Level Barriers for Top Down Games

Hi,

I am currently working on a top down stealth game for mobile. There are some outdoor levels which are restricted by shorelines and canyons.

My question: Is there any other possibility to restrict access / limit my level? I think it will quickly become boring only seeing rocks, rivers or the ocean as obstacles.

I was thinking about using trees. But I also have trees scattered around the accessible parts of the level. So it might be difficult to differentiate between areas where trees are level boundaries and an accessible forest.

To get an idea about the game style I added a screenshot. Any input is welcome

 

How about a hedge/thicket?

Or a row of boulders forming a natural wall?

 

I was also thinking about a natural wall of boulders. I tried that and it always looked a bit enforced/artificial.

I like the thicket/shrubbery approcach, maybe combined with trees. Also changing the underground might have a big impact. Right now there is sand at the beach and further away it changes to grass. Maybe I should use sand everywhere and grass only where the player can`t walk.

I will experiment a little and post my results here.

 

I sometimes go with the old school solution of invisible walls. It's the type of solution that has no explanation as to why the player can't go that way, but simply does its job. The only downfall with this method is it can make the game feel linear.

 

Can you show us some examples? This may be an art problem rather than a design one.

 

@Foestar invisible borders is always breaking the immersion. I'd prefer to find a more 'natural' way of stopping the player to get out of the level.

 

Maybe it is. I find it quite difficult to create a consistent look. First I thought about going low poly style since this goes well with mobile platforms. It also allows me to model required assets without putting in too much effort because much less detail is needed. But I also don`t want my game to look too abstract. So I decided against flat shaded objects. Not sure if that is what you meant.

I should also mention that I am bound to 2D in terms of player movement. The 'shadows' on the screenshots are in fact non visible areas from the player`s perspective.

Right now I decided to use cliffs and fences as level boundary. Maybe I can also add some deep rivers later on... So do you see an issue related to art rather than design?

 

Everything you’ve described so far is passive. You can open up your options by putting overwhelming firepower past a certain point. I have turrets outside the map that’ll shred my players health very quickly and the further you venture out, the more damage the bullets do. I also have immortal wild animals that will hone in on the player and attack them until they’re dead.

 

Interesting approach. I assume your game is open world? Mine is quite linear. How do your players know that they went out too far? Is there any kind of warning or hint before they get shot/eaten?

 

No, my game is quite linear as well. The turrets have lights on them, which turn red when activated. You have three seconds to get out of its sights or it’ll open up. The wild animals show themselves when you get too close, and will only attack if you pass into their territory. Their presence is the warning. They are in a totally different style than enemies, so no one should confuse it for the correct path, at least not more than once.