LEVEL DESIGNER
|| 2024
ABOUT THE GAME
Rail hero is a single player experience crafted and published to Fortnite using UEFN. Players use grid rails and weapons to fight their way through the level to ultimately challenge a boss at the end.
TOOLS
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UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite)
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Adobe Illustrator
DESIGN GOALS
Rail hero was an attempt to create engaging challenges by combining a limited number of mechanics in unique ways. Subway surfers was a large inspiration for this game mode, as I set up the grid rails to mimic the swiping mechanic, creating fast platforming style challenges. Combining this with obstacles to dodge and coins to collect created an experience that made players want to improve their skills and earn a high score.
Another goal for this project was to practice making cinematic moments to contribute to level flow . The grind rails provided a unique opportunity to show off amazing views, vistas and props in unique ways as players fly above, through and around them. These moments created downtime to refresh players flow state, while remaining visually engaging enough to not bore players.
GAMEPLAY VIDEO
ITERATION PROCESS
My iteration process was a bit different for Rail Heroes. To save time I chose an island to start with, so much of my ideas were formed within the engine and only brought to paper when I needed to sketch out an idea quickly.
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Strict metrics testing in UEFN
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Selecting a pre-made island as a starting point
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Sketching potential paths, marking specific areas for teaching, testing and challenging players
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Quickly layout beats, vistas and props.
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Playtest (a lot!)
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Iterate until it feels right, then polish metrics
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Publish to Fortnite environment
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The metrics for this project were by far the most important aspect of making this level play smoothly. There is a specific range for swapping rails where the game will snap the player to the next. If this snap were to miss during a hard challenge over a death pit, players would blame the game and generate frustration (rightfully so!). But on the other end of the spectrum, when the metrics are perfect, it creates seamless gameplay that feels smooth and polished.
Level Flow was also very important for this project. By only using 2 mechanics, I was able to throw players into escalating challenges by teaching and testing players skills throughout the level. The level starts with only platforming on grind rails, and once guns are introduced, players are given time to practice shooting before re-combining with grind rails. By teaching players a new mechanic or skill in isolation, it gets players familiarized with the skills required for the upcoming challenges.
