Skybound Ascention Documentation

Game Title: Skybound Ascension

Author: Joshua Crisford (ID: 574082)

Unit: KIT109 Games Fundamentals

Version: 29/05/2024

Please note:
Generative AI was not used in the creation of this game what so ever. Chat GPT was, however, used to spell and grammar check documentation and devlogs the content of which is my own words - Josh

User Guide

Concept Statement

Skybound Ascension is a vertical platformer adventure featuring handcrafted levels that challenges players to ascend to the sky through diverse environments. Precise controls, strategic jumps, navigation through obstacles, and unlocking power-ups are crucial to success. The game is rendered in a 16-bit pixel art style with a matching soundtrack, providing a nostalgic experience reminiscent of 90s platformers.

Genre/Category

Platformer/Adventure with retro elements. Skybound Ascension blends classic platformer action with adventurous exploration in handcrafted levels.

Key Features

• Challenging but satisfying gameplay.
• Precise controls for strategic platforming.
• Handcrafted levels for a curated experience.
• Environmental effects adding unique challenges.
• Nostalgic 16-bit aesthetics with pixel art and chiptune music.
• Power-ups providing temporary boosts or abilities.
• Checkpoint system to minimize progress loss.

Market Comparison

Skybound Ascension differentiates itself by combining handcrafted levels, precise controls, and an 8-bit aesthetic with a focus on vertical gameplay and strategic navigation. Inspired by Doodle Jump, Jump King, and Celeste, it captures the essence of these games while offering a unique blend of their elements.

Game Functions and Screenshots

Main Menu

The main menu features the game's name, "Skybound Ascension," displayed against a retro pixel art background of a towering, old, overgrown structure disappearing into the sky. It allows players to start a new game, continue from chosen level, see high scores, access settings, or quit the game.

Level Selection Screen

The level selection screen allows players to choose from various unlocked levels to play. Each level is represented by a unique number, along with a brief description of its environment and challenges. This screen provides an overview of the game's progression and the different levels awaiting exploration. It contains a close button to return to the main menu.

High Score Screen

The high score screen showcases player’s personal best times for each level. This screen motivates players to improve their performance by providing a competitive benchmark. The window contains a close button to return to the main menu.

Options Screen

The options screen allows players to customize their gameplay experience. It includes settings for audio levels and graphic settings. Players can adjust the volume of music and sound effects using the provided sliders and select graphics quality to improve visual fidelity or maximise performance. This screen provides the flexibility to tailor the game to individual preferences, ensuring an optimal and personalized gaming experience. It contains a close button to return to the main menu.

Gameplay Screen

The gameplay screen shows displays the current gameplay in action. It includes the player character navigating through the environment. Essential information such as the player’s current stamina (bottom right), a timer and the pause button (both top left) is shown on the HUD. The screen may also feature environmental details and effect that change dynamically based on the level, such as weather conditions and hazards. Power-ups to be collected are displayed as rotating boxes with question marks on then and stamina pickups as animated stars. Selecting the pause button with pause the level and open the pause menu.

Pause Menu

The pause menu features four buttons. From left to right those buttons are; home button (returns the player to the main menu), options button (opens options menu), restart button (restarts the current level), and resume button (resume the current level).

Powerups

Skybound Ascension features a variety of power-ups strategically placed throughout the game to enhance the player's movement abilities. These power-ups are essential for overcoming the increasingly challenging levels and are retained for future use once collected. Each power-up has a unique function and can significantly alter gameplay:

• Double Jump: This power-up allows the player to perform an additional jump while in mid-air, enabling greater jumping distances and heights.
• Dash: When activated, this ability provides a quick horizontal boost in the direction the player is facing. The dash can be used to cover extra distance quickly or to manoeuvre with greater precision during intricate platforming sections.

All power-ups require stamina to use, adding an extra layer of strategy to their deployment. Each level allows the collection of a new powerup, the ability of which is carried over to future levels.

 <PowerupExample.GIF>

Stamina

The stamina mechanic is a critical aspect of Skybound Ascension, designed to enhance the game's challenge and balance. Players can have a maximum of 100 stamina points at any given time. The current stamina level is displayed by the stamina bar located at the bottom right of the screen.

