You have been chosen as the lucky test subject for B.E.T.A.’s newest cybernetic arm prototype, equipped with three superhuman abilities. As this test subject, you will be required to apply these abilities, along with careful application of spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, and general problem solving in order to solve a series of puzzles. Good luck!
I was responsible for the development of both the Lift and the Stall ability. I also integrated the targeting system; creating a customizable highlight material for interactive objects using the renderer’s depth pass.
“The player can reach out with the Gravitas to select a distant object from within the game environment. Locking onto their target object, moving their hand around, and squeezing their fingers will allow the player to lift the object, move it around, or pull it towards themselves in a manner similar to telekinesis.”
“The player can reach out with the Gravitas to select an object within their environment to immediately freeze the movement or gravity on it. Furthermore, certain objects that are being manipulated using the Lift ability can be Stalled in place by pressing a special button on the back of the Gravitas.”
In addition, I was responsible for developing modules which could be placed throughout levels in order to form large scale puzzles.
Throughout pre-production, the majority of my time was invested in the design of gameplay mechanics, including how they would harmonize to create interesting puzzle scenarios. Given the small size of our team, we designed “puzzle modules” (See Section Below) which could be placed throughout environments, allowing us to effectively create larger, more intricate, puzzles.
I worked with several team members to conceptualize levels and potential puzzles which could be found within them. During development, I planned and built the Tutorial environment, as well as the majority of the 2nd Level (after the player learns to use the Stall ability).
Given the scale of the game and the small size of the team, we decided to construct levels in a modular fashion. I was responsible for designing and developing the custom tools that would allow artists to build environments quickly and efficiently. Each tool can be reused with different objects and saves on performance by harnessing instanced static meshes.
