Lumin is a first-person exploration game that uses puzzles to guide the player throughout the various themed Biodomes. Set on another planet, the protagonist is trapped within an abandoned sanctuary and must escape.
This was the first game I ever worked on.
My Contribution
For this project, I worked on the Design for the first biome (Level One):
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Level Design for Level 1
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Asset placement
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Puzzle Design
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Created the skyboxes
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Created the Main Menu
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Post-processing
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Particle Effects
Level Design
For this project, each designer took on the development of a different themed Biodome. I worked on the first Biodome. Due to the fact that we wanted to focus on exploration rather than complex puzzles, I decided to design a simple puzzle that prompted exploration.
I had complete free reign of the level and its design, only having to stick to 3 rules:
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Include a puzzle to get to the next area
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Keep it smaller biodome (in comparison to the others)
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Make sure it seems abandoned and overgrown
I decided to design a cold, damp and mutated biodome, which featured a small forest, a mushroom area and a laboratory. The story behind the level was that experiments had gotten out of hand, making the life in the biodome mutate, and forcing the scientists to flee.
I designed a simple switch puzzle. Pulling all three switches (one in each area) would open a console room, allowing players to collect a key card and unlock the door to the next area. Despite having only one switch, each area contained journal entries that the player could find, providing them with more narrative.
Console Area
I wanted to include a console room that the scientists would use to spectate the biodome. Additionally, I thought it would be beneficial to lead the player there, as this was the first level of the game, I wanted to keep it simple and easy to navigate. The level is dark and only features natural light sources, so I decided I would only incorporate artificial light when leading the player, creating a pathway.
In order to access the console room where the keycard for the next area is located, players must pull three switches in each area. My intention was for the player to discover the switches in each area as they explored. However, if they do not acknowledge them, I figured adding three CCTV screens in the console room, which they can see clearly from the outside, would be an interesting and immersive way to let the player know that these are key elements.
These screens clearly display each switch but do not give away specifically where they are, just which area. This will encourage the player to return to each location and continue exploring. As this was the first level of a game for all ages, I wanted to keep the puzzle simple.
Mushroom Area
As previously stated, due to this being the first level, I wanted to keep the area straightforward and easier to navigate. I designed the Mushroom Area to be small and circular, meaning no matter which direction the player turns, they will encounter the area's switch.
I designed this area to have large overgrowing mushrooms that towered over the player to tie into the theme that the biodome has mutated and overgrown. I added point lights under each mushroom cap as I wanted this area to be colourful, making the environment feel alien. However, as the area was meant to be dark, I didn’t want the lights to be too overpowering, so I made sure to keep the intensity down.
Forest Area
The Forest was intended to be larger than it was, but due to the overgrown theme, players often felt lost and overwhelmed when the area was larger with trees of that scale. As a result, I chose to make the area smaller that dipped in parts, giving the impression that there was more to the area than there actually was.
Though the player had a torch, I didn't want them to rely on it since it had a limited range. I decided to place lights around the base of the trees so that the player could follow them if they felt lost. I also utilised Unity's particle effect system to create green, glowing fireflies.
Laboratory Area
In terms of plot, the biodome had become overgrown as a result of a scientist's unsuccessful experiments. The chemicals released caused the Biodome to grow out of control, resulting in an ecosystem that towers over the player.
I decided to make main two rooms within the lab: one depicting the incident and the other depicting the panic that followed.
Main Menu
I designed a main menu that would be from the perspective of someone hiding under a truck from something in the desert. Originally, the buttons for the menu were meant to be objects on the ground (a torch, cassette player, etc). The player would be able to select the appropriate button by looking around with the mouse. However, due to time constraints, the menu ended up with standard menu buttons.
To create the main menu's environment, I gave texture to the terrain by raising and lowering various sections, attempting to mimic sand in a desert. I then used Unity's particle effects to produce particles that looked like sand blowing past the truck. I made the terrain and the particle effects the same colour before working on post-processing.
When it came to post-processing I used Depth Of Field to slightly blur the distance, giving the impression that the sand is blocking the player's view of what's out there. I also used Colour Grading to make the environment look more like the game's setting of dusk. This was my first experience with post-processing, and I've used it frequently since.
Miscellaneous
I thought it would be interesting to incorporate a waterfall in this area to help allude to the damp conditions required for the mushrooms to grow that large. Due to this not being a necessity, I spoke with an artist who said they could make the water. I then created the waterfall using three different rock assets that had previously been used to add detail to the level.
I decided to create indentations in the terrain to signify tracks from a vehicle entering and exiting the area, indicating to the player that the doors lead somewhere. However, I am unsure how I feel about the inclusion of vines blocking the exit. Looking at this from a fresh perspective, it tells me that the player cannot exit through here as the key card would surely not move the vines.
Due to time restraints, the alien language that our writer create would not be used. As a result, I decided to utilise the whiteboard in the lab area to incorporate it. I used the alien language and Photoshop to create hand drawn sprites in the classic whiteboard colours of black, red, and green. I added these sprites to the whiteboard prefab so the player could decipher them (with the help of the translation within the journal). In addition, I decided to include a small game of hangman in the order that, when dechiphered, spells out our team name.