Stamina is consumed when using power-ups, requiring players to manage their resources carefully. To replenish stamina, players can collect stamina stars scattered throughout the levels. Each star collected grants 10 stamina points, encouraging exploration and strategic use of abilities to progress through the game.

Game Controls

• Move Left: Arrow Left / A
• Move Right: Arrow Right / D
• Jump/Wall Jump Up: Spacebar
• Wall Jump Backwards: Left Shift + Spacebar
• Pause: Esc
• Dash: Left Alt

Conclusion

Skybound Ascension blends punishingly addictive gameplay with meticulously curated levels, providing an ultimate test of skill and determination. Its nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic, strategic power-ups, and challenging environments ensure an engaging and rewarding experience. Whether you're seeking a nostalgic thrill or the ultimate challenge in Iron Man mode, Skybound Ascension invites you to ascend to the skies.

Assessment of Final Game

Overall, the final version of "Skybound Ascension" closely aligns with the original vision laid out in the concept document in terms of gameplay mechanics, aesthetics, and level design. While some features mentioned in the concept are present, others are missing, and some new features have been introduced.

Gameplay & Mechanics

The gameplay mechanics stay true to the platformer style, requiring precise and careful movement from the player. The vertical progression through levels matches the concept’s description. However, the game’s difficulty does not quite reach the level envisioned in the concept. This is primarily due to challenges in designing well-balanced levels, which I found difficult to execute effectively.

Despite this, the inclusion of power-ups adds an unexpected layer of challenge. Players need to use power-ups strategically to complete levels quickly, which enhances the gameplay experience. While the power-ups implemented align with the concept, fewer were included in the final version than originally anticipated. This was due to the scope of the game being too large for the limited time available. However, the power-up functionality is coded in such a way that adding new power-ups would be relatively straightforward. The main challenge would lie in designing levels suitable for these new power-ups.

Aesthetics and Design

The final game’s visual style closely mimics the description laid out in the concept document. While the concept described an 8-bit style, it was intended to convey a pixel art aesthetic. The final result stays true to this pixel art style and maintains consistency throughout the game.

The audio design in the final game features chiptune music and 8-bit sounds as described in the concept. This audio design complements the pixel art style, achieving an accurate representation of the original vision.

Level Design

The concept document specified four unique environments, implying multiple environment types for each level. This was only partially realized, as the final game includes only two levels, limiting the showcase of this design choice.

Level 1 features a temple environment, while Level 2 is set in ruins, each with distinct world sprites. However, the gameplay did not feel particularly different between these levels. This is primarily because the unique environmental effects mentioned in the concept were only implemented in Level 2 and were not impactful or noticeable.

The goal of having more levels, each with unique effects, was not well achieved. This was due to limited development time and my personal challenges with level design. Despite this, the levels do visually differentiate themselves, staying true to the visual variety described in the concept.

Feature List

The game concept document specified the following key features. Below is a discussion on the final game's implementation of each feature:

Challenging but Satisfying Gameplay

This was achieved to some degree. However, the level of challenge could have been higher to align better with the concept document. The subjective nature of what constitutes "challenging" makes this difficult to judge. The main factor limiting the challenge was poor level design, although the player movement mechanics did increase the difficulty positively.

Precise Controls for Strategic Platforming

The movement mechanics were accurate to the vision laid out in the concept document. This feature was successfully integrated into the final game.

Handcrafted Levels Offering a Curated Gameplay Experience

Handcrafted levels were featured in the final game as described in the concept. The alternative to handmade levels would have been procedurally generated levels, but this wouldn’t have been a realistic addition given the scope of the game. Therefore, handmade levels were always the intended approach.

Environmental Effects Offering New Challenges and Opportunities

This was partially implemented in Level 2 with a wind effect that pushes the player while in the air. However, this feature did not offer significant new challenges and opportunities due to difficulty in balancing the effect. Better level design and more testing could have improved this feature.

