INTRODUCTION

Aragami is a solo/coop infiltration game based on the shadows and the light during Feudal Japan. Only when you are in the shadows, you are stealthy and can use your special abilities, so in the light you are seen more easily and your actions are limited. To complete this map, you have to kill everybody and steal a relic.

 

In this creation of mine, I allowed three abilities : the throw of kunai, the blindness and the little bell of diversion.

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MY INTENTION

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My intention was to create a coop map in which you can see a major part of typical landscape and traditional culture in Japan. For this, I created five little representations of what interests me in Japan. I have chosen the coop mode to build this map (you can do this in solo but it is more difficult and less fun) because I would like players to feel like real shinobis with all the tactics and stuff that that includes.

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CONSTRAINTS

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For me, the challenge was to create an interesting map without using terraforming tools or every asset of the game (the editor hasn’t got much content). It was hard to vary the decorations and remove the feeling of redundancy. But this editor is clear and easy to use for an indie game. So, I would like to say, good job Lince Works.

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MAP

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This map is composed of : a bamboo forest, a cemetery, a market, a sakura square and a military camp. The purpose was to gather these five parts to give some coherence. For sure, there is lots of places but they are visually very different to guide the players.

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Each part has different ambiences and players can feel that. For example, in the sakura square, the enemies aren’t dangerous cause they don’t have patterns, so they are static and profit of the tranquillity of a pool and fireflies. This is strictly different in the market in which there is lots of traffic. So we can say that places are indirectly announced.

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Moreover, I have worked on the double function of the light. On the one hand as an obstacle to prevent the player from following certain paths but, on the other hand, to guide him in the level with attractiveness towards the points of interest.

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AI

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Like I say above, the light and the shadows was the base of the gameplay then, I have created various strategic points. Often in height to analyse the enemy patterns. But also on the ground with bushes for example. Sometimes, the enemies defend these points and sometimes not. It depends on the quality of the spot. More it is useful, more it is hard to control this.

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Furthermore, the coop style is highlighted with synchronized elimination. A high part of enemies, during their patrol, cross each other. At this moment, this is the perfect timing to kill them. Obviously, you can defeat them at other moments.

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The grassy areas delimit the path the AI will take, they will never walk in grass which makes sure the player will not have bad surprises when he's in it.

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Finally, players start near two forests and in front of the principal axe connecting all parts of the level. More you progress in the level, more the surveillance is important. Sometimes, it is possible that an area requests more vigilance on behalf of the players than others. For example, archers can spot two parts of the map at the same time.

 

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You can download the map here if you want to experiment my remarks :

 

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1537880278

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