Robot Wipeout
ROLES
Level Designer
Technical Level Designer
Marketing Department
DESCRIPTION
Robot Wipeout is a high-energy, third-person beat-'em-up where you battle relentless hordes of nasty bots and dodge deadly hazards—all for the amusement of a gullible audience hungry for action.
Smash, dodge, and brawl your way to the top, where Buff Marley, Heal Armstrong, and Steve Knocks—the fearsome bosses—are waiting for their turn to be taken down.
Conquer a variety of challenging stages and claim the title of Wipeout Champion! …at least until the next season of the show begins.
RELEASE
July 8 2021
GENRE
TEAM MEMBERS
22
3rd Person Beeat-Em-UP
PLATFORM
PC itch.io
Duration
24 Weeks
TRAILER
LEVEL DESIGN
Concepting
Sprint 1 - "Scrapheap Arena"
For the first development sprint, I was tasked with creating a map built around a simple arena concept set within a scrapheap or garbage dump environment. My goal was to establish a versatile layout that would support dynamic gameplay. To achieve this, I designed a large arena divided into smaller subsections, each catering to different playstyles; tight, enclosed areas for close-quarters combat and open lanes for ranged engagements. This structure added variety and broke up the scale of the arena, encouraging strategic movement and diverse encounters.
Once the blockout was complete, an environment artist provided a visual draw-over to help envision how the space could translate into the final in-game environment.
After reviewing team feedback, we experimented with several alternative designs. However, by the end of the sprint, we found that a variation of the original layout might best suit the game's direction. While the final implementation is still undecided, this version will serve as a strong foundation to iterate on further in the pre-production phase.
Sprint 2 - "Parkour Arena" and Connectors
In this sprint, my goal as a level designer was to explore how parkour traversal could enhance gameplay and level flow. Specifically, I focused on designing modular connectors intended to link the core arena spaces featuring various parkour mechanics such as wall runs, vaults, and climbable surfaces. To support this, I created a "gym" style blockout map that showcased how these mechanics could be integrated into gameplay and creating a readible test environment.
Following team discussions, we used a decision matrix to evaluate the feature's overall impact. The conclusion was that parkour, while functional, slowed down the pacing of gameplay and wasn't compelling enough addition to justify inclusion. As a result, the feature was not included in subsequent builds.
Sprint 3 - "Maze Sports Arena"
During this sprint, I explored the concept of using maze-like pathways to connect different arena spaces. The objective was to design a map that combined traditional arena combat areas with more intricate, exploratory connectors to vary pacing and player flow. I began by researching maze design principles and applied those insights to create initial sketches, which were then translated into a floorplan layout for the full map.
After internal review and feedback, the team concluded that the maze connectors were conceptually interesting they were too narrow and restrictive for our intended gameplay. They disrupted the fast-paced combat flow we were aiming for and would likely frustrate players rather than enhance engagement. As a result, the maze approach was set aside, but the design process offered valuable insights into spatial pacing and layout experimentation.
Pre-Production
Research
We developed Robot Wipeout as a hack-and-slash title inspired by the Warriors game series, focusing on fast-paced combat and high-energy action set within dynamic environments. I conducted a competitor analysis and research into player exploration to better inform our level design direction.
I analyzed five competitor titles to identify key similarities and differences in gameplay, structure, and pacing. This analysis allowed me to evaluate each game’s strengths and how they approached combat flow, arena design, and player feedback. The insights were incredibly helpful in shaping the foundational layout and design principles of my level.
In addition to competitor research, I explored the concept of player-driven exploration. I studied both games and academic perspectives, with Elements of Game Design serving as a particularly valuable resource. It helped deepen my understanding of player motivation, spatial readability, and engagement loops; elements that directly influenced how I approached structuring play spaces and connecting the different areas within the level.
This research phase significantly refined my design thinking, providing a clearer vision for how to structure our levels to balance fast-paced action with moments of meaningful exploration.
Sketching
In the firs Sprint of pre-production, I focused on the preliminary phase of level design; gathering references, exploring ideas.
As part of this process, I researched various games and real-world environments to understand how different level types influence player flow and engagement. I curated a moodboard that combined architectural references aligned with my design interests, using it as a visual foundation for my level concepts. After which I started sketching environments to better visualize my concepts before moving into engine work.