Nostalgic 8-bit Aesthetic with Pixel Art, Matching Sounds, and Music

While the "8-bit" aesthetic was not specifically achieved, the pixel art style with matching sounds and music was successfully implemented. Using 8-bit sprites was experimented with, but a different pixel art style resulted in a more visually pleasing aesthetic, which aligned more with the envisioned look.

Power-ups that Grant Temporary Boosts or Abilities

Power-ups were included, but not as many as suggested in the concept. The final game featured double jump and dash power-ups, which provide temporary boosts limited by the player's current stamina.

Checkpoint System Assuring Minimal Progress Loss

Checkpoints were included in Level 2, which featured hazards that reset the player. Level 1 did not include checkpoints as it lacked significant hazards. The checkpoints in Level 2 helped reduce player frustration.

An Unforgiving Perma-Death Mode, Where Any Small Mistake Could Be Your Last

This feature was not included in the final game. It was determined that a perma-death mode, which would primarily disable checkpoints, did not add meaningful value to the game.

Overall, the final game incorporated many of the key features from the concept document, though some were not fully realized due to time constraints, design challenges, and decisions made during development.

New Features Added

In addition to the features outlined in the concept document, several new features were introduced during the development of "Skybound Ascension." These additions were made to enhance the gameplay experience and address certain design challenges encountered during development. Below is a discussion of these new features, why they were chosen, and what they added to the final game.

Stamina System

A new feature introduced in the final game is the stamina system, which includes a stamina bar and stamina pickups that increase stamina. This system was chosen to add a strategic layer to the gameplay. The stamina bar limits the use of power-ups based on the player's current stamina, requiring players to manage their resources carefully. This addition enhances the game's depth, encouraging players to think ahead and plan their moves, making the gameplay more engaging and challenging.

Level Timer and Highscore System

Another feature added is the level timer integrated with a highscore/best time recording system. This feature was chosen to introduce a competitive element to the game. By recording and displaying the best times, players are motivated to improve their performance and replay levels to achieve faster times. This adds replayability to the game, as players are encouraged to refine their skills and compete against their own or others' best times.

Hazards

Hazards that reset the player upon collision were also added. These hazards introduce a significant challenge to the game, requiring players to navigate levels with precision and caution. This feature was chosen to increase the game's difficulty and add a sense of urgency and risk to each move. Hazards make the gameplay more dynamic and unpredictable, which keeps players engaged and on their toes.

Impact of New Features

The addition of these features significantly enhanced the final game, making it more strategic, competitive, and challenging. The stamina system added a resource management aspect, the level timer and highscore system encouraged replayability and competition, and the hazards increased the difficulty and engagement. These features collectively contributed to a richer and more fulfilling gaming experience, aligning with the overall vision of creating a challenging and engaging platformer.

Feedback Summary

Overview

In the Week 12 Testing Session for "Skybound Ascension," the primary focus was on evaluating the game's controls, visual appeal, tutorial clarity, audio elements (music and sound effects), balance of power-ups, overall fun factor, player movement mechanics, and identifying any bugs or issues. Testers were asked to provide feedback on how intuitive and logical the controls were, the attractiveness of the game's visuals, the clarity and succinctness of the tutorial messages, the suitability of the music and sound effects, and whether the power-ups unbalanced the gameplay. Additionally, they rated the game’s fun factor on a scale of 1 to 5 and shared their experiences with player movement, noting any specific issues or suggestions for improvement. Finally, testers reported any bugs encountered and provided suggestions for enhancing the game. This comprehensive feedback aimed to identify strengths and areas for improvement to refine and polish the final game submission.

Controls

• Question: Did you find the controls easy to understand and logical?
• Feedback: The controls were generally found to be easy to understand and logical.
• Observations: All testers reported no issues with the controls.
• Influence: No changes were made to the controls as the feedback was largely positive.

Visual Appeal

• Question: Did you find the game visually appealing?
• Feedback: The game was visually appealing to the testers.
• Observations: There were no negative comments regarding the visuals.
• Influence: The visual style was maintained, with minor tweaks to polish certain element, particularly the UI.

