Lab Escape 2 –GDD

By Imperial Bucketheads

Brian Pisarczyk

Cameron Pankey

Elizabeth Fordham

Brendan Powell

Lisa Lee

Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 4

Game Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Key Features .............................................................................................................................................. 4

Market Comparison .................................................................................................................................. 5

Scope ......................................................................................................................................................... 5

Viability ..................................................................................................................................................... 6

Menu ............................................................................................................................................................. 6

Star Rewards System..................................................................................................................................... 6

Feature Description .................................................................................................................................. 6

Cameras, Movement & Crosshair Control .................................................................................................... 6

The Player ..................................................................................................................................................... 7

Shrinking, Growing, and Abilities .............................................................................................................. 7

Player Death/Respawning ......................................................................................................................... 7

Player Power Ups ...................................................................................................................................... 7

Enemies ......................................................................................................................................................... 8

Robot Rammers ........................................................................................................................................ 8

Scanning Turrets ....................................................................................................................................... 8

Environment Hazards .................................................................................................................................... 9

Acidic Jelly Pits .......................................................................................................................................... 9

Pop Up Floor Spikes .................................................................................................................................. 9

Stationary Wall Shredder .......................................................................................................................... 9

Spinning Wall Shredder ............................................................................................................................. 9

Auto Crusher ........................................................................................................................................... 10

Trigger Crusher........................................................................................................................................ 10

Pop Turrets .............................................................................................................................................. 10

Laser Grid ................................................................................................................................................ 10

Interactives ................................................................................................................................................. 11

Lifts .......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Pressure Plates ........................................................................................................................................ 12

Buttons .................................................................................................................................................... 12

Interactive Buttons ............................................................................................................................. 12

Time Limited Buttons .......................................................................................................................... 12

Doors ....................................................................................................................................................... 12

Extending Bridges ................................................................................................................................... 13

Timed Events ............................................................................................................................................... 13

Timed Button Event ................................................................................................................................ 13

Timed Bridge Event ................................................................................................................................. 13

HUD ............................................................................................................................................................. 14

Key Controls ................................................................................................................................................ 15

Component Interaction Matrix ................................................................................................................... 16

Level Maps .................................................................................................................................................. 17

Level 1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 17

Level 2 ..................................................................................................................................................... 18

Level 3 ..................................................................................................................................................... 19

Level 4 ..................................................................................................................................................... 20

Level 5 ..................................................................................................................................................... 21

Level 6 ..................................................................................................................................................... 21

Executive Summary

Game Summary

Lab Escape 2 is designed as a 3rd person speed running environment puzzle platforming game.

For Lab Escape 2 players take control of an experimental living jelly cube that is being tested by a crazed

scientist that is trying to create the world’s first autonomous jelly soldiers. The player’s main objective is

to survive various scenarios that test the speed, agility and dexterity of the player. Completing the

puzzles will require the player to move, shoot, jump, and shrink by creating decoys to navigate their way

through the various obstacles. As the player progresses through each of the levels they encountered

more complex tests of the player’s ability. At the end of each level the player will be awarded up to

three stars. The less the player dies and the faster the player completes the level leads to more stars

being awarded up to a maximum of three.

The player will have two main abilities beyond the basics of moving and jumping. Both abilities

will cause the player’s jelly to shrink down for a period of time. The mass / size of the player are

affected by a jelly projectile that the player can shoot out in any direction. The player is limited to 3

shots before they reach a minimum size. The same principle also applies when the player drops their

defensive decoy that attracts the attention of the patrolling robots and scanning turrets that are

featured in the later levels. Unlike the projectiles the decoy is dropped behind the player when moving

to distract hazards or in front of the player when they are stationary to place the decoy with more

accuracy. The decoy disappears after an amount of time relative to how long the player held the decoy

key for because the more mass the player gives to the decoy the longer it takes for the jelly to dissolve.

After shrinking down the cube increases size in timed increments so the player can start using their

abilities again without being able to spam all of the abilities.

Key Features

● Shrinking / growing by using abilities.

○ Limits how big or small their jelly decoy is and how long it lives unless killed by a hazard.

○ Only one decoy can be alive at any time unless a power up ability is available.

