Game Design - Hearthstone: Demon Hunter

Game Design

Hearthstone

Demon Hunter

World of Warcraft: Legion is out and introduces a new class to the game, Demon Hunter. To celebrate the release I decided to design some Demon Hunter cards in Hearthstone, demon cards for the Hunter class that is. The Demon tribe is currently unique to Warlock, but I've attempted to introduce them into the Hunter playstyle while maintaining the lore of WoW. Due to the Hunter class cards focusing on Beasts I felt that introducing a new tribe to the class would require synergy with existing cards. 

Felsteed

• Designed to support aggressive Hunters.
• If played on curve players would want to play as many cards as possible before the deathrattle is triggered.
• At 3 Attack it can deal with other powerful 1 drops.
• Initial design had 4 health, but I felt this could be obnoxious to the enemy player if they were unable to deal with it.
• With 3 health it can be killed by many cards (frostbolt, lightning bolt).

Helboar

• Demonic Huffer, without the threat to face.
• Designed to support a more Control Hunter, by making it able to trade well against enemy minions.
• A good target for Fel Barrage.
• Enemy players don't have to worry about clearing it until they want board control.
• Enemy players can buff and heal Helboar to keep it alive longer.

Fel Barrage

• Named after a Demon Hunter skill from WoW.
• Designed to benefit having Demons on the board while also supporting Control Hunter.

Metamorphosis

• Only changes the tribe, not the minion.
• Supports existing Beast cards.
• Sacrifices Beast synergy for the reward of stats.
• Creates a target for Fel Barrage.

The Gatekeeper and Cerberus

• Combos with Unleash the Hounds and On the Hunt.
• The minions were given good stats for their cost due to the difficulty of pulling off the combo.
• The Gatekeeper's effect is not a one time event.

Warp Stalker

• Warp Stalkers in WoW have the ability "Warp Time" that slows enemy attacks. I wanted to bring this ability to the card.
• Freezing an enemy minion stops it from attacking on their next turn.
• Has below average stats for a 2-drop due to the effect.
• Allows for early game board control.

Wrath Hound

• Allows the player to spend their health instead of their mana to use their hero power.
• Thematically makes the Hunter more like Warlock, as they also sacrifice health for their hero power.
• Has below average stats as the effect takes immediate effect, meaning the player can play this card and hero power on turn 4.
• Effect only lasts while this minion is alive.

 
 Demonic Appetite

• Grants the Hunter class some consistent card draw.
• More expensive than Mage's Arcane Intellect (draw 2 cards) when unable to combo with a Demon.
• Rewards the player for having control of Demons.

Bloodhound

• Supports Beast synergy.
• Bloodhound would be healed from cards that destroy friendly beasts as well, such as Inner Demons and Gatekeeper.
• High health stat to allow for positive trades and increase the usage of the healing ability.

Inner Demons

• Combos well with Unleash the Hounds and other Beast tokens.
• High mana cost due to the large amount of Demons with great stats.
• Supports the slower game of Control Hunter.
• Allows the player to trade positively with their board and then convert them into full health Demons.
• Has a % chance to pull demons that have a negative impact on the game (Helboar, Wrathguard)

Hakkar the Houndmaster and his Felhounds

• Chosen for his "Houndmaster" title, which suits the Hunter class well.
• Should be played re-actively against players who have cast a large amount of spells the turn before.
• Can be used against Miracle Rogue after an Auctioneer turn, or any Yogg deck.

Level Design - Super Mario Maker: Falling Forever

Level Design

Super Mario Maker

Falling Forever 699D-0000-00D8-533B

Falling Forever was the Super Mario World remake of my level Constant Descent (found in a previous post). My favourite ideas from the previous level were brought over and tweaked to match the different mechanics. 

The level also introduced new set pieces that used P Blocks, Doors and the ability to pick up objects. Shortcuts were also introduced to encourage the player to explore their surroundings. This level was designed to be difficult, but not needlessly punishing, with problems where the user can easily discover the solution.

