Guard the Carrot Dev-Log 3

This is the final update before the release of Guard the Carrot!

Today, I wanted to discuss the level design process. Since the game only has one level, I planned for it to be large and detailed enough to be worth exploring, but not too overwhelming to keep players from getting lost. I debated adding a minimap, but found the level too small to justify one. I also took inspiration from Lethal Company, which doesn't have a constant minimap available to the user (at least from the last time I played it). I know I just said the level was large earlier, and now I'm saying it's small. I needed to keep the scale down to encompass the time limit on the game (7 minutes) due to the game being presented at an expo. It's just big enough to allow for adventure and small enough to be traversed through in 5 to 7 minutes.

I closely followed the original layout of the level drafted before I began programming.

Original draft layout:

Final in-game layout:

The room marked red in the original draft is where the large enemy spawns, and the blue rooms are where the power sources spawn. These all remained the same in the final build.

The level layout incentivizes players to split up and look for where the power sources are, since they are informed about them in the spawn area, and that these sources are important. If the players can't find the orbs, they can follow behind the large groundhog enemy (from a safe distance of course) to find where the power sources are.

The carrot is located in the spawn area, which is in the top center of the map. This is far from the enemy spawn locations, allowing players time to quickly repair power sources or defeat enemies to secure the carrot. Players may even strategize to keep one player at the spawn area in case the carrot becomes insecure, to buy the other players some time to repair power sources.

Finally, players can teleport if they have at least 10 mana points by touching those brown spots that resemble holes in the top left and right corners of the map. If the player manages their resources, they can take advantage of these warp points to quickly travel to the opposite side of the map.

Here's an inside look at the level:

As you can see, the level is dimly lit, setting an ominous atmosphere as players explore the uncharted hallways.

I'm excited to share the full game at the Florida Polytechnic Spring 2025 Game Expo on April 19th!