Looking back at Skyrunner, my Final University Project

This is a brief look back at my final project in University. Having been in the industry for a few years now, I feel comfortable looking back on something I probably didn't appreciate as much as I should have at the time. I really enjoyed making the game but I've struggled ever since to work on something truly meaningful, and one that I believe in. This is mainly due to a lack of insight into the design process. But I too lacked this insight when I made this game. This is the first of many posts in which I'm going to try and refocus my attention on becoming a Games Designer. So I'm going to outline the following; what I set out to do, what I achieved, what I would have included if I had more time and how I would make it now. It's close to 3 years since I finished University. But in my final year, I was finally given an opportunity to create something that was completely of my own design. I'm not sure if prior to this moment I fully understood what a Games Designer was, but I definitely knew at this moment. And this actually changed my outlook on games. The process of coming up with mechanics and features for games was something I'd not been used to, as I'd always been given limitations in briefs. Myself and a friend Daniel, set to work on creating something that we could build our image upon. The image we wanted to convey was that of determination, dedication and passion.

In the September of 2011, we began work on a game called Skyrunner. A 3D Adventure Platformer. We opted to create the game in UDK, which neither of us had worked in before, but we believed that we were more likely to create a game that worked due to kismet (the visual scripter), as opposed to learning to code and create something in Unity (which we'd both worked in our previous projects). Our main goal of the project was to create a landscape that would both tell an epic story and feature memorable platforming. This would come in the form of the main traversal mechanic of skydiving. 

Taking loads of inspiration from Aztec Mythology, what we developed was a story in which the world as we knew it, had been destroyed by the Gods. And what was left of humanity, lived in the floating islands of the clouds above. Enter the Red Kites, a small tribe of about 20 people, who are looking for the next leader of the village, as the current Elder feels her life is slipping away. The tribe now look to 3 chosen ones who are the great descendants of the original 3 survivors. The Builder, The Healer and The Warrior. The Warrior's descendant is either Rau or his sister Kaki depending on what Gender the player chooses. And it's up to the player then to confront the trials ahead and take their mantle as the new Tribe Leader. 

In creating the game, we wanted to reflect this story more than just a cutscene. So at the start of the game, the player is in a dream sequence of Rau (or Kaki). They play a simple side scrolling platformer where the story is depicted through epic statues behind the immediate action. This also served as tutorial to introduce the player to mechanics. Once the player, has finished this section they enter the village. 

The Village is something that in hindsight we probably didn't need to work on as much as we did. We created every character, giving them all unique looks and personalties through as little as a paragraph. This was generally for the player to develop an understanding of the inner rivalries between the houses of the chosen. And set the stage for what was to come. We also included a side quest in which the resident musician has lost his music sheets, which serve as collectibles throughout the game. Each one has its own poem that we wrote to further explain the story.

Once the player has navigated some difficult platforming (and gathered the music sheets if they choose to). The real challenge begins. The player must dive into a large floating pillar like structure in the sky. As they fall through the pillar the player will need to dodge an all manner of objects such as giant gears, spears and pits of lava. This was probably the most difficult scenario to program. The main trouble we had was that we needed to change the character controller options for the player, in order for them to control Rau as he was falling. Furthermore, it was nearly impossible to predict, if the player had died, where the traps might be aligned; making every subsequent trip a guess. Thankfully, people were enjoying the prospect of beating the Pillar despite its difficulty, having seen that both Dan and I were able to beat it, making it look easy. 

Initially, we had planned for there to be 3 puzzles that would be between each skydiving section but due to time constraints and the fact it was already pushing 30-40 minutes of play; we cut out the final 2 puzzles. Which didn't seem to really matter as no one could solve the puzzle anyway and so we had to create a shortcut to bypass the puzzle completely. Also in keeping with the storyline, the big boss and God of Death, Mictlan, is attempting to stop Rau from progressing and has destroyed the tail end of the pillar leaving Rau to fall to his death before he is saved from an unlikely source. 

At this moment we have a closing cutscene, in which the player is told that the quest has only just begun. We learn that there are more survivors in neighbouring lands and Rau that must unite them to stop Mictlan from finishing the job.

Despite it's length, we had planned for so much more in the game. Rau was going to be able to control wind, by pulling and pushing objects and also to stop him from dying from skydiving. We also ran out of time, with getting Kaki also playable in the game, despite having all her animations setup and ready. We were also going to have a boss battle with Rau's new abilities against Micltan, who was also ready for the game.

We had planned to continue with the game. But ultimately found that the year we dedicated to it, was merely a stepping stone to a much bigger project that we couldn't undertake. In my own revisions of the game, I would have cut out a lot of the village and the villagers that inhabited it. This took a great deal of time to create their conversations and interactions with the player. We should have focused more on the skydiving element, adding in new mechanics and the puzzles which were already built (like the gauntlet), which never made it in.

Now, I would completely revamp the game entirely. For one, the storyline would change slightly and focus on Rau and Kaki's relationship with their father who took the challenge and never returned. The art style would change to something more oriental. And mechanically, the game would feature completely new controls and interesting combat.  New mechanics would include:

• The player would fight indirectly through use of elements, as a Rain Maker. So Rau or Kaki would dance around trying to avoid the enemies, whilst summoning the weather.
• The player would not only fight beasts and creatures, but also ride some of the larger ones.
• Rau would be able to transform into a God under direct sunlight, taking on the form of a phoenix allowing him to fly between areas.
• Lastly, the game would feature a song, which tied slightly to the story and is essentially the prayer, the oath and the creed of the Red Kites. The player would be able to make Rau or Kaki sing this song at any point with a dedicated button. This song will reveal secrets in the world by opening hidden passages and call beasts to aid the player when they are in danger. But most importantly of all, if sung when confronted with other people in the world; there response will tell the player if they are friend or foe.

I'm not sure if I will ever make this game. More likely, I will borrow elements of it should I ever decide to attempt something more ambitious. For now though, I'll sign off with the original gameplay video for the game. The song is Demons by Dry the River.

If you would like to play the game, the game is available for a free download on both PC and Mac through this site. http://www.indiedb.com/games/skyrunner