The Run to the Lift

The level opens with a sloping start. The section can be completed by taking it slowly and jumping to each platform, but the layout of the platforms and low ceiling are meant to encourage the player to try sprinting.

The player will most likely die multiple times due to the difficulty of the level, because of that the player is going to feel like getting back to their last death as fast as possible. By allowing them to sprint as fast as they can I hoped to alleviate some of that retry stress.

The Diverging Paths

Upon leaving the lift the player can take off in a sprint once again. However there are two routes to choose from. The lower route requires the player to perform fast, well timed jumps to avoid falling into the lava. The upper route on the other hand is a slower paced affair, with more focus put on positioning and directional input to avoid a spiky death.This split in the path was designed to allow more players to progress based on their own skill set. Players with high mechanical skills are rewarded by taking the trickier route with an array of coins and saved time, if their attempting to beat the world record.

A Red Koopa is waiting when the paths converge. The positioning of the platforms means that the player must land on the Red Koopa to gain extra height on their jump. Since the player has completed the Lift section they should be aware that enemies fall with the platforms. This means that they must accurately land on the Koopa to progress, failure to do so results in a short trip into the lava below.

This section is also intended to teach the player that instantly jumping onto falling platforms is not always the solution.

The Hidden Path

There is a hidden third path in this section to reward the observant player. I placed 2 hints to this shortcut that are visible to the player. At the beginning of the level the user is able to see an intentionally eye catching bright platform. However upon completing the next section they may realise that they never found it again. 
The second hint is at the end of the Divering Paths. A column of coins can be seen but not reached. This is to indicate that this is a location that the player falls from.
With these 2 pieces of information the player has the location and the exit, now they must find the entrance. Due to the nature of the Diverging Paths section, there isn't a place to rest and explore while traversing the tight routes. This leaves the area before the routes begin. The area is high up, which suggests the player must jump to reach it and by doing this action they can stumble upon the hidden block containing a climbing vine. A second hidden block was added to increase the chance of the player discovering it. 
Another option to increase the chance of discovery was to add coins. However I felt as though the player would accidentally find the hidden blocks while jumping for them, eliminating the need for the other hints.

The Flying Platforms

The first step to the Spring section continues the lessons learnt from the Red Koopa from before. The Second step introduces the player to wings, which greatly reduce the speed in which the platforms fall. Due to the decrease in speed the player is now able to jump on items that are placed on the platform, which enables the spring jump. The landing point to the right is purposely positioned to force the player to use the spring to progress, if they simply run and jump they will fall short and fall to their demise. 

The column which dissects the winged platform was designed to block the player from running straight to the landing zone, but as the platform falls it becomes a tool that the player can use to land on the spring with more urgency.

The next winged platform section was created using the idea or setting a winged platform to fall and then chasing after it to ride it again later. The implementation of this idea used spikes to force the player off of the platform and used an ordinary falling platform to play catch up. From there I used coins to encourage the player to jump from the platform towards the checkpoint.

The P Switch Dash

This section begins with a checkpoint to allow the player to rest. It also enabled me to create a difficult section following the checkpoint as failure was now not as harsh. Upon hitting the P Switch (before touching the platform) and holding up the player gains access to the door below. The Door takes the player above their previous location and forces them to perform well timed jumps to get past the blocks. As these jumps are difficult to perform I purposely placed them above safe areas below. This allows the player to retry the section without the immediate punishment of death, as even though they're next to the checkpoint dying in a Mario game is still quite long.
I quickly discovered that P Switches respawn each time the player travels through the door. This resulted in the player being able to take a spare P Switch with them through the rest of the level. As I like to reward players who try something out of the box I incorporated a shortcut later in the level that can only be accessed using the switch.

