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Spider-Man DS Test Level
When I was hired at Vicarious Visions as a Design Co-op student, I was initially assigned to work on a Spider-Man DS title! I was asked to build a test level using Google SketchUp.
I was given a GDD (game design document) and a location: Times Square. I found some images for inspiration, then drew out designs for my level in my notebook.
I was given a GDD (game design document) and a location: Times Square. I found some images for inspiration, then drew out designs for my level in my notebook.
- What paths would I want Spider-Man to take?
- What events might he run into?
- Where could he come back to explore later?
- What would be really fun to play?
Below are some landmarks I built into my test level. Keep in mind, this level was never released in a Spider-Man game. In fact I was transferred to a different project, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam for Nintendo DS, the day I started working at Vicarious Visions!
Spider-Man would spawn outside this building with the large window in front. It was suggested in the GDD that Spider-Man might catch wind of criminal activity through news reports, so I pictured this building as an electronics store, with stacks of TV's in the window playing the news.
A clever player might notice that Spidey can move left from here, and discover a secret on top of a tall building!
To progress, the player would move to the right, choosing to proceed through a garage or above it.
Beyond the garage, Spider-Man would reach an alley with three paths to choose from. He could choose a ground floor storage entrance to a nearby building, a ventilation duct entrance, or he could climb above and over this building.
I made sure that players would be able to see nearby paths in their field of vision, no matter what path they chose. They might see secrets that they'd only be able to reach when they backtrack!
If the player chose the top route, over the building, Spider-Man might encounter a villain on the roof, by the giant billboard. If the player chose either of the other two paths, Spidey would find himself in a Broadway theater.
I pictured an epic battle on the stage. The set could look like a small-scale city scape, so Spidey would look huge by comparison. An encounter with a super villain here would feel like something straight out of Godzilla!
I pictured an epic battle on the stage. The set could look like a small-scale city scape, so Spidey would look huge by comparison. An encounter with a super villain here would feel like something straight out of Godzilla!
And finally, I thought I'd end the Times Square level with a familiar location we see every New Years Eve!
Imagine a group of criminals arming a bomb, set for when the giant ball drops for the New Year - starting the year off with a BANG! And in comes your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to save the day!
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Imagine a group of criminals arming a bomb, set for when the giant ball drops for the New Year - starting the year off with a BANG! And in comes your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to save the day!
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