Mine Dash: A simple level

Being happy with my game concept idea I sketched up a basic level. Not everything from my drawing in my sketch book went into the design when I roughed it up in ‘SketchUp 8’  but using the 2 images together and also with the image I’ve done in Photoshop you can see what I am aiming for.

My Drawing:

 

 

Putting in into SketchUp 8:

 

 

And then finally into Photoshop:

 

I think you can see what I’m trying to achieve within this level, and when I would create the final version in Photoshop or Flash, I would add all the finer details in like the mine carts and the metal girders. But for the sake of keeping the concept design clear I have left them out.

Mine Dash

This is my second game concept idea. It is very much inspired from my first as it is still set in a mine but you now play as the NPC from the first concept idea. Overall the game is simpler and I think it would appeal more to the casual gamer. Another reason for my change in concept idea is that I will be able to showcase a better and more refined idea of the game play and style I am trying to achieve.

Game Concept: Mine Dash.

You play as a character that is scared of the dark and your aim is to navigate a series of mine shafts in a certain amount of time whilst avoiding and killing enemies. The game will be a side scrolling platform game with a focus on a “time trial” game aspect. You start at the top of a mine, outside an old colliery, as you walk into the building there will be a light switch for you to press that is on a timer.  In the time it takes from the light being switched on until the light fades out, you have to get from the surface down to the first air lock. Then in the airlock there will be another switch for the next part of the mine to navigate. If you fail to reach the airlock in time the screen will turn black and you will be taken back to the previous airlock or surface area. Going back to the focus of the game, as this is a time trail game where you have to get from point A to point B in a particular time it could become quite stale rather quickly. To give an additional aspect of difficulty to the game, as the light fades out the game view will get darker, making it harder to navigate and see enemies, thus creating and increase in difficulty as the level progresses. There will be a simple HUD with a ‘Light meter’ which indicates how much time you have left before you are plummeted into darkness and made to reply the area over. Also there will be timer so you know how well you are doing, and you will be given a Gold, Silver or Bronze ingot depending on your time. If you get hit by an enemy, or fall down into a pit you will also have to restart the area, with this system there is also no need for a health bar which will keep the HUD down to a minimum. There will to 2 ways kill the enemies, the first being able to jump on their heads and the second by shooting them with a simple gun.  You will also of course be able to just avoid them if you so wish. The gun will have unlimited ammo, again this will free up space on the HUD.  You will control the game with the A and D Keys on the keyboard and the space bar would be jump. The gun will have a crosshair that circles your player in a particular radius and this will be controlled by the mouse, these controls could easily be manipulated for a console also. If this was to be put onto a mobile devise then onscreen left and right arrows and a button to jump. The aiming would be done by tapping on the enemies. An alternative to the aiming system would be only to be able to shoot along the X axis, the projectile would travel from where ever the character was whether that be in the air or on the floor.