The Final Stretch

The final part of the level begins with falling platforms obstructing a Thwomp drop. The placement of the platforms requires to the player to hide in the provided alcoves as they descend downwards. The P Switch shortcut mentioned above can be found in one of these alcoves. 
Another shortcut was placed to the right to reward players with extra game knowledge and the wish to break the level. Using a spin jump on top of the Thwomp the player can make an attempt to launch over the wall, they instead collide with a hidden Star block. With the power of the star they are able to navigate through the hazardous path and reach the end of the level. The hazardous path was made long enough so that players couldn't use the invincibility gained after taking damage.
The final set piece on the standard path tries to combine the skills the player has learnt during the level. When the player travels through the pipe they arrive at a small puzzle area. The spring is in full view and the platforms are placed to guide them to the exit pipe. The entrance of the area was designed to allow the player to assess the challenge ahead of them. I also placed a retry tunnel after the exit pipe in case they failed to acquire the spring.
The level ends as it began, a diagonal-free spirited sprint using staggered platforms.

Level Design - Super Mario Maker: Constant Descent

Level Design

Super Mario Maker

Constant Descent 63BD-0000-00D8-6004

Constant Descent was built upon the foundation of "What can you do with floating platforms". 

Floating platforms in Super Mario games will remain stationary in the air until the player makes contact with them. As soon as player contact is made they begin plummeting downwards. 


The level began as playing field for what the floating platforms could be used as. From combining the platforms with enemies, wings and walls I was able to create a number of set pieces that would later be put together as one complete level.

The first draft of Constant Descent was hard. Very hard, much more difficult than I intended. After gaining feedback on the levels I began tweaking certain areas to make the level more forgiving, as well as including a checkpoint after the hardest section when they were added to the game. The feedback was positive, as the players no longer felt needlessly punished with the checkpoint being a welcome addition.

Although the level was shaping up nicely I felt like I wanted to expand upon the idea, so I headed to Super Mario World.

Character Design - League of Legends: Swindle - The Swift-fingered Trader

Swindle - The Swift-fingered Trader

Information

Background

Banished from Bandle City and revered in Bilgewater the swift-fingered Swindle gives anyone the chance to make their dreams come true, as long as they pay their debts. With the use of his invention, Crook’s Reflection, Swindle rose to infamy by producing and dealing counterfeit weapons and artefacts. His quest for gold lead to him expanding into the lucrative market of gambling and loans so that he could cater to all types of customer in Bilgewater. Those who make the monthly payments remain Swindle’s best friends, skip a payment and you’ll get a visit from the Boys.

Quote ”Let’s make a deal.”

Summary

Swindle is a melee fighter who wants to gain, flaunt and hoard gold as often as possible. He specialises in getting to and disrupting the back line of the opposite team by locking down and dealing damage to high value targets. With a kit design around income, thievery and kidnapping Swindle aims to infuriate his opponent before putting them out of their misery.

Connection to Theme

Bilgewater is currently Swindle’s place of residence and base of operations. He specialises in dealing counterfeit products from his shops around Bilgewater. With the various amount of goods that come through the docks of Bilgewater he has a constant supply or original goods to copy.

Appearance

Swindle is a Yordle with slicked back fur for a hairstyle. His facial expressions give away his true intentions with golden teeth peeking out of his smile and eyes full of greed.

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Champion Statistics:		Base		Per Level
Health:		560		+90
Health Regen:		7.0		+0.8
Mana:		290		+40
Mana Regen:		7.5		+0.5
Attack Damage:		57		+3.4
Attack Speed:		0.65		+3.0%
Armour:		25		+3.5
Magic Resist:		32		+1.25
Attack Range (Melee):		125
Movement Speed:		340

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Abilities

Passive - Crook’s Reflection

Swindle begins each game with his invention Crook’s Reflection, which permanently occupies one of his item slots.

Crook’s Reflection - Cooldown: 60 seconds | Range: 600

Active UNIQUE - FORGE: Produce a counterfeit copy of the target champion’s item from the same item slot as this item. The copied item replaces Crook’s Reflection for 8 seconds. During this time Swindle adopts the current stats from the original item and can also use any Active abilities. This effect cannot be used to produce counterfeit consumables.

