Toboggan Trial
Toboggan Trial is a quest and minigame within the MMO Fer.al where players ride a sled down a snowy pass trying to clobber as many “Snow Kobolds” as possible.
Originally just a set quest, we adapted it to be a repeatable activity with a daily completion reward and varying levels.
The goal for this design adaption was to take an existing feature in the MMO and repurpose it for repeatable use within a limited number of sprints.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Game Designer
Adapted the original quest design into a repeatable gameplay loop
Created a repeatable reward structure
Collaborated with the engineering team to implement the repeatable flow and level matrix
Worked with engineers and artists to piggyback a UI notification system for all quests and activities
Documented activity and system details
Level Designer
Worked with the environment artist to utilize assets available elsewhere in the game
Mapped out and placed the assets for each of the level and objective placements
Tested each track to confirm difficulty, flow, and completion mastery
Provided details and location in the game world for how and where the activity could be accessed
POSTMORTEM
The quest system for Fer.al had numerous one-time use activities and features that were not utilized. This feature was one that afforded repeatable gameplay, challenge-based engagement, and required little to get moving. Once the primary engineer and I were on the same page, it was easy to map out the level matrix. What this did for us was allowed us to stretch out the one level we originally had into nine. We accomplished this by using the single level geometry and placed assets, and modifying them into three of each that could work with each other. This process allowed our team to extend the playability of this feature which granted a boon of positive feedback from our player base.
