Sapper
Sapper is a puzzle game based on explosive interactions between different objects; the player must use all the items at his disposition wisely to destroy castles.
On this project I worked on Game design, first defining core rules with other game designers then further detailing interaction rules by making a rational Game design document to list every case. I then proceeded to work on Level design, imagining small game situations with interesting interactions, and using them after to create levels around those core ideas. I also made playtests which allowed me to spot bugs, Game design and UX problems, and to propose solutions.
What went right
What went wrong
What I learned
The use of rational game design documents helped a lot when it came to thinking of all interaction cases, and communicating with programmers. The methodology I used for the Level design was efficient to create levels with strong thematics and interesting puzzles at the same time.
It took me a long time to tweak the levels to make them more readable, since the game is in an isometric view. The difficulty mainly came from the conflict between trying to make visually interesting and easily readable levels, while keeping their mechanical functionality intact.
This project taught me how to break down a game system into all its interactions. It's a lengthy process, but in puzzle games like Sapper, it was very useful, and I plan to use the methodology I acquired again when necessary. I also learned a lot about rational Game and Level design.
