Dillo’s Dilemma
Work in Progress*
Responsibilities:
Designed the layouts of the map
Modeled assets with Maya and UE5’s modeling tools
Implemented environment art assets to set dress
Scripted player interactions and several world movement mechanics like specific PINGAS
Category: Capstone Project
Level Goals:
Design the Rat Kingdom to optimize highspeed, adrenaline packed, pinball-esque gameplay
Create a space that will include middle to late game forts varying in difficulty
Align this level narratively and mechanically so that it makes sense between Dillo’s Home (level 2) and the Final Boss Arena (Level 4)
Overworld Blockout: The Rat Kingdom
The Rat Kingdom overworld is structured to guide the player through a series of evolving challenges and environments. The process begins with a freely explorable poorer rat neighborhood, where Dillo roams without interference—citizens view him as one of their own rather than a threat. Scattered throughout this area are collectibles like firefly currency and pinga parts, incentivizing exploration.
From here, the design transitions to the city’s outskirts, where two key areas are introduced: the mine fort and the factory fort. These zones harness raw materials collected in the mine and transform them into functioning pinball parts. Successfully acquiring these components opens access to the aristocratic district.
In this upper-tier area, the third fort poses a unique challenge: the player must operate a cannon that launches firefly-based fireworks at the Rat King’s statue. Knocking the statue down provokes the Rat King into battle in his castle, seamlessly transitioning into the final boss encounter.
Section 1: Rat Shanty Town
Goal
Demonstrate Socioeconomic Divide: Portray a poorer rat neighborhood that emphasizes the gap between the Rat King’s aristocracy and the struggling outskirts.
Establish Narrative Contrast: Visually and spatially differentiate this area from the more opulent districts; reinforce that the Rat King’s influence looms even here.
Architecture
Favelas-Inspired Layout: Stacking and vertical layering similar to Brazilian favelas, but exaggerated to emphasize cramped spaces and multi-level traversal.
Shanty Construction: Makeshift rooftops, scaffolding, and narrow alleyways designed to convey limited resources and an improvised living environment.
Gameplay Implications
Single Fort Objective: Focuses the player on a primary location within the district – a fortified point requiring rooftop navigation and interior infiltration.
Destructible Landmark (Statue of the Rat King): Players must destroy a central statue, symbolically challenging the Rat King’s power and providing a clear mission goal in this area.
Traversal Connections
Layered Rooftops & Alleyways: Ensures multiple approaches to the fort, supporting varied playstyles (stealth vs. direct assault).
Path to Second Fort: Key connecting routes between shanty rooftops guide players toward the next encounter. Clear sightlines and subtle environmental cues (e.g., higher platforms, marked scaffolds) funnel progression.
Desired Vistas
Rat Castle in the Distance: The distant view of the main stronghold underscores long-term progression and a looming end-goal, reinforcing the overarching quest.
How This Benefits the Player Experience:
Encourages strategic traversal and exploration due to vertical complexity.
Demonstrates a strong narrative through environmental storytelling (poverty vs. wealth).
Maintains player momentum by offering clear visual direction and obvious next steps (statue destruction, path to the second fort).
This section delivers an interplay of tight, multi-layered design challenges and a thematically charged atmosphere, ensuring that Rat Shanty Town both communicates the story’s socioeconomic tension and sets up the larger conflict with the Rat King.
Section 2: The Mine Fort
Goal
Highlight Exploitation: Depict an even poorer district where rats are forced into grueling labor, extracting metals for the aristocratic rats’ entertainment (the “PINGAS” pinball machines).
Deepen Class Division: Contrast the cramped, hazardous mine conditions with the opulence of the Rat King’s circle.
Architecture
Subterranean Industrial Aesthetic: Claustrophobic tunnels, jury-rigged scaffolds, and a massive central drill.
Makeshift Infrastructure: Rusted tracks, wooden beams, and rope bridges underscore the area’s harsh, utilitarian design.
Gameplay Implications
One Main Fort: Players must infiltrate or sabotage the mining operation, navigating around heavy machinery and unstable ground.
Environmental Hazards: Moving drill parts, falling debris, and narrow passages demand careful traversal and timing.
Traversal Connections
Layered Tunnels & Elevators: Vertical shafts connect different mining levels, offering multiple routes and vantage points.
Path Forward: Exits from the mine guide players toward higher-class districts, reinforcing the journey from poverty to the Rat King’s seat of power.
Desired Vistas
Industrial Depth: Panoramic views down into conveyor belts and mass excavations show scale and hardship.
Foreshadowing Aristocratic Zones: Subtle glimpses of grand structures overhead remind players of the looming authority profiting from this labor.
How This Benefits the Player Experience
Environmental Variety: Shifts from shanty rooftops to claustrophobic mine shafts for fresh gameplay challenges.
Stronger Narrative Tension: Confronting the machinery that literally builds the Rat King’s pleasures illustrates the kingdom’s exploitation.
Clear Progression: Tying the Shanty Town’s makeshift poverty to the Mine Fort’s industrial labor creates a cohesive path toward the final confrontation.
