Post Beach Challenges
The following are a number of challenges to test the player's skill after opening the 'bridge' of the beach. They transition from the end of the beach to the beginning of the park, providing the player with a change to a more linear structure, as well as challenging them in more specific lessons.
On the below screenshots, the black arrow (if not acting as signage) denotes the path the player takes as a squirrel, and the pink denoting the path once in ball form.
To test players on their ability to use more basic movement abilities
What does this mean?
- Testing players ability to walk, sprint, and jump, as well as combining these
- Quickly introducing climbing with slick surfaces
The player will enter the challenge from the left, with the only path to move upwards.
The player will need to walk over a log, and then jump while walking to move higher, with a platform below to allow them to try again on failed attempts. Following this, there will be a steep climb to the ball making thing, and a slippery surface short enough that players can climb through it, in order to teach them that this is possible.
Once at the top, the player can turn into a ball, and can only roll back down, which will send them on a path towards the ramp. If they have enough speed, they can roll over the top of the jumping platform, or roll underneath and come back up. Both will give the player enough speed to move up the ramp.
To test players on their ability in climbing, as well as rewarding exploration and experimentation
What does this mean?
- Introducing slippery walls with rocky outcrops
- Giving players multiple options and paths that lead to fun outcomes, especially when rolling
This challenge will take place in a cave within the mountain. Players will begin from the right, after jumping from the ramp in the previous area, landing inside the cave.
The ramps overhead will be attached to high walls of the cave near the roof, so they will not be very visible from the bottom.
There will be quite large railings to avoid having the player fall or roll off without much warning.
The entrance to this area will have some kind of element that will force players out of ball form on entrance in order to ensure that they move to the top of the level as intended. We will need to brainstorm ideas for this
The level will feature these slippery walls in order to ensure players understand the unclimbable surfaces and how to overcome them. This first wall will have one easily reachable rock outcrop that players can use to climb to the top.
This second climb takes place right after the first, and requires players to jump from an elevated rock pillar to reach the first rock outcrop, combining all of their basic abilities. The second rock outcrop is used to increase tension, and ensure that they can't as easily fluke through the challenge.
The player is then faced with a large wall, which has a similar, much longer wall climb than they have done before. They can either climb this or one of two paths on the left or right to climb up. If the player falls, they will end up on a path that takes them to the beginning of the second climb.
maybe consider getting rid of side paths? or making them much longer than the wall -- the wall should at least be a much faster path for skilled players if we are offering an easier option
Once at the top, the player becomes a ball and has three paths to move down: to keep moving the way they were going for the bottom path, or to roll down the left or right wall ramps that move along the roof, all described below.
The underpass will lead to the area that caught the player after falling before, and has several interconnected paths built in to allow for smoother and faster rolling. They will then roll over the first wall and then on the ramp.
The right path zig-zags along the wall, leading the player to the ramp.
maybe change this ramp so they also have an opportunity to fall onto the other ramp like the left one allows?
The left path curves along the left wall, and allows the player to roll off the path to land on the right path for a fun moment of player agency. This will not be clearly marked, allowing players to feel like they did this themselves.
As an 'exam', to test players on what they have learned in the previous challenges
What does this mean?
- Using and combining all kinds of previously used mechanics
- Being less forgiving with player mistakes
This is a gauntlet challenge: if the player falls at any point, they will have to go back to the start. The floor will be much larger than in the picture, big enough to catch any spot that a player could fall.
There will be much more sparse railings to make the player feel uncomfortable.
The start ramp will have the same thing that forces player out of ball on entrance.
The first two challenges are the same as what they have done before while on a much steeper incline; this will ramp tension up much faster. The climbing wall will have one rock and just enough distance to make it to the top.
This will be a slightly inconspicuous and easy hole, which focused players will notice and easily jump over, with less attentive players falling.
If the player falls, they will need to climb up this more difficult climbing wall with a very small platform at the bottom with a number of holes. This is designed not to catch 100% of players, but to save those who have the ability to quickly improvise.
This is the final challenge as a squirrel, which requires a jump from an elevated log. If the player falls, they can either start again or complete a challenging wall climb. This requires them to jump from wall to wall, as each rock outcrop on a single wall are too far from each other.
The player will have a largely inconsequential choice when in ball to move down the left, middle, or right path, with the middle path requiring a slightly trickier roll across the log. This ball roll is largely celebratory, and shouldn't be too tricky to complete.
These ramps should give the player catharsis: not too hard, but challenging and fast enough to let the player feel like they're flying, like they're achieving some impossible squirrely feat.
potentially might want to line these ramps along a wall so the player can more reliably land on them by using the wall if it's too hard
The last ramp should be slightly skinnier than the others. It should be noticeable, but not enough to make it significantly more difficult.