Q - Mr. Moneybags

Active: Trader throws a bag of gold coins to a target location that explodes upon hitting an enemy, dealing physical damage to surrounding enemies. If no enemies are struck the bag remains at the location and becomes targetable until Moneybags is off cooldown. Trader can pick up the bag to reduce the cooldown of the ability by half. Enemies can destroy the bag to gain 5 gold.

The skill also gains additional properties based on the amount of unspent gold Trader has.

• 500 Gold: The bag will slow enemy units by 50% for 3 seconds.
• 1000 Gold: The area of effect is doubled.
• 2000 Gold: The bag deals 50% additional damage.

Physical Damage: 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 (+ 90% AD)
Range: 1000
Radius: 175
Cooldown: 8 seconds
Cost: 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 mana

W - Gold Rush

Passive - Gold Digger: Swindle deals 20% increased damage to enemy champions currently on a killing spree.

First Active: Swindle gains 15% movement speed for 5 seconds and restores a percentage of his maximum health over the duration. During this time Swindle can activate the ability again to increase the effect up to a maximum of 4 times before the ability goes on cooldown.

Health regained: 4% / 4.5% / 5% / 5.5% / 6%
Cooldown: 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 seconds
Cost: 70 mana

Second Active: Swindle pays 10 gold to gain another stack of W that does not refresh the duration. This effect can stack up to 5 times. Upon reaching 5 stacks Swindle becomes immune to slows and roots.

Cooldown: 0.1 seconds
Cost: 10 gold

E - Delegation

Active: Swindle jumps to a target unit, attaching himself to the target for 1 second. If the target is an enemy he slashes them when he detaches, dealing physical damage including 8% of the target’s missing health. The skill can be re-activated again to detach from the target early. Stuns, displacements and suppression can remove Swindle from the target.

Physical Damage: 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+100% AD) (+8% of the target’s missing health)
Range: 650
Cooldown: 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 / 8 seconds
Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 mana

R - The Boys

Passive - Barter: Purchases from the shop cost 10% less.

Trader creates debt collection orders that can be used to summon Bailiffs. The maximum number of collection orders increases with the rank of the skill.

Active: Trader marks an enemy champion for debt collection before summoning a Bailiff at his current location. The Bailiff runs towards the target champion and upon reaching the target grabs and roots them in place before attempting to return them to Swindle at 50% reduced speed. Bailiffs are targetable minions which have health equal to a percentage of Swindle’s maximum HP and movement speed equal to Swindle’s current movement speed.

Range: 2000
Maximum Collection Orders: 1 / 2 / 3
Boy Health: 25% / 50% / 75% of Swindle’s maximum health.
Cooldown: 80 / 60 / 40 seconds
Cost: 50 mana

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Design Discussion

Skills

Passive - Swindle’s passive fills up one of his item slots, restricting him from achieving a constant 6 item build. Fortunately it allows him to make a copy of an opponent’s item whenever he wants. During conflict Swindle can pilfer an item by dragging Crook’s Reflection to the item slot that matches their target item. Health, resistances, damage or utility items can all be used depending on the situation Swindle finds himself in. Passives from items do not stack if Swindle already has the item. The current iteration of this item allows Swindle to also use this item on teammates, if the item is found to be overpowered it could be limited to enemy champions only.

Q - This skill is Swindle’s best form of waveclear and poke. The gold hoarding mechanic of the skill forces the player to choose between buying item components or saving the gold to increase the effectiveness of the Moneybags. The need to hoard gold is balanced out from the passive “Barter” found on his ultimate and being able to copy items to temporarily increase his stats.

W- Movement speed and sustain rolled into one skill that allows him to chase or tactfully retreat. Being able to increase the effect by paying gold digs into Swindle’s gold reserves but greatly increases his initiation effect in combination of his Boys and crowd control immunity.

