ECLIPSE | PART 3 - MISSION PITCH
For Part 3, I want to talk to you about my mission pitch.
As somebody that is mostly self taught when it comes to level design (or should I say Internet taught, although I did took a 10 week online class on the subject), getting in more documentation feels pretty hard and I don't really know where to start.
I've seen some pitches during the times I was working in studios, I even made art for some game pitches, but Level Design or Mission Design pitches were not often something I needed to read or look at. So I don't have a lot of comparable.
During the course I took last spring, we dipped our toes into this universe that is document making, but it was pretty simple. I want to level up my game and make great documents that will prove I can work as a Level Designer, and foremost that I can be autonomous.
Version 1
I've shown this version in a previous blog post, but I will show it to you again. This is the first draft for this document.
I added a little bit of context, although I wasn't even really sure of my story yet. Then, I separated the mission into what I felt could be "assignments" given to the player.
Overall, I describe a lot of what is happening, but I feel it's unclear. It's definitely a draft. I think that I was not really aware of where I wanted to go and what I wanted the player to feel. I don't really have any idea of what is my flow.
I've collected feedback on my portfolio and something that came up is that I don't really have interesting loops. My player character are often pretty simple and there's not much to do in my level. So I want to challenge myself and make a more complex experience. I think I can do a beautiful level, but can I make a more complete experience? I think yes, but it's gonna require work!
WHAT WORKS IN THIS VERSION:
- I'm using an overall aesthetic, which I feel is good to sell an idea or a project.
- I have beats (but they need work).
- I have cool images that supports my texts.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK IN THIS VERSION:
- I'm not thinking about the flow of the level/mission as a whole.
- A little too much text to describe what is going on.
- Too many images, it makes it unclear. Maybe choose only one or 2 that express the core of the idea.
- I do not mention anywhere what you can do, what are the player tools.
vERSION 2
In version 2, I reworked my story a bit to add more context for the game. What is happening in this universe? I'm thinking about this mission pitch a bit like a mini game pitch. If I want people to understand what I am doing, I must give them a little context so they can understand where my design decisions come from.
I also drafted a simple game loop with mini loops of what there is to do in this game. It's a draft and at the time, I didn't really worked on Nyx abilities so I need to fix that.
I also added a page where I reworked my level breakdown into objectives. I realised my first way of drafting was not really action driven, but a game is about what actions the player is doing. I also added some insights about what could be the player tools (so i guess this is kinda my first version of Nyx's abilities), what are the NPCs, the main locations and what world activities are there to do? Maybe this word is used wrong, but what I mean by it is what are the ways you can interact with the world other then killing ennemies or traversal?
What is there to do that will keep the player engaged a little more in this space?
The rest, I reworked it a bit and added the feelings I wanted the player to feel to help me design each sections. But I feel like it still need a bit of work.
WHAT WORKS IN THIS VERSION:
- I'm starting to have an a darker Aesthetic to this project that I like.
- I think that having a little context for the story is great and will help me make good design decisions that are unique to this project.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK IN THIS VERSION:
- Still a lot of cloudy areas. It needs another pass of work overall.
- I didn't do any kind of flow chart and I think this is really missing to understand the mission at a glance.
- My loops are super drafty, I need to rework them to make them clear.
- I din't edit my intensity chart with the reworked objectives.
- I still have too much text in some places.
I have a very short attention spend and sometimes, I realise this is to my advantage as I can ask myself :
Am I bored when I read my stuff?
In this case, the answer is, yes. So I need to work on that to make it more concise and engaging. Think about a presentation I would do to my team. I need to sell that mission and make it sound epic!
Version 3
With this version, I think I am in the right track. I've rephrased many things, added some cool images and determine pillars I want to focus on for the next steps of this project.
There are still things I'm working on for a 4th pass that I hope to share with you next time.
WHAT WORKS IN THIS VERSION:
- It's clear, not too busy.
- My game loops are finally in!
- I express the core principle of this experience I am trying to make.
- I use action verbs for objectives.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK IN THIS VERSION:
- I have too many pillars. I will narrow it down to 3 essential ones
- I want to rework the flow , especially the last beat of my mission. There are some little things here and there that needs a little bit more clarity so the flow chart is super clear.
- I think the highest point in intensity should definitely be the boss fight so I'll rework that.
It was the first time I was doing a flow chart and I felt I had trouble at first to know what to put in there. Actions? Key moments? I made a lot of notes in PureRef to wrap my head around something that could make sense. In the end, I think I have something that make sense and that I could present to a team clearly.
Some of the notes I was taking in PureRef while doing that document
What's Next?
On the next blog post, I want to talk to you about the gym I am making and testing many little things un Unreal. It's been a lot of fun and I think this project is going somewhere. I try to explain my process in those posts, but of course, I do much more in the background each week.
my next steps
1. Start a gym to prototype mechanics and verify metrics for my project
I will work on blueprints I can use in my level to aid me.
2. Make a first draft of my level
I will do a first rough pass with simple boxes to give me an idea of where I want to go and maybe sketch a clearer plan after that. I find it easier to go right away in Unreal with minimal sketching first. I think better in 3D space.
3. Make a layout plan of how this level is going to be and put it in my mission pitch
I will do sketches and find a way to make a plan that is clear, not necessarily too pretty.
Also, rework those areas in my document where I still feel it could get better.
Some notes for things to improve in my document
And on that, I am wrapping up the 3rd diary of this project. This one was more about documentation, so less interactive I guess, but I feel like presenting my ideas is something missing from my portfolio so I want to add that to prove I can do the work.
I hope you found this one interesting!
As always, I made a little video if this is the format you like!
See you on the next one!
- Caro