○ Limits their number of jelly shots.

○ Once at a minimum size the player cannot use any abilities other than power ups until

they regenerate

● Varying environmental obstacles that provide additional challenges

○ A.I. Turrets that scan for and attack the player

○ Pop up turrets that fire in various patterns

○ Moving lifts, extending bridges, collapsible jump platforms

Market Comparison

The genre of Lab Escape2 is best described as a casual environment platforming puzzle game

with a focus on escaping the hazards of the environment with both jelly cubes. There are several games

in this genre that involves escaping, puzzle solving, and platforming. However, none of these games

treat the player as an experiment that has expectations to complete the level quickly, with as few

deaths as possible, and leaving behind pieces of the player’s body. For instance, Portal has the player

being used as a lab rat that must complete an area test in order to progress to the next test. The player

is able to complete the puzzle as quickly or slowly as they wish without any sort of scoring. In Lab

Escape2 the player can complete the puzzle as slowly as they wish and die as many times as they wish

but they will only be rewarded by completing the levels quickly with very few deaths.

Puzzle games such as like Portal, Talos Principle, and Quantum Conundrum often require the

player to manipulate the world in order to complete various challenges, but Lab Escape2 requires more

than that. In Lab Escape2 players must manipulate not only objects in the world, but manipulate the size

of the jelly cube by leaving behind a decoy jelly to complete various challenges. The decoy is limited to

one without a power up and can be used to hold down specific triggers that require constant pressure or

distract A.I. controlled patrolling robots and turrets. This gives Lab Escape2 its own unique twist to the

environment puzzle genre.

Scope The game is composed of 7 levels that continually build the player’s understanding of the

game’s mechanics. The overall theme of each level will be a type of ‘Mad Scientist Laboratory’ to give

the player the feeling of trying to escape. There are 12 hazards within Lab Escape2, 2 of these hazards

are AI controlled which include the AI turret, and the Robot Rammer. Of the remaining 11 hazards, there

is a popup turret that has three different firing modes: all fire, individual shot, half and half shot. The

8final hazards are: crushers (auto and trigger able), popup spikes, stationary spinning wall spikes,

spinning spike wall, pendulum mallets, laser grids, and acidic jelly pits. Besides hazards in Lab Escape2,

there are also interactive items. There are a total of 9 interactive items that the player can control,

interact with, or that cause interactions with other items. These items are: doors, buttons, bridges,

single use pressure plates, constant pressure plates, vertical and horizontal moving lifts, collapsible

platforms and regular platforms. With these interactive items there are also two event timers. One

event that requires the player to activate a button and get to the destination before the timer runs out.

The second event is a button that when activated, stays active for a short amount of time and requires

the player to hit a second button to ‘lock’ the activated item in place.

The player will have two abilities within Lab Escape2. One of the abilities is the jelly projectile;

the player will be able to shoot this projectile at A.I. Turrets and Robot Rammers in order to stun them.

The projectile can also be used to activate buttons from afar. The other ability the player has is creating

a decoy. This decoy can be used in order to ‘grab aggro’ from A.I. turrets and robot rammers or activate

constant pressure plates. This decoy will delete itself after a set amount of time or it is destroyed by an

enemy. Besides the player abilities, there are also 3 power ups the player can find in order to make

certain obstacles easier. The first of these power ups is the Jump boost. The jump boost allows for an

increased jump height for a set amount of time. This power can be used in order to find a shortcut or is

required to finish a puzzle. The second power up is auto mass regen. This power up will give the player

back all the missing mass. The third power up is the free decoy; this power will give the player the ability

to spawn a decoy without taking any mass away from the player.

Viability

The viability of Lab Escape2 depends largely on the handling of various puzzles and obstacles.

However, these puzzles could become unsolvable due to timed based events that could fire incorrectly

or be far too hard to complete. In order to combat this, the levels should and will include optional paths

that can be found through exploration to navigate around or to buttons to stop those items from

interfering with player progress. This plan would be the most time efficient way to handle balancing

issues that could arise from timed based challenges, but still require the player to solve a puzzle.

Menu A Lab Escape 2 will consist of a standard main menu system that will have an animated 3 dimensional

scene, with an arrangement of buttons for actions that the player can choose from such as Start Game,

Options, and Resume Game. Additionally, the player will have access to a basic pause menu during

gameplay.

