Black Depth
Game Summary
A table-top RPG game about a world catastrophe made by drastic climate change, and your home country was not spared. Gather up survivors and find a way to escape safely off from your devastated country.
Project Details​
Platform : Tabletop RPG
Team Size : 2 Members
Roles : Level Designer, Narrative Designer
Duration : 3 Months
Tools Used : Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word
Production Process
Sketch
Paper and Pencil/Pen
I start off by sketching and drafting out each game event and progression that the player will encounter, in terms of size, shape, duration and how he/she plays and move during that event. Precise Metrics will not be taken into consideration.
Discussion & Planning
Metrics, Scale, Size
After the sketches are done, I discuss and ask opinions and feedback from my teammate in regards to the rough layout that was done. After we agreed on the layout, we plan out the precise metrics, scale of each level area. For Black Depth, each block is 2m x 2m, 1cm to 2m scale.
Photoshop
Level Designing, Legends
Once the layout and metrics are confirmed, I begin tracing the layout of the areas on Photoshop in detail. Details such as the legend, scale, and the visuals on the map.
Simple Level Layout
Part 1
I idealized a simple top-down level framework of an open field and add in a simple gameplay scenario where the game's features are in play for testing. This is to help me determine if the level metrics of the scene needs to be adjusted or to be improved upon.
Detailed Level Building
Part 2
After finalizing the game level's metrics and scaling in general, I will design precise frameworks of different levels with consideration to the game's story and settings, as well as refining on the game's features. Every level scene will be clearly described in detail of the objectives and different scenarios that the player will encounter.
For example, one part of the story states about the survivors going down to a car park, hearing cries of help of another survivor that is surrounded by numerous mutated, while the area is flooded.
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When it is flooded, the player's movement, as well as the NPC, will be affected. How many steps can they take compared to the mutated that are immune to water constraint? How long do the survivors need to take to save the NPC and what are the chances that the NPC might die?
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This questions will shape and determine the size, path and obstacles that the area would need to bring intensity and strategy to achieve the goal.
Game Level Flow
Part 3
Finally, with every section well planned out and playtested, I fit the pieces of the level flow based on the story progression
My Experience from Black Depth
As this is my first time creating a table-top adventure RPG game, it has let me understand and learn a lot in terms of level design fundamentals and the challenges faced as level designers in players' reactions to the world we build.
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I have witnessed players doing many unique and hilarious strategies to overcome obstacles through either navigation or the mechanics of the game itself. It could even cause groundbreaking bugs even for a table-top game that unbalances the gameplay overall.
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It is a table-top game but it has exact reflections of how digital games faced and work as well. It was something worth learning from this project.