Tutorial Messages

• Question: Were the tutorial messages clear and succinct enough?
• Feedback: Mixed responses; most found them clear, other mentioned issues with the messages appearing in unrelated locations or not at all.
• Observations: During testing on my personal computer, I had no issues with the tutorial messages appearing while in the Unity editor. However, when testing the itch.io upload, I noticed some messages being triggered in different locations. While directly observing testers play, I saw the messages being triggered in various places. Upon enquiring about the testers' monitor resolutions, I began to see a trend: testers with lower resolution monitors had the tutorial messages appear closest to the correct location.
• Influence: This appears to be a significant bug within the game and would ideally be a high priority to fix. However, due to my limited understanding of Unity, itch.io, and the effect of resolution on UI elements in games, my attempts to fix the issue were unsuccessful. After spending some time trying to resolve it, I decided that further investment of time, especially with the limited time remaining, was not worthwhile.

Music and Sound Effects

• Question: Do you think the music and sound effects are suitable for the game?
• Feedback: Generally positive, the music and sound effect were deemed to be suitable for the game.
• Observations: One tester suggested lowering the overall volume slightly, and another suggested changing to a less intense soundtrack. It was also mentioned that the sliders for volume didn’t scale correctly.
• Influence: Regarding the intensity of the music, I disagree. I believe this issue is very much a matter of opinion and preference. While I don't think the feedback is invalid, given that it was only mentioned by one person, I have decided to keep the current music. However, in response to the feedback about the volume being too loud, I have adjusted the initial volume of the sounds to 80% when starting the game. In addition I changed the volume sliders to scale logarithmically rather than linearly to ensure an accurate visual representation of the volume scale.

Power-Ups Balance

• Question: Do the power-ups unbalance the game?
• Feedback: Most testers felt the power-ups were balanced, though a few mentioned needing more clarity on usage.
• Observations: Definitely some confusion about how and when to use power-ups.
• Influence: I added tutorial messages specifically for power-ups, detailing their mechanics and controls. Ideally, I would have liked to also add visual cues in the game world to indicate where a power-up should be used, but this would require more time than was available.

Fun Factor

• Question: How ‘fun’ is the game on a scale of 1-5 (in your opinion)?
• Feedback: The game was rated as “Enjoyable” by the majority and “Very fun” by some.
• Observations: Strong engagement suggested high enjoyment levels.
• Influence: No changes required but continued focus on employing and enhancing the fun elements.

Player Movement

• Question: How did you find the player movement? Do you have any specific issues with it? (If you have suggestions for improvement, please mention them)
• Feedback: Generally smooth and intuitive but one tester mentioned a floaty feeling and others had issues with specific controls.
• Observations: There were issues with the dash button, and I observed some confusion and frustration with the wall jumping backwards mechanic.
• Influence: Some keys were changed to make them easier to press in combination with other keys. Additionally, the wall jump backwards mechanic was removed entirely, as the frustration it caused demonstrated that the minimal value it added to the game was not worth it.

Bugs

• Question: Did you find any bugs?
• Feedback: Several bugs were reported, including issues with the sound volume slider and infinite wall jumps.
• Observations: The bugs reported were specific and varied in impact.
• Influence: Fix the bugs related to the user interface sliders. Was not able to fix the other UI bug reported as it was related to the aforementioned tutorial triggers.

Suggestions for Improvement

• Question: Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
• Feedback: Various suggestions such as adjusting volume levels, wall jump mechanics, removing the fixed camera, having more content and making wall jump locations clearer.
• Observations: Many useful insights for improvements.
• Influence: The volume level was adjusted as previously mentioned. A different wall sprite was used to make the wall jump locations clearer. While implementing a better camera system would greatly improve the game, it requires too much time to be realistically achieved. Additionally, having more content is always beneficial, and completing level 2 should enhance the overall experience.

Summary of Changes Based on Feedback

• Lowered the initial volume of music and sound effects.
• Adjusted control keys for better usability.
• Removed the wall jump backwards mechanic.
• Added tutorial messages for power-ups.
• Changed wall sprite to make wall jump locations clearer.
• Fixed several bugs, including user interface slider issues.
• Completed level 2 to add more content.
• Unable to fix the tutorial message location issue due to resolution differences and time constraints.

