Platformer Tutorial Level

Here is the completed map and gameplay of my Platform project.I learned a lot doing this project, like developing successful obstacles and gating mechanisms. This project we had to create our own 2D side-scroller-platforming-tutorial-level. I'm really happy with how my level ended up turning out and I'm proud of the work I've completed.

I first wanted to introduce the player by giving instructions on the movement W A S D followed by a goal of the gator wanting the player to save their friends. I think this is setting up the narrative and a simple direction of the player to move one. I also wanted to add visual elements in the beginning to set a setting for the player to be interested to explore.

The next area the player is forced into the first Fixed Camera and is the first challenge they had to come across. This is when they learn how to jump and having text on the screen telling them they need to "Use the Spacebar to Jump" followed by the gator doing a little jump and "Good Job!" dialogue to tell the player to keep going. I also wanted to feel like your actions had a point and the gators would react to them. I used both TextRenderActors for the dialogue and Timeline is for the jump. I also added a Play Sound 2D to give the gator a voice, this would later be used for all the gators.

After learning the basic controls, jump a bit more and you come across a gator that is trapped, and you have to try and save them. In the trigger box, I have a Fixed Camera, Plays 2D Sound, and Sets up a Boolean  saying we saved the gator. (This is for later on for my gating mechanism.) I am also using a Set Light Color to change the button light from blue to green. For the gator to move after I open the cage, I just destroy the Static Mesh gator, and Spawn a new moving gator. I also destroy part of the cage, so the gator can be set free.

The Static Turret BP:

I also decided to make my own custom turret that doesn't necessarily kill the player, but knocks them back instead. This really added something unique to my game because I liked the idea of it not killing you directly but still can lead to you hitting some spikes. It also adds timing and a little extra difficulty. In my Blueprint, I'm just basically setting a fixed direction and the projectile I set it so it's only on the XY axis, which means it can't go in Z (neither can the player) so when it hits the player, it sends them back because its in the same axis as them. Rather than what we had before that could go on Z, it is forced to move the player instead.

THE END/GATING MECHANISM:

Once you make it past the obstacles and save all the gators you have to press the button to open up the end door. When this happens, it first uses Branches to check the Booleans to see if they are set true. If you don't save all the gators, the door will play a Timeline and open just a bit then fall flat and text will pop up and tells the player that they didn't save all the gators, it then quits the game.

If you do save all of the gators, the Timeline will play and open the door completely, playing a success sound. This would lead the player to the end.