E - Swindle likes having others do the work for him, whether it’s an ally or enemy. When Swindle jumps onto a target he travels with them for up to 1 second. This includes dashes, flashes and teleports. He is also able to jump to wards or money bags if one is around, meaning he can escape sticky situations by lobbing a bag or ward ahead of him and then diving to safety.

R - Swindle’s boys are burly ruffians from the streets of Bilgewater. When they are given a target they will chase them down and root them while dragging them back to Swindle. Boys can easily be kited due to their single minded chasing or bursted due to their lack of resistances. An enemy who has been captured cannot use escapes due to being rooted, but are able to attack the Boy to free themselves.

Level Design - Super Meat Boy: 3

Level Design

Super Meat Boy

Level 3

The idea behind this level was to force the player to navigate across the same areas multiple times but in different ways by using keys and gates.

To get to the second area on the left of the level the player must collect 2 keys. The first of which is placed at the end of the lock blocks it removes, while the second is found above behind a large saw. Access to the second key is restricted as the player must wall jump from the left hand side, but if they do not do it before the locks are removed they cannot make the jump. They could of course get that key first.

The second area includes some tight jumps between saws, both on the way up and the way down. Upon reaching the key at the top of the level access to the lower section is granted. To get there the player must first work his way down from the top, then jump around the large saw before grabbing onto the key platform. A small wall jump, followed by a last long jump across the middle area will end the level.

Level Design - Speedrunners: Bubble Complex

Level Design

Speedrunners

Bubble Complex

Bubble Complex is my second Speedrunners level that was built on the idea of letting the player pick between multiple boost routes depending on their preference at the time. As time went on this level had to have a massive rework of every area.

In the first design there were three boost routes that were all designed to be the same duration. During testing it was discovered that if a player took the left route they would be eliminated by someone in the right route, even if they were ahead. There were issues in the upper section as well due to the grapple areas being too high. This meant that the players were unable to view them due to the camera and use them to their fullest. The last main problem was the lower section where there was no floor. If a player were to fall into the abyss the camera would follow them and consider them to be in the lead, which would eliminate the remaining players.

After reviews from friends and the workshop I decided to overhaul each area to improve it, while still keeping the main ideas. Firstly the upper section was completely lowered and additional platforms were added to make the area more interesting. The right side portion of the map had some minor adjustments to improve the shortcut and shortcut denial mechanism. 




The lower section of the map had the largest amount of changes. The area without a floor got a floor to remove the issue of falling players winning the round. The boost area had the entrance changed to slow down the pace and allow players to catch up with one another before entering the final chutes, which were reduced to two instead of three.

These final chutes could still have some fine tuning to improve their overall performance and consistency but the map is greatly improved from the first iteration.


As before, the video below shows the map vs 3 AI characters.

Level Design - Speedrunners: After Dark

Level Design

Speedrunners

After Dark

After Dark was planned to be a small trip through a nightclub. The map features various amount of catch-up mechanics to keep players in the game, with a couple of shortcuts to reward the more skilled players. 

The play testing of this level greatly affected the development. The shortcut at the end of the level that sends the player upwards through a boost was initially too powerful. If a player successfully swung into it they would be rocketed into the sky, which immediately eliminated all players still in the race. To counteract this problem I lowered the boost zone and reduced the power of it.


The second design problem was a vertical drop found in the middle of the night club. This also had the same problem as the shortcut in that players would be eliminated unfairly due to the sudden height change. It also made it difficult to use the catch-up boost found behind the gates as if they player attempted to use it they would be eliminated.



 To fix this problem I added a couple of turns during the vertical descent. This allowed players to use the catch-up mechanic if opened while the player in front still maintained his lead.






The video below shows the level being played using an additional 3 bots. The triggers used to manipulate their behaviour could still be tweaked to improve their overall performance, but overall the bots complete the level well.