ZOOM is a silly 3D first person shooter adventure made in collaboration with Tyler Zhang. In this game, you are a F.B.I. agent (Feeding Beasts Intelligence agent) and all of the animals in the zoo you’ve been assigned to are very hungry. The balance of the animal kingdom lies in your hands as it is up to you to feed and satiate their hunger. This six week project was created in Unity using C#, Autodesk Maya, and assets from the Unity Assets Store. The game includes a unique ammo-to-enemy matching system, fast-paced combat and movement, with environmental story-telling and interactions.
You can play the game here:
ZOOM Trailer
Game Mechanics
Universal Ammo Collection System
Environmental Maneuverability
Ammo-to-Enemy Matching Mechanic
Universal Sleep Dart (Slows Animal Movement Speed)
Level One: Forest
Overview of level one.
Level Design
Close up image of area one.
Close up image of area two.
As the first level of the game, I wanted the experience to be slow paced, but overall be a short level. The animals chosen in this level have easier behaviors to handle, their movement speed is slow, and the map has plenty of space and high ground for the player to find vantage points to use.
There are four animals total: monkey, deer, goat, and bear. This is to ensure that the player gets to test out all three foods and get used to using the feeding tool in the very first level. The player starts on the right (star symbol) and the path through this map is linear, and ultimately leads the player to the bear, which is one of the more intimidating animals in the game. After having “defeated” the first three animals, there is a surprising challenge and also introduction to a more difficult animal. There is a medical kit item in this area as well should the player need it. This will help transition the player to an increased difficulty in the next level.
Level Two: Safari
Overview of level two
Close up image of area one.
Close up image of area two.
The second level is a little bit longer, and features seven animals, three more than the last level. The player starts at the bottom right (star symbol), and the path through this level is mostly linear. Some animals will not attack unless the player enters a specific area out of the way of the main path. An audio indicator alerts the player every time an animal has targeted the player, so ambushes are not as unfair.
There is a lot of environmental detail in this area, and the overall difficulty of this map has more to do with the amount of animals and finding their locations through exploring rather than a fast paced strong set of opponents. I felt this was a fair increase in difficulty from the first level.
Level Three: Jungle
Overview of level three.
Close up image of area three.
Close up image of area one.
Close up image of area four.
Close up image of area two.
The third level overview has the large decorative trees hidden so that the actual level platforms can be seen in the images. This level is strictly linear, as the theme takes us to tree-top platforms. While it is relatively safe as the platforms are large in comparison to the player, should the player fall off the platforms into the water below, they will be sent back to the very beginning. The player starts off on the left and is granted the opportunity to stock up on ammo/food for their feeding tool on the first platform, this platform has no animals on it, but the player can see the animals and other areas from where they stand. There are many more animals in this level, but they are spaced out so that the player will only have to deal with five at most at a time. The animals cannot cross bridges. Each area has unique platforms and obstacles that the player can maneuver around and wall jump off of in order to avoid damage from the animals.
This level has many challenges, but also gives the player more opportunities to explore the mobility aspects of their character!
Level Four: Arctic
Overview of level three.
Close up image of area three.
Close up image of area one.
Close up image of this awesome aquarium tunnel I made in the level.
Close up image of area two.
The fourth and final level of this game is the arctic exhibit! The marked up overview shows the linear path flow intended for the player, they start off in the middle building, go down and to the left to the next building, then up into the gray building, and then down under the center building into the third area marked with as the rectangle, and then out and up the stairs to the helicopter landing pad marked with a flag.
Each area is now much closer in quarters, no areas with options to refill on food, and less vantage points to rely on that are also a little bit out of the way to get to (the walls of the rooms). The animals in each area are set up to create a dynamic in which the player has to decide which to target first, and which other animals will essentially become moving obstacles to avoid for time being.