Building on this, I produced a series of sketches inspired by the moodboard. These helped me explore spatial layouts, scale, and structure more clearly. I also annotated the sketches with design notes to clarify intent, although this was an area of improvement, as some annotations were quite difficult to read. Overall, this approach helped solidify my design vision and communicate it more effectively to the team.
Blockout
As a level designer, my goal for this phase of the project was to create a blockout that could be iteratively developed based on consistent playtesting and feedback. I began the process by researching level layouts in similiar games and drafting a series of sketches to explore potential layouts. Early feedback on these sketches helped shape the initial structure and design direction of the blockout.
Once the blockout was built, I sought feedback from my team and implemented several iterations based on their insights. Additionally, I organized playtesting sessions with individuals outside of the development team and outside of the course, which provided valuable, unbiased feedback on the flow and readability of the level. Input from lecturers further highlighted areas of improvement and refinement, contributing to the evolution of the map.
While I would have preferred to conduct more iteration cycles during pre-production, the level only came together in the later stages of that phase due to the need to first establish gameplay metrics and research. With more time, I could have expanded on playtesting and made further design adjustments. Nevertheless, the current version of the blockout lays a strong foundation for continued development in future sprints.
Pre-Production Level Gameplay
Production & Release
Release
At the start of the final development block, I revisited and rescoped the arena originally conceptualized in Block C. The initial layout featured nine separate platforms, but it proved too large and complex for our gameplay goals. I redesigned the arena into a smaller, more modular layout that allowed for variation across platforms while preserving core gameplay dynamics. Based on feedback from the teaching staff, I refined the layout to six platforms and added a transitional platform leading to the final boss arena.
After aligning on the new structure with the art team, we consulted with one of the art instructors about scaling up the arena. Although we ultimately decided not to increase its size, the discussion provided useful insights that helped us reshape certain elements of the design for improved readability and player flow.
In parallel, I designed and implemented the second level of the final game. To develop the challenges, I first prototyped them in a gym testing map, iterating on each mechanic based on internal playtests before integrating them into the full level. Most of our second and last sprints were dedicated to refining these encounters through repeated feedback loops.
During the final sprint, I also created an onboarding section for the first level. Early playtests revealed that players struggled to understand the controls and attacks, so I developed a low-risk introductory area featuring health pickups and simple encounters. This allowed players to learn the mechanics in a forgiving environment.
However, repeated feedback indicated that players found it tedious to go through the onboarding section every time they restarted the level. To address this, I implemented a teleporter during the final week that allowed returning players to skip directly to the combat arena. This small change significantly improved usability and replayability based on further testing.
Playthrough final level
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
At the end of development, I took on the role of managing our team’s social media presence to support the marketing efforts for Robot Wipeout. I created and maintained our Twitter and Instagram accounts, uploading marketing materials produced by the team and ensuring consistent, engaging content.
I contributed directly to the creation of our game trailer by producing level fly-throughs, designing the video thumbnail, and crafting the end screen featuring our team and partner logos. To enhance immersion, I wrote in-character, comedic announcements for our social media posts mirroring the tone of the in-game announcer and reinforcing the game’s stadium-like atmosphere. This approach aimed to blur the line between the game world and our promotional content, making the posts feel like direct broadcasts to our audience.
Additionally, I implemented effective hashtag strategies. I focused on using relevant, searchable tags to increase our visibility within the gaming community and ensured consistency by reusing our custom hashtags across posts to strengthen our discoverability.
Social Media
We utilized both Instagram and Twitter as our primary marketing platforms, with a focus on showcasing the overall mood and atmosphere of Robot Wipeout. We leaned into the game's stylized tone and setting, which resonated most with a visual-focused platforms like Instagram. This was reflected in the platform’s higher follower count and engagement compared to Twitter.
Marketing Posts
As part of our social media campaign for Robot Wipeout, I led a series of posts centered around our enemy characters. To make the process engaging and collaborative, I organized a small internal contest within the team to come up with fun and memorable names for each enemy type. After gathering submissions, we held a team-wide vote to select the most entertaining options, which were then used across our marketing materials.
One of our visual artists created stylized character mugshots that highlighted each enemy’s abilities and personality. I used these visuals to create, in-universe social media posts, pairing each image with the charcter bios and commentary from the game’s announcer. These descriptions helped establish the dystopian-yet-charming sports world of Robot Wipeout, adding lore and humor for our audience, and which made the posts feel like part of the game's universe.