Level Design

As the level designer for Necrowmancy my contributions included:

Conceptualization of map layout and golden path
Create encounters for each island to give them purpose
Creation of special colliders around islands using lines and points
Playtest and rework level based on player feedback

Level Creation

For the Level Design of Necrowmancy, I wanted the player to be able to pick and choose where they wanted to go and when for item collection and completion. I designed the grave to be in the middle of the map so players would have to see and be reminded of their purpose for collecting the items each time they fly from area to area. The player is able to go to any of the three islands that the witch and the grave are not located on to explore what they can interact with. As the player collects an item, they are directed with flying flower petals which direction to go next for that specific item.

Early Level Drawings

Planning which island has which item for collection

Island shapes and layout within map

System Design

As one of the System Designers for Necrowmancy my contributions included:

Conceptualizing item collection system
Create encounters for each island to give them purpose
Creation of special colliders around islands using lines and points
Playtest and rework level based on player feedback

Item Collection

The main mechanic for Necrowmancy is the item collection system. The player must find and obtain different items throughout the map to trade with animals. These animals will reward players with ingredients needed for the revival potion the witch is making. Each item has some relation to one of the animals withholding the ingredients. The cat for example needs to be brought the catnip in order to release the feather. Once the player has completed the potion by returning all ingredients to the witch, a potion will appear that can be used on the grave to revive the dead crow.

Flower Petal Mechanic

When the player picks up an item, flowers will appear at that location while petals will float toward the location where the item should be used. During much of my playtesting, players were unable to figure out the connection between the different items with their animal counterparts. To aid the players in discovering the use of the items, the flower petal feature was added. This is meant to lead the players toward their next location for any given item.

Production

As Producer of the game team, my contributions included:

Creating, maintaining, and updating task tracking system
Handling submission of documents and builds
Representing team in production meetings and team presentations
Seeking aid for teammates who need outside help on their task
Conducting weekly standup meetings with the team
Keeping track of due dates and deadlines while relaying them to the team

Task Tracking

For task tracking during the development of Necrowmancy, my team and I used the website ClickUp in order to:

Create tasks
Show current progress on tasks
Show relationships between tasks
Organize tasks between different disciplines
Keep track of completed tasks

Example image of ClickUp task tracking during development

Cole Williams - Level Design and System Design

Necrowmancy is a top-down puzzle game where the player takes on the role of a crow sent out on a quest by their witch friend to collect the ingredients needed for a potion to revive his lost crow partner.

Level Design

System Design

Production