Epic MegaJam Winner: LIEbrary
Responsibilities
- Level Design
- Core Game Design
- Set Dressing
Development Time: 1 week
Team Size: 5
Tools
Engine: Unreal 4.21
Production: RealtimeBoard / Miro
The Game
LIEbrary is a fast-paced party game which you can play with up to 7 other people (4 is recommended)! The game takes place in a library where reality is broken and nothing makes sense. In order to win the game you must eliminate your opponents by throwing items at them. Every player in the game is invisible. If they don’t hold an object for more than 7 seconds, they will be revealed to others
Project Setup
I helped with setting up the Blueprint for the PvP combat. Initially we used the mass of the object to calculate how much health it will take away. We created a separate variable for this so objects deal damage independently from their size and weight. This gave us more control in the balancing stage. We used RealtimeBoard to share ideas, plan the week and create an asset list.
The Level
- Started with a blockout (using brushes and making everything modular)of the main area while focusing on keeping the scene readable.
- Avoided obscuring the player’s line of sight so everyone could easily spot if an object is being moved by another player.
- Tried to lock down the scale by experimenting with ranges that are fun to fight over and I looked at how much space players need to move comfortably. The level couldn’t be too large since players will find it difficult to spot each other.
- Just the main room was too claustrophobic for 4 player combat. We experimented with procedural level areas. That didn’t work well so I quickly put together a new area.
- Bookshelves can’t be moved so I used them to create a space that will not change as much as the rest of the level. This space was much tighter with less visibility. To balance that I put lamps between the shelves that are turned on when a player collides with them.
Balancing
To support our mechanic of spawning dust particles when the player jumps I placed the strongest objects (plant pots) on top of other geometry. I created more risk-reward situations by putting heavy, slow objects that do a lot of damage on places that are easy to spot from anywhere.
What We Cut Out
We had puddles of ink on the ground. Players who stepped on them would leave a trail. [Reason: Networking meant more time for implementation.]
Small rooms that attach to the main area procedurally. [Reason: Cramped isolated spaces meant players would find it hard to locate each other.]
Final Result
