Game Design at WVU Arcade News

[p]It has only been two weeks since our last devlog, and we’ve been hard at work adding new content :D What all have we added? Let’s get into it!! [/p]

• [p]Our shopping feature is now available within the office! We are continuing to update it with new items and a cleaner look,[/p]
• [p]Speaking of cleaner looks, we have added new models into the game to create a charming environment,[/p]
• [p]Along with these new models, we have updated various textures to make everything look nicer and more like the arcade we envisioned!,[/p]
• [p]Do you know that one law that makes you pay money because you use someone else’s work without asking? We don’t wanna pay money, we’re broke, so we fixed it,[/p]
• [p]We have begun implementing our setting features, starting with audio sliders that will later change to allow more accessibility,[/p]
• [p]We updated the visuals of our Steam page! Now we have our main art on the page instead of placeholders,[/p]

[p]For only two weeks, this is a lot of new additions and improvements! And we plan to keep the momentum going, with some new ideas we are working on, such as: [/p]

• [p]Our story is almost completed, giving the game a sense of guidance and finally giving love to our beloved Uncle Cletus!,[/p]
• [p]Speaking of Cletus, we are in talks of implementing voice acting for the character using an authentic southern old man (“hor hor horhor hor” - Cletus),[/p]
• [p]Now that we have base textures and models, we are now set to start customizing the arcade cabinets to fit the unique games within the arcade,[/p]
• [p]As we get more of the core game done, we are able to move to more fun additions such as set design and easter eggs!,[/p]
• [p]One of these easter eggs is For No Apparent Reason,[/p]

[p](Email from Corporate: We know what you’re trying to do, it’s not gonna work)[/p][p](Email from Employee: Pleaseeee :( )[/p]

• [p]Be careful not to clip out ;),[/p]

[p] We look forward to sharing our future progress with you as we continue to make this game the best it can be! Until next time![/p]

[p]It’s been over two months since Game Design at WVU Arcade was officially revealed, and a lot has happened in that time! From modeling to level design to art and optimization, the student-led team has been hard at work to take this game from a very basic layout with only a few implemented cabinets to a full arcade with a story! So let's get into everything we’ve accomplished so far:[/p]

• [p]19 of our 20 games have been added to the arcade! [/p]
• [p]The layout has been properly upgraded adding two levels for new additional ideas.[/p]
• [p]GD@WVU Arcade now has a new mascot! Uncle Cletus who owns the arcade and shall assist you throughout the game.[/p]
• [p]We have added and created many new models for the arcade, including our beloved: ✦ The froggy chair ✦[/p]

• [p]We have been working on optimization for the game starting with the game Runnerman! It was originally 2.05 GB lowered down to 100 MB[/p]

[p]After our game was presented at the BitBridge Showcase, we have some feedback that we can use to continue to improve our project.[/p][p][/p][p]With all of these new updates, we have slowly started to polish GD@WVU Arcade to make it into a wonderful game that you’ll be able to play in the near future. However, there is still much to be done. So what’s next for Game Design at WVU Arcade?[/p]

• [p]We are continuing to model new props and things that you can buy with our new shopping feature[/p]
• [p]We have started planning what settings and accessibility features we want to provide our players, including color blindness options, adjustable screen sizes, and “funk”[/p]

• [p]We have begun textures for our current models to make the layout more engaging and detailed[/p]

• [p]So have you heard of Gacha Games? We will be adding a Gacha System to make our game more playable and interesting for the player![/p]

[p]Email from Corporate: We are not going to include gambling. That is a terrible idea.[/p]

[p]If you've been following this page since its launch, you may have noticed some changes. Spy Cats was our first attempt at releasing on Steam. We learned a lot by working on it. Eventually, we realized it probably was not going to get to a level we felt comfortable releasing as a full game. Unfortunately, that happens a lot when you work on a semester timeline, like we do. That also means, however, that we get the opportunity to see a lot of small, quick play unique ideas and prototypes. A lot of these get published individually on itch.io and are highlighted on our program's https://gdimwvu.itch.io/ page. We decided to start looking at what we think the best of these are and invite them to be part of our collection, then release here as its own unique story. This year's capstone class will be focused on building that experience from a prototype we began last school year. It will also be one of our first bigger fundraising strategies for our program. We hope to use funding to support our students future attendance at conferences, like GDC. So follow along and we'll keep you updated through here more this 2025-2026