MI-CLOS STUDIO
OUT THERE : OCEAN OF TIME
Out There: Oceans of Time is a space exploration game that puts you at the helm of an interstellar mission of discovery spanning a vast and vibrant cosmos.
From April to October 2022 I was in charge of :
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Re-design of all the levels & create new ones for the first patch (48 levels)
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Design and implementation of gameplay elements to enhance the exploration aspect of the levels
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Proofread, homogenise, rewrite, implement game texts and dialogues
One of the main issue for the players at launch was the lack of challenges during the expeditions. One of our main focus during the first patch was to adress that.
My main role as game / level desiger on the project was to create new gameplay elements to explore the levels, to make them feel less linear, more challenging and compelling. Then, integrating those elements in the maps, that were all remade for the occasion.
One of the ways was for us to make more useful some elements already present in the game, by making them have several purpose - enhancing the ressources management aspect of the game. We also add one more ressoruce, the Oxygen, that act as a timer during certain missions.
Levels were made using Tiled, then integrated in Unity. Making them very easy to iterate on.
Some of the design principles that we follow concerning the levels were :
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Every level can be finished without having a specific class of character or without action points (to prevent softlock)
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Levels are easy to finish but hard to complete, rewarding players that manage best their ressources without being frustrating for the non-completionist
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Level have scenari where players can adapt their playstyle according the their available ressources (see image on the left)