Game Design: “Shadows on Deck” - The Game Maker's Companion: Game Development - page 176

keep in mind that we want to start off easy and gradually get harder as the player gets better at
jumping the platforms and overcoming the obstacles.
Level 1: Flynn's Island
We start on a small island. What would people be doing there? Fishing, most likely. So this is
probably a little fishing village (Figure 7-7). Because we are making a platform game, we need
something to jump on and a goal to aim for.
The roofs of the houses will make a good start. They will make wide and easy platforms,
perfect for a first level of the game. Let's say that Flynn is down at the beach when the fog starts
creeping in and he rushes home to tell his dad. He needs to be high up to avoid the low creeping
fog. The parrot is already here, functioning as a guide, and keeping up with him can be a
challenge in itself.
Remember the three stages we need for our story? Beginning, middle, and end. Level one is
of course the beginning. This is where Flynn gets introduced in his own world.
Figure 7-7. Flynn's home. Quick sketches help you clarify your ideas for yourself and others, and even help
generate new ideas; maybe that fishing net can be used in the game play somehow?
Level 2: Aboard Ship
Next, he sets off on his adventure. Where does he go? Well, he is on an island, so to get away he
would need a boat. So let's set the next level on a ship. Flynn can be jumping the masts and help
tighten the sails, and so on. This level is still at the beginning and shouldn't be hard, but jumping
up and down masts is very different from roofs and should be fun. We will throw in a little hazard
here to watch out for, nasty diving seagulls, and teach Flynn how to duck .
We now enter the middle of the story. The middle is all about putting obstacles in the hero's
way and to give him challenges to overcome.