Sim Solver Overview

Sim Solver was my first swing at developing a full game from the ground up, I wanted to make a full experience that pushed the bounds of everything I've learned. My main goals for the game were to have a wide array of environments, a story guiding you through, and levels that challenged me to creatively use the set of basic set of mechanics I made.

Below is a short run down of my thoughts on each level, with much more details about development being documented in a series of Dev Vlogs on my YouTube.

Level 1 - CodeSpace 101

CodeSpace 101 aims to introduce the player character to the concepts of the game both narratively and mechanically. Immediately I set up concepts like the CodeSpace and key visual designs that the player will be seeing throughout their playtime. I made sure that I had tutorials for all the major mechanics and then let the player put those lessons to the test in a linear and straightforward environment that requires a basic understanding of the gameplay to complete it. There are a lot of dialogue and interaction points in this level, so the player gets comfortable with the two supporting character and their motivations for going through all the simulations. I reworked this level 4 or 5 times as development progressed, the quality both mechanically and visually of later levels was much higher and I needed to ensure the beginning was up to snuff, albeit in a smaller and more focused way.

Level 2 - Medieval Village

With the Medieval Village level, I wanted to give the players an experience that was a bit more open and let them explore a small environment since CodeSpace 101 was very linear. This level is largely centered around simple puzzles and environment interactions with only one section of platforming. I challenged myself to make a highly interactable level, everything that the player can see they can pick up, throw, and even break in some instances.  All levels contain this mechanic, but the Medieval Village level is centered around it since the town environment allowed me to justify large amounts of objects. That choice ended up being a troublesome design decision for the level because it was incredibly time-consuming to fight the physics and collisions of objects while decorating scenes. Which taught me valuable lessons about making sure all meshes have proper collision. I overhauled this level halfway through development and added in a new starting location, a few side explorable areas, and a visually more distinct cliff face.

Level 3 - Science Facility

The level Science Facility was my first creative roadblock, I had an idea for scaling mountains, but the rest of the level wasn’t realized in my head yet. Eventually, I had the idea to start the player in these overflown science buildings from an Avalanche and then everything took form. The first draft of this level was extremely short and when I revisited it later on in development, I was unhappy with the quality. That’s when I had the idea to throw the player back into the CodeSpace suddenly mid-level to remind them that everything they see is just being generated by the CodeSpace and at any moment it could all collapse. I also used this as a way to introduce the player to a new mechanic, bounce pads, and once I added an additional area to the science buildings, I was really happy with the level. It is the most linear and likely shortest level in the game, but I wanted it that way since the previous level was open, and puzzle focused. By the time player completes this level they should have a good idea of what they are in for with this game.

Level 4- Code Space Detour

The creation of CodeSpace Detour was when Sim Solver really came together. It was a level that finalized the look of the CodeSpace and caused me to go and make final overhauls to the previous 3 levels, so they are of the same quality as CodeSpace Detour. The primary goal of the level was to give a much larger experience entirely based in the CodeSpace and to introduce the game mechanic of enemy turrets. There’s a balance of both platforming, puzzle, and combat objectives all of which have a more complex design to them when compared to what the player has done prior.  I spent a very long time on this level largely since I was experimenting with how the CodeSpace should look but it all paid off as I came up with an entire visual language for the CodeSpace that ripples throughout every level. I learned the lesson that I should start with a more ambitious gameplay experience when doing level design so I can set the quality bar of the game and not need to go back to overhaul past levels after the fact.

Level 5- Sea of Sim

Sea of Sim was the most fun I had while making this game, everything just fell into place while building it. It has a nice balance of everything Sim Solver offers while giving the player some beautiful environments that vary in scale and look, fleshing out the background visuals was particularly creatively fulfilling. I pushed myself in how I build the explorable areas by layering multiple locations in and around each other instead of just a linear progression which was refreshing and evolved my skills.  I made a few exciting additions to mechanics like vertical moving jumps and went crazy with the heights of bounce pads that launch you. Apart from some of the visual work I did in the CodeSpace, this level is the part of the game I walk away proudest of.

Level 6- A Dark Turn

When I started this level, I needed a break from the normal gameplay of Sim Solver which led to this experience being a departure. A Dark Turn was my attempt at a horror level, I focused on sounds and ways to twist Sim Solver mechanics into something more unsettling.  As you go through the level you hear giggles, breathing from statues, thumping of mushrooms, and more. The player still needs to solve puzzles, which are themed around sacrifices. Then platforming is present but the environment they do it in is extremely dark and a blend of Gothic architecture and a fungus cave. I chose to include almost no CodeSpace elements or combat in the level to preserve the horror nature. Instead, I had to think outside the box for mechanics like a maze that slowly moves as you navigate it.  Overall, A Dark Turn let me try something new and kept me from burning out while making Sim Solver.

Level 7- Going Greece

Going Greece took a long time to get going, It’s the final Simulation level so I wanted it to be memorable. The initial idea for the level would have the player traversing two versions of the level, one with the simulation running and one in the CodeSpace to show how the viruses destabilized things, but it wasn’t possible for technical reasons. Instead, I just opted to make it the penultimate experience including a linear platforming section, a CodeSpace interruption, and an explorable puzzle section. I ended up being extremely proud of what I did with the level and did something brand new for each of those sections. The platforming was set underwater which I thought was refreshing, in the CodeSpace part the player has to go through an escape sequence, and the puzzle section was a more focused attempt at the Medieval Village level with lots more variety. In my eyes, it’s a suitable way to say goodbye to the Simulation-based levels.

Level 8- The Last Stop

The Final Stop’s main goal was to show just how badly the viruses have corrupted the simulation. To communicate that, CodeSpace visuals are distorted. The end of the game is intended to be very straightforward and a combat/obstacle-focused experience. While developing I strayed from that vision slightly and ended up adding platforming and optional puzzles which make certain challenges easier. Like CodeSpace Detour this level is entirely in the CodeSpace, you start in the “data housing center” which I visualized with a digital neighborhood environment overrun by viruses. I throw every hazard I can at the player and some new ones as well. The level then spirals into a visually unique platforming section until they make it to the final area which is a mix of virus hunting, combat, and an obstacle course. My hope is that all the combat is a release for the player after the narrative events that happened in Going Greece and leaves the player feeling like it was a true climax.