The start game option will send the player to a level selection screen that requires them to complete

each level 1 at a time in order to unlock additional levels. The levels available and the previous score

will be saved each time the player access the game allowing them to return to where they left off or

replay for a better score. The screen should fade out to load the level and fade in at the start of the

level.

Star Rewards System

Feature Description The star system is tied to how fast the player completes the level and how many deaths that occurred

during the play through. The fastest time with very few deaths will net the player three stars. The player

can be rewarded up to three stars with the minimum being only one star for completing the level.

Cameras, Movement & Crosshair Control The camera is a traditional 3rd person overhead camera. The right mouse button is used to move the

camera angle around to examine the area around the player. Meanwhile, the left mouse button is used

to fire jelly projectiles at the item targeted by the crosshair. The crosshair is live and moves with the

player’s mouse movement. Using traditional keyboard movement WASD the player can move around

the level and use the spacebar to jump.

The Player

Shrinking, Growing, and Abilities As the player uses their abilities the mass (size) of the jelly decreases until it hits a minimum limit. There

are four increments in size that dictate the amount of times the player can use their abilities to prevent

spamming. Each size segment takes 8 seconds to regenerate. The player can see this regeneration

happen by watching a small green bar decrement inside of their mass bar on the HUD.

Shooting

● If the player has enough mass, they can fire a jelly projectile by clicking the left mouse

button (LMB). Players can shoot up to 3 jelly projectiles before running out of mass.

Once the player runs out of mass, the player can no longer shoot until they regenerate

enough mass back. This projectile can be fired at buttons from afar in order to trigger

the button. The projectile can also stun robot rammers, which will give the player some

time to figure out an escape route before the robot rammer reactivates. Immediately

after the shot the player will begin to regenerate their size.

Decoy

● The player can also place down a single decoy (without the use of a power up). A single

press of the ‘E’ makes a small decoy and slightly shrinks the player. However, the player

can press and hold the E key to make bigger decoys that live longer and shrink

themselves down even more. The lifespan of the decoy is directly proportionate to its

size. The larger the longer it lasts. All obstacles and hazards treat the decoy as a player

item and can kill it earlier.

Player Death/Respawning Players has no limit on deaths, however, this will affect the score. Whenever the player dies they will

return to the last checkpoint that they crossed.

Player Power Ups In Lab Escape 2 there are 3 power ups that the player can obtain: Jump boost, full regen, and the free

decoy. Each power up will appear as a smaller jelly cube. These power ups can be used in order to find

short cuts or are needed in order to beat certain puzzles.

- Jump Boost:

- The jump boost power up will give the player extra jump height when activated. Jump

boost will only be enabled for a set amount of time, and once the timer runs out, the

player will lose the ability until collecting another jump boost power up.

- Full Regen:

- The full regen power up will give the player back all the missing mass of the jelly cube.

This can be used to grow to the full size instantly, to replace a decoy, or to be able to

shoot more jelly projectiles. Once the player activates the full regen, the player will lose

this ability until collecting another full regen power up.

- Free Decoy:

- The free decoy power up gives the player the ability to spawn another decoy, without

the cost of any mass. If the player already has a decoy out, this power up can still be

used and will allow the player to have 2 decoys active at once. The free decoy life span is

half as long as a regular decoy.

Enemies

Robot Rammers Feature Description

Robots will patrol certain paths with in a puzzle; this enemy will detect a jelly cube once the cube is in

the enemy's line of sight. The robot’s line of sight is a cone or fan area roughly 160 degrees wide in front

of the robot. The robot is limited to the sub-section they are in, but can see an unlimited distance unless

the player is hiding behind another object.

Once the jelly cube has been detected the enemy will pursue that jelly cube until the enemy hits the

jelly cube, the enemy is stunned, or the player leaves the area. Each level will require different paths for

the enemy, which will be created by points positioned within the level for the enemy to follow.

Weakness:

● Jelly Ball Projectile:

o Jelly Projectile: If the robot rammer is hit by a jelly projectile, the robot rammer will be

temporarily stunned for a short period of time.

