I wanted a way for the player to navigate the level vertically without the use of strategically placed platforms, this led me to attempt a wall jumping mechanic where the player can attach to the wall and force themselves up by bouncing from one wall to another. To do this I created a method in which the player's gravity became zero if a ray cast detected the player was hugging the wall, then if the player jumped force the player up and away.

Enemies

For enemies, I wanted to create some deterministic AI obstacles that will force the player to go around or jump on their heads to remove them from the game. While creating this game I had a younger audience in mind and wanted that cartoon feel which I feel matched with my art style and simple nature.

Buliding my Levels

To create my levels I incorporated the use of tilemaps in Unity, this gave me the ability to easily paint platforms and landscapes for the player to traverse. I then wanted to create some incentive to keep the player heading towards the exit without putting a massive arrow in the background, I did this in two ways. First I created a timer that forces the player forward trying to find the exit before time runs out, second I used the collectables to give the player a hint of which way to go or an idea of how to traverse a certain obstacle.