One of my key focuses with Flipping Phantom is to make it easy to go from level concept, to testable level. To accomplish this, I take advantage of a number of Unity features. Scriptable Objects are used to store level data - such as the scene's name, world and level number, and number of collectibles - and generate the level list. The levels themselves use a combination of tilemaps to lay out the foreground and background of the level, and prefabs for enemies and objects within the level. I will continue to work on my tooling in order to get the level creation process easy to do without touching code.

​

While designing the levels for Flipping Phantom, I began by coming up with a concept I wanted to teach the player in each level. The first level was simply "Phase into the ground to fall upwards", while a later level was "Cracks in the background cause death", and another was "Time your phasing to avoid enemies". I then sketched out the basic concept of each level on graph paper to give myself an idea of where to start. Finally I began using the unity tools I have set up to construct the level, play test it, and make sure it is doable.

​

A tried and true concept that I use for introducing new mechanics is to introduce one main new mechanic in each 'world', and then show different variations on it within each level. In world two, I introduced a 'void' that inverts the players gravity while they are within it. I then used one level to show how it can be used like a trampoline if you fall on top of it. And another level to show how it can be used as a launcher if you phase up from under it. As I introduce more new mechanics, I can have more levels showcase different combinations of them.

​

Another focus with this project was to create a player save and unlock system. As the player completes levels, I track information for what levels they have completed, what collectibles they have found, and what content they have unlocked in a serialized save state.

​

In order to vary the difficulty of the game, I have added optional pumpkins that the player can collect as an extra challenge in a level. These pumpkins can serve to fulfil multiple design purposes. They can teach the player a specific timing trick, appeal to completionists, and serve as a 'currency' for unlocking bonus levels and optional content.

​