Daniel Slater – Games Designer

Game Overview

Lil Gnome is a third-person puzzle platformer with third-person shooter combat made in Unreal Engine 5.2. The main mechanic allows the player to shrink/ grow the character to a predetermined size. This is used to solve puzzles and traverse sections of the level.

Role within the team

• Role – Lead Designer / Producer

Key Skills

• Platformer Level Design
• Puzzle Design
• Guiding the player
• Tutorial Design/Teaching the player
• Design Documentation
• Game Testing
• Using visual scripting and Blueprints to create puzzles

Design Overview

Game Elements

Grow and Shrink Mechanic

The grow and shrink mechanic changes the player between 3 set sizes (small, Normal, and Large). This mechanic is used by the player for platforming and puzzle-solving.

During platforming challenges, there may be platforms that cannot be climbed or small holes in the wall that the player would be unable to pass unless the player is small.

when the player is large there will be buttons that are high up or blocks that cannot be pushed unless the player enters the large state.

The grow and shrink mechanic is contained within the character blueprint. It uses boolean variables for each state. (Small, Big, and Normal) When the player makes an input for the grow mechanic the blueprint will run. It works by checking if the player is in the small or normal state. If they are in one of these states then the animation for the player growth will play and the big variable will be set to true.

The shrink mechanic works in the same way, it checks if the player is not small, and if they aren’t then the shrink animation will play. if they are then the grow mechanic will play until the player is a normal size.

Puzzles

There are multiple types of puzzles in the game.

Elevator

The Elevator Blueprint works by checking if the player character is in the small state. if they are then the elevator will rise. If they are not then nothing will happen. When the player leaves the elevator then the animation will play in reverse, lowering the elevator again.

Shootable Pillars – prototype

These blueprints work by checking that a projectile collided with the button, if it did then a custom event will play within the door blueprint. This will move the door upwards, opening it and allowing the player to pass.

Collapsing floor – Prototype

The collapsing floor puzzle works by checking if the player is standing on top of it. if they are then there will be a short delay before the visibility and collision of the floor is removed. Making the player fall through the floor. The delay was added so that the game can be sure that the player is on top of the platform and not on the edge of it.

Game Overview

Lil Gnome was by a team of 6 people over the course of 12 weeks. The group consisted of one designer, one programmer, one environment artist one character artist, and two prop artists.

The is a linear third-person platformer with shooter-inspired combat and navigational puzzles. In this game, the player will control a gnome in search of a treasure that will return their owner. The player has access to the grow and shrink mechanic, a double jump, dash, and the ability to place lanterns, however, this is tied to a unique pickup available in the cave level.

The game begins with a tutorial that aims to teach the player about the movement controls and the grow and shrink mechanic which is central to the gameplay.