GABRIEL FUENTES | Flip Hop

Flip Hop

Flip Hop is a game made by 6 students for the Game Mechanics class. The game gives players 2 world rotations, as indicated by the decreasing number in the top left. Each rotation is 90°. The goal is to navigate the world by both jumping and using rotations in order to reach the end of the levels. Spikes are the main obstacle and there are occasional checkpoints to respawn at along the way.

KEY THINGS I WORKED ON:

Designed a clear UI for the player
Created the main menu & the pause menu so that the player can have a smooth transition through the game
Implemented a level design in order to challenge and give the player a unique experience
Added audio and PFI to the game
Programmed some of the main mechanics of the game like the timer, rotation counter, level transitions, and win/lose condition

PLATFORM: Windows PC
ENGINE: Unity3D
LANGUAGE: C#
TOOLS USED: Unity3D, Visual Studio, Trello
DURATION: 1 Month
COMPLETION: 2019
TEAM SIZE: 6

Idea and Design

The idea of the game came after prototyping some of the mechanics that we thought interesting. We used a "Bottom-Up" process when making the game since we also wanted to challenge ourselves and see what we were capable of. After implementing the mechanics, our roles were assigned and we started working with the development of the game.

Themes and Backgrounds

We wanted to make each level have an international theme and create music that matched. The level backgrounds themselves contain digital art that represents different nations. We made 6 levels in total, each with their unique themes and background images to give the player a meaningful feeling. The levels found in the game are China, Dubai, Puerto Rico, Africa, Egypt, and Ireland.

Rotation Limits

The game gives players 2 world rotations, as indicated by the decreasing number in the top left corner. Each rotation is 90°. The goal is to navigate the world by both jumping and using rotations in order to reach the end of the levels. We did this since we wanted to bring a different experience to the player, we wanted to make our platformer game something unique.

We needed a clear UI to tell the player how many rotations they had left, the same with a PFI for indication. I came with the idea of implementing a rotation counter in the top left corner while also adding a quick SFX. This worked perfectly since the player now knew how many rotations they had available to progress through the level.

Bounce Pads

As a level mechanic, we made the Bounce Pads. We implemented this so that the player can use them and can successfully reach the end, doing it as a kind of puzzle and at the same time something different from the rest seen in the game. In level 5, Egypt, the player needed to use the bounce pads in order to reach a higher distance to get a key and continue through the level.

Scrum Methodology and Trello

In order for us to be able to maintain communication and organization to perform our tasks, we decided to use the Scrum methodology on Trello. This consisted of creating a Backlog of the things we wanted to do, we saw if they were effective for our project and if there was time to do them. After that, we started assigning tasks to each one of us in order to achieve everything over the course of the weeks. Ensuring efficient and effective communication was happening between all team members was made easier through careful and calculated use of the Trello cards. We utilized Discord for most of our remote meetings.

Main Menu

I was in charge of implementing the UI of the game, as well as the Main Menu, Level Select and Options. I decided to go with the yellow and orange colors since I consider them as striking colors and they are visible to the player at all times. I made the Main Menu with some simple options that the player can choose. The controls were something really important, so I made a simple design and added it to the bottom right corner of the screen.

Level Select

Something really simple but really important at the same time was the Level Select screen. We designed this so that the player has access to all levels with ease while being able to play them in any order. We wanted to give the player accessibility at all times.

Options

The Options menu was something that I definitely needed to add to the game in order to make it more realistic while also giving the player the opportunity to choose what he wants to change. I added a Volume slider as well as a Mute button while adding the functionalities of each one of these features.

Objective of Levels

The goal of the game was to reach the end as fast as possible before the time runs out, and whatever the result, the player will have a consequence. Each level has a "You Won" screen to show the player that he managed to complete the levels on time. However, if the timer reaches 0, then the player will lose and a "You Lose" screen will appear, making the player try again.

Game Experience

The game is a cartoonish 2.5D sidescroller puzzle that forces the player to think and quickly react in order to reach the end. Being part of the design of this game was an entirely new experience for me, as it gave me a great amount of knowledge and I acquired more skills. I managed to do what I really enjoy the most, and that was the UI design, as well as the level design.