● Player Decoy:

o Decoy: The robot rammer can be confused if the player uses their decoy to temporarily

distract them.

Scanning Turrets Feature Description

Turrets are gunmetal grey mini-laser cannons that begin to fire red beamed projectiles automatically

when the player enters the subsection of a level. The turrets have a variable fire rate according to the

needs of the puzzle. The player will have to use timing, blocking walls, or decoys to navigate across areas

guarded by these turrets.

Weakness:

● Can’t tell a living player from a decoy.

o Will target anything that looks like the player and shoot instead.

Environment Hazards

Acidic Jelly Pits Feature Description

Certain levels will feature jelly pits, which contain the remains of previous jelly cube test subjects. These

jelly pits will be placed in different levels that are meant to hinder the player’s progression and

ultimately serve as an extension to the puzzle within the level. Jelly pits can come in various shapes and

sizes, but will always result in player death if the player falls into it.

Pop Up Floor Spikes Feature Description

Moving spikes come upwards through the floor at an adjustable rate to kill the player on contact. If the

spikes are activated they will retract into the floor to allow the player access to the areas behind the

hazard. This can be activated by buttons, pressure plates and timed buttons.

Stationary Wall Shredder Feature Description

Wall Shredders are objects that can be extruding half way out of walls or they can be in the game field

acting like a rotating pillar that has multiple layers, each layer rotating in opposite directions. Wall

shredders will convey danger to the player by metal grinding sounds and the red color that they provide.

Wall shredders have no weakness therefore when the player comes in contact with this hazard the

player will instantly die and respawn at their latest checkpoint. The only way to defeat this hazard is to

either avoid them or deactivate them by interacting with a pressure plate or a button.

Spinning Wall Shredder Feature Description

The Spinning wall shredder is a spinning object that is made up of 2 long walls welded together to form a

cross like object and a wall shredder attached at the end of each wall. This hazard is constantly rotating

and is not triggered on or off by any interactive object. These objects will rotate at different speeds and

they will have a loud metal on metal sound while rotating. All spinning shredders have no weakness

therefore the player must move quickly with the wall and avoid the shredders at the end of hazard.

Auto Crusher Feature Description

Crushers are just as they sound, they will crush the jelly cube, if they are between the mallets when it

closes. This obstacle will have two mallets smashing into each other. These can sometimes be turned off

by hitting a button or having a jelly cube sit on a pressure plate. The smashers operate using a variable

speed or a short start delay depending on the needs of the level.

Trigger Crusher Feature Description

Trigger Crushers can only be activated by the player passing through a trigger volume located in front of

the crusher. When it is activated a crusher extends outwards roughly ten meters until it is fully extended

roughly at the end of the trigger volume. If the player comes into contact with the crusher then they are

instantly killed and sent back to the last checkpoint. Trigger crushers can be placed in a pair facing each

other to give the impression of closing walls reminiscent of a trash compactor. Trigger crushers can be

placed individually to force the player to keep moving while trying to avoid other obstacles.

Pop Turrets Feature Description

Pop Turrets are a turret that stars underground and will pop up and shoot projectiles in 4 different

directions. This turret will constantly loop between being underground and aboveground. This turret has

3 different firing modes: All Fire, Half and half, and Individual shot.

- All fire:

- This mode has the pop turret shooting all 4 projectiles at once. There is no pause and

once the 4 shots have been fired, the turret will retract and repeat.

- Half and Half:

- This mode has the pop turret shooting 2 projectiles and after a short delay, will shoot

the other 2 projectiles. Once the turret has shot the second round of projectiles, the

turret will retract into the ground and repeat.

- Individual Shot:

- This mode has the pop turret shooting one shot at a time. It will fire the front projectile

and go in a clockwise rotation until all shots are fired. After the turret is done firing the

fourth shot, it will retract into the ground and repeat.

This turret cannot be stunned by the player. The player will have to use the environment or timing in

order to get passed these turrets.

Laser Grid Feature Description

Laser grid walls are meant to keep the player from entering or exiting an area. Laser grid walls can also

be used to create a grid that the player can navigate through in order to reach an object (pressure plate,

platform, or a power up). When the lasers are on they are visually indicated by the color red and when

they are off the lasers will disappear and the tips that control the laser will turn green, indicating that it

is safe for the layer to advance. The laser walls also flicker on and off. The laser grid walls can be turned

off by achieving a goal (ex. reaching the end of a laser grid puzzle).

