Ayathara
Project Overview
Client
Personal
My Role
Level Designer
Timeline
Aug 2023 - Dec 2023
Ayathara is a port city inspired by ancient Thailand, set against the backdrop of a fantasy Thai palace. The level follows a progressive challenge structure where players collect three fire orbs placed throughout the map. Its visual design blends cultural and fantasy elements to create a rich and immersive experience.
Map
Level 1 Area: Player learn how enemies works and the game fighting mechanics
Level 2 Area: Enemies will approach from both sides.
Level 3 Area: Enemies will keep coming until you find the orb in one of the houses.
Problem & Solution
Problem:
Players cannot find the forest pathway, so they walk straight toward the river and expect to get to the other side of the map.
Before
Solution:
I rotated the spawn location to face the forest instead of the palace. This naturally guided the player’s eyes toward the forest path, making it the first thing they noticed upon exiting the house.
After
Problem:
During the playtest, many of my friends, who are not gamers, walked straight to the "Abandoned Temple" through the forest because that is the first thing they saw, and they said it is mysterious and believed that was where the first orb was located.
Solution:
I adjusted the small cluster of trees to block the player’s view of the temple and added a test “sanctuary” (a player safe point) beneath them. The sanctuary features a glow effect that immediately draws the player’s attention. This placement not only guides player movement but also encourages them to interact with the safe point early in the game.
