Gameplay Trailer
overview
"Evolution” is a single player stand-alone mission designed for Gears of War. “Evolution” takes place underground in a cave filled with Imulsion. The player takes control of a special Lambent Wretch that has the power to evolve and grow stronger by killing Locust.
DEVELOPMENT INFOGame: Gears of War
Engine: Unreal Editor 2.8 Development Time: 6 weeks (175 hours) Game Type: Third Person Shooter Playtime: 15 minutes |
DESIGN GOALSUse UI to drive gameplay
Use Pawn Possession to create new gameplay in Gears of War Design a map that can be effectively navigated by three very different classes of Locust: Wretch, Drone and Boomer Create a Horde Mode type of gameplay Create a cave filled with Imulsion |
Screenshots
Design challenges
- Use Unreal's UI tools to create a new interface used to show possible upgrades the player chooses from
- Create a custom HP system, due to the Locust's inability to regenerate HP
- Create a custom melee attack ability for the player's Wretch as the default one does not work properly
- Create a custom ranged attack ability for the player's Wretch to create cohesive gameplay with the other Locust classes
- Differentiate the player Locust units from the enemies by combining various existing materials
- Random enemy spawn locations
- Create enemy waves
- Upgradable stats for Health, Melee Attack and Range
SCRIPTING COMMENTARY
maps
Design
Layout
Evolution's layout was originally a more traditional single player map, a semi-linear flow with sub-objectives every few rooms. However after some feedback and iteration, I changed it to be more of a horde mode. In particular, I had been playing a lot of Team Fortress 2's new Mann vs. Machine mode, which allows players to upgrade their abilities after defeating a wave of AI enemies. I already allowed the player to upgrade their stats, so I decided to adopt a map layout that you would normally find in multiplayer. Several evolution points and enemy spawn locations force the player to move around the space.
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Evolution system
The UI itself was designed to convey information to the player using both words and symbols. For example, a bullet represents range attacks and small number in the corner shows the level the player would be upgrading to. Both the number and the symbol change to show that the player is at a different level the next time the UI is opened.
Communicating where to go when a wave ends was a small challenge, I settled on placing a noticeable particle effect where the player needs to go. There's also a short UI that pops up at the end of a wave explicitly telling the player to look for these locations. There are only 5 waves in evolution, but 8 possible choices when the player upgrades his stats. This increases replayability and forces the player to make decisions based his style of gameplay. |
Wretch, Drone, Boomer
These are three distinct classes of Locust with their own play style. The Drone is the same as a typical COG, but the Wretch and Boomer are very different. Notably, the Wretch has no ranged attack, while the Boomer cannot sprint or take cover.
Some of these issues were resolved with scripting however, a few, such as the Boomer's inability to take cover, remained a problem. To combat this, I placed large rock formations, that are not necessarily cover for other classes, around the playspace. As the Boomer, the player can hide behind these formations and lob rockets through the gaps in order to attack enemies. When the player upgrades a stat, all three classes are upgraded equally. For example, if the player upgrades the HP stat as a Wretch and then evolves into a Drone, the player keeps the initial HP upgrade. Finally, for story purposes, the player character is meant to be a special evolving Lambent that has taken over a Locust. To show this, I altered the material of each class to appear glowing and yellow, like Imulsion. |
post mortem
I am proud of what I was able to do in Evolution. Looking back on it, I implemented so many complicated scripting elements in this project that I cannot help but feel like it is an example of my best work. Combining the distinct gameplay styles of Wretch, Drone and Boomer into one map was another tough task that I am proud of.
I would add more cimematics if I had time, especially one showing where the enemies spawn.
I would add more cimematics if I had time, especially one showing where the enemies spawn.