Visuals:

Lasers on: Laser tips = red

Lasers off: Laser tips = green.

When powered on the laser is a red beam with a blue arcing lighting zap effect that moves around its

edges. The effect is only on when the lasers are on.

Pendulum Mallets

Pendulum is a hammer shaped object made out of a pole and mallet located at the bottom that swings

back and forth that can push the player by force and make them land into deadly hazards like shredders

and jelly pits. Additionally, the pendulum can be controlled if the player is able to complete a challenge

to turn them off.

Interactives

Lifts Feature Description

Lifts are platforms for a single jelly cube to ride up to another area. Some lifts move automatically by

going up and down at a slow pace according to the distance that must be traveled. The lift should pause

for 3 seconds at the top and the bottom to allow the player to safely move on or off the lift platform. A

lift that is controlled by a turnstile should only move when the turnstile is being turned. If the player

leaves the turnstile the lift should quickly drop back to its bottom position. The player’s jelly cubes

should be an attached object while touching the lift in order to avoid shaking or jittering on screen.

Lifts are controlled by and move along a particle energy beam. The beam is red at its core and has a

spiraling green effect when the lift is on and a red spirals when the platform is off.

Jump Power-Up Regenerator Feature Description

Players can only hold one power up of each time at any given time. Some jump activities are required to

complete in order to progress and they require a jump power up. Whenever this is the case a jump

power up regenerator should be placed. The regenerator is a jelly containing floor piece that grows a

new power up from its end pieces only after the player has used the power up that they have already

picked up.

Collapsible Platforms

Feature Description

Collapsible Lifts are platforms that the jelly can jump on to get to another area. These lifts collapse after

a certain amount of seconds once the jelly stands on them. These lifts have visuals of a light attached to

them to warn the player that the platform is about to collapse.

Pressure Plates Feature Description

Pressure plates are required to open doors or activate events after a cube is moved on top of it.

However, some plates require constant pressure; these are suited for placing down a decoy and

completing a task within the lifespan of the decoy. These are best used when the player may need the

decoy soon afterwards thus challenging the player to use the appropriate sized decoy. The plates are

always situated on the floor and are never located on walls. Certain pressure plates require more weight

to be pressed down so a larger cube must be used with the size of the plate signifying how much weight

is required. The pressure plates will always be a square but will have beveled edges to differentiate from

the jelly cubes. A grey metallic color juxtaposing with the surrounding environment will be the material

of the plate to avoid confusion with other objects. Some puzzles can also link pressure plates together

so both cubes must be used to activate the event or require a plate to constantly be pressed for the

other cube can advance. Objects that are pushed onto a pressure plate can have the same effect as a

jelly cube, but the size and weight requirements of the plate still apply for it to activate.

Buttons Feature Description

Interactive Buttons

These buttons can be found on walls either with in the player’s reach or hidden behind hazards. These

buttons can be used to trigger any object that is attached to it (i.e. trigger doors, platforms, and turn on

or off objects). These buttons can easily be identified by the bright red color indicating it’s inactive and

when triggered the player will be shown the action is being performed by the button turning green.

Time Limited Buttons

Time limited buttons require the red sticky jelly to coat the surface to complete the circuit but after a

certain amount of time the jelly will slide off or will be burnt up so the circuit will break and the event

will revert to its previous state. The button will blink faster the closer the timer gets to completion that

is also linked to a small clicking noise that correlates to the blinking. Once the timer is completed the

button returns to its original color and state.

Doors Feature Description

Doors can be controlled by a button, a pressure plate, or a combination of the two. They will appear as

various shapes and models but the color of a door will always be a metallic grey. The opening motion of

a door can be sliding horizontally or pivoting open like a traditional door.

Extending Bridges Feature Description

The player will have to use a pressure plate or turnstile to control extending bridges. The bridge will

have a high polished wood appearance to it and it will help the player get over hazards that are in their

path. The bridge will lock temporarily into place once it is extended and then the player can cross over

to the other side. If the puzzle calls for it the bridge can be locked into place using the press of a button

on the far side.

