CHOP SHOP (Level Design Sample)
PLEASE NOTE: I am not affiliated with, or employed by, Devolver Digital or Dennation Games. This is a project I did as a level design sample in a pre-established gaming system.
Play Here
Team Size: 1
Role: Designer
Development Cycle: 2 Months
Description: Chop Shop is a complete level design sample created from the ground up using the Hotline Miami 2 level editor. I created this level with corresponding lectures via Twitch to demonstrate the complete start to finish game development process.
Core Tasks:
- Concepting, prototyping, developing, alpha/beta testing, and launching the level from the ground up.
- Collecting player feedback and tweaking design based on those responses.
- Preparing and delivering livestream lectures for each state of the design process on Twitch.
POSTMORTEM
What went well:
- As a whole, my initial design was received well by beta testers, and I didn’t need to go through any massive overhauls after beta testing.
- There was a legitimate interest and hunger for non devs to learn more about how games are made.
- Working with an engine grounded in an existing game allowed for fast iteration and plenty of opportunities to change design choices in real time.
What went wrong:
- The initial floor of Chop Shop was designed as a non linear space, which players didn’t realize during beta.
- Players mainly favored one playstyle while going through Chop Shop, and didn’t have a lot of opportunities to explore different playstyles.
- Although it wasn’t my main focus, the art direction declined as the level progressed.
What I learned:
- Players want to learn how games are made, and we as an industry need to do a better job of being transparent.
- Intimate knowledge of a system or game won’t always mean a player will know how you want them to interact with that game. Even if it might seem obvious to you as a developer, bread crumbing is absolutely necessary.