Asset List

Word Tiles/Sprites:

·       Level 1 general world and object sprites -

Anokolisa 2022, Legacy Fantasy Pack Temple, Anokolisa/Itch.io, 1^st December 2022, viewed 5^th May 2024, https://anokolisa.itch.io/pocket-pack-black-temple

·       Level 1 & 2 ground, background, some objects, and dirt world sprites -

Anokolisa 2024, Side Scroller Pixel Art Asset Pack Forest, Anokolisa/Itch.io, 13^th February 2024, viewed 5^th May 2024, https://anokolisa.itch.io/sidescroller-pixelart-sprites-asset-pack-forest-16x16

·       Level 2 general world and object sprites -

Anokolisa 2022, Legacy Adventure Pack Ruins, Anokolisa/Itch.io, 26^th December 2022, viewed 14^th May 2024, https://anokolisa.itch.io/legacy-adventure-pack-ruins

Player Sprites:

·       Animated player sprite pack -

RVROS 2018, Animated Pixel Adventurer, RVROS/Itch.io, 12^th November 2018, viewed 5^th May 2024, https://rvros.itch.io/animated-pixel-hero

Game Objects:

·       Pickups including stamina stars and power up animation sprites -

Maccari Dani 2024, Jump Pack Items & Powerups, Maccari/Itch.io, 19^th February 2024, viewed 13^th May 2024, https://dani-maccari.itch.io/platformer-metroidvania-pixel-items-free-assets

·       Moving platforms sprites -

Anokolisa 2022, Legacy Adventure Pack Forest, Anokolisa/Itch.io, 2^nd December 2022, viewed 14^th May 2024, https://anokolisa.itch.io/legacy-adventure-pack-forest

·       Checkpoint flag animation sprites -

Ankousse26 2023, Free Flag with Animation, Ankousse26/Itch.io, 16^th June 2023, viewed 26^th May 2024, https://ankousse26.itch.io/free-flag-with-animation

User Interface Elements:

·       Levels, options, scores, and tutorial background panels -

Mounirtohami 2023, Pixel Art GUI Elements, Mounirtohami/Itch.io, 28^th May 2023, viewed 20^th May 2024, https://mounirtohami.itch.io/pixel-art-gui-elements

·       All GUI buttons and other interactable elements -

bdragon1727 2024, Basic Pixel GUI and Buttons Pack 2, bdragon1727/Itch.io, 7^th April 2024, viewed 20^th May 2024, https://bdragon1727.itch.io/basic-pixel-gui-and-buttons-pack-2

Fonts:

·       Main font used in all GUI elements and custom text (NOT including buttons and other sprite elements) -

Tiny Worlds 2023, Thaleah Fat, Tiny Worlds/Itch.io, 21^st July 2023, viewed 20^th May 2024, https://tinyworlds.itch.io/free-pixel-font-thaleah

Music:

·       Level 1 (Three Red Hearts – Modern Bits) and Level 2 (Three Red Hearts – Penguin Town) background music -

Brackey 2024, Brackeys Platformer Bundle, Brackey/Itch.io, 26^th April 2024, viewed 20^th May 2024, https://brackeysgames.itch.io/brackeys-platformer-bundle

·       Main menu background music (Time for Adventure) -

Tall Beard 2024, Music Loop Bundle, Tall Beard/Itch.io, 30^th April 2024, viewed 20^th May 2024, https://tallbeard.itch.io/music-loop-bundle

Sound Effects:

·       Interactables and some player SFX (wall jump, wall slide) -

Jdwasabi 2021, 8-bit/16-bit Sound Effects (x25) Pack, Jdwasabi/Itch.io, 25^th May 2021, viewed 21^st May 2024, https://jdwasabi.itch.io/8-bit-16-bit-sound-effects-pack

·       Player SFX (jumping, dashing, collect stamina) -

Kronbits 2023, 200 Free SFX, Kronbits/Itch.io, 07^th June 2023, viewed 21^st May 2024, https://jdwasabi.itch.io/8-bit-16-bit-sound-effects-pack