The animation for the extending of the bridge should take no more than 5 seconds and use gear

movement sounds to further indicate that the bridge is moving.

Timed Events

Timed Button Event Feature Description

Timed button events are a regular button tied to a series of five lights and a single trigger able object in

the scene. Trigger ables can be turned on, off, or opened for a limited amount of time set per the needs

of the challenge. When activated the lights begin to flicker from green, to yellow, to finally red. When

all the lights are red the event resets and the items it controls re-activate/deactivate. The lights flicker

according to the time increments. A time of 5 seconds means each light stays green for only 2.5 seconds

before flickering to red.

Timed Bridge Event Feature Description

Timed bridge events are two buttons or pressure plates tied to a series of five lights that control the

extendable bridge in the scene. While the event is activated the lights begin to flicker from green, to

yellow, to finally red. When all lights are red the event resets and the items it controls

reactivate/deactivate. The lights flicker according to the time increments. A time of 5 seconds means

each light stays green for only 2.5 seconds before flickering to red.

The activity requires the player to trigger the bridge to extend. When the bridge is fully extended the

timed event begins. In order to complete the player must either get across the bridge completely or hit

another button along the way to stop the bridge from retracting. Failure to do so will have the bridge

retract and drop the player.

HUD

1. Hint Box

2. Decoy Life Timer

3. Mass bar for the player

4. Hotkey bar

a. E. Spawn Decoy

b. 1. Free Decoy

c. 2. Jump Boost

d. 3. Mass Regen

Key Controls

Component Interaction Matrix

Lab Escape2 Player Jelly Proj Decoy

Power-up Triggers

Deadly Hazards

Turret Proj.

Robot Rammer Turret

Jelly Pits Pendulum

Player

Jelly Proj.

Decoy

Power-up A

Triggers B I A

Deadly Hazards C C

Turret Proj. D D

Robot Rammer E K E

Turret F L F

Jelly Pits G M G

Pendulum H H

A. When the player/decoy comes into contact with a power up the power up will be destroyed and

the player will be given the correlating ability. The slot for the ability will be highlighted on the

HUD as well.

B. When the player/decoy comes into contact with a trigger. The trigger will activate the object

that the trigger is tied to.

C. When the player/decoy comes into contact with a deadly hazard, this will kill the player and

send them back to the nearest checkpoint.

D. If the player/decoy is touched by the Turret Projectile, the player will be killed and sent back to

the nearest checkpoint.

E. If the player/ decoy comes into contact with the robot rammer in any way they are instantly

killed and the robot will reset to its patrolling state.

F. If the player comes in contact with the turret, it will be treated like a wall. The player cannot

walk through the turret but is possible to jump on top of the turret.

G. Jelly Pits will instantly kill the player on contact.

H. If the player comes into contact with the Pendulum, the player will be pushed in the direction

the pendulum is going.

I. If a projectile that is fired from the player interacts with a button then it will activate the button

and the projectile is destroyed.

J. If the jelly projectile comes into contact with a deadly hazard, the projectile will be destroyed.

K. A jelly projectile fired from the player will stun a robot rammer for a certain period of time.

L. If the jelly projectile comes in contact with the turret, the jelly projectile will be destroyed.

M. Pendulums will destroy jelly projectiles on contact and not be harmed.

Level Maps

Level 1

Larger image: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1B8ZsyFRUtCcSwk9FiN1h-

NsnAISgddDIDTHsT2SjjiU/edit?usp=sharing

Level 2

Larger Image: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1oQShlziCAqbElZLMCtRUIQ-wbNCE_jjEP-

_vm5EV7gQ/edit?usp=sharing

Level 3

Larger Image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4ncafwtsNyOa25HaktjbEJ0NTg/view?usp=sharing

Level 4

Larger Image: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1A-

JD6hhE1OqJyW2WnuG9IBvUOUcTHpJ0XiP97SOsvg4/edit?usp=sharing

Level 5

Larger Image: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/14fsjp-

wo7rgxG4BHZTNcBcnM12ezgQNFSKB24M3qbX4/edit?usp=sharing

Level 6 No image available