Zoomba
About
Play as a sentient roomba as it seeks to find freedom.
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The goal of this project was to create a linear experience which the player could explore and be guided through.
Project details
Zoomba was done during my 2nd Year at DigiPen Singapore in a team of 4.
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The game was developed fully in the Unity Engine.
What I brought to the team
Ideation
Level Design + Lighting
As our task was to create a linear experience in 3D space, the "Sentient Roomba" idea was decided on after brainstorming as a team. For this project, my main responsibility was any level design related tasks.
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Contributions:
Ideation of core concept
Whiteboxing of level
Level design
Lighting
Level Design
The team started on a whiteboard drawing of the top-down layout of the house. Here, we brainstormed landmarks which we could use, as well as interactions we could add to give our idea a bit more character.
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As we were dealing with a smaller (Roomba) character, we were presented with a unique challenge. Players would roam the house through a lower perspective. We used this to our advantage, by using furniture or vents as ways to funnel players through a certain route. ​
Team whiteboard planning
With a rough layout that the team agreed on, I proceeded to whiteboxing. Here, I made use of Unity's probuilder tools to help me quickly get started - replacing the assets whenever they were ready. (taking note of key interactions/landmarks)
Level Early Whitebox
Level Whitebox WIP
Being based on a realistic environment allowed me to easily reference real-life dimensions of bedrooms, living rooms etc. I also regularly angled the camera to view the level from the player's perspective. (playing through the level myself once the player controller was out).
Here, it was key to get a good idea of the space, using a mix of small and wide spaces. Vents were also used as a way to transition between new areas. (much like doors when designing for real-life proportions)
Level Whitebox, Lower perspective
Here, I would make use of certain props to guide players through the level. Namely lamps, beds, and the TV. Other objects would help to hint at what's to come (like the glass door, which showcases the living room, just out of reach)
Glassdoor
With the whiteboxing done, it was time to move on to lighting. Lighting was a crucial part of guiding our player. Thus it was important to get a first pass out as soon as possible.
Early lighting pass
In the early stages, the main focus was to use light to guide players, highlighting important information. After this, I shifted my focus to the mood and feel of the environment, adding colour and post-processing to give us the final look.
Final lighting pass
No Postprocessing
With Postprocessing
I went with a warm lighting set-up for any natural light/ambience as it was a sunset scene. The overall post-processing also made the colours more vibrant - which matched our more light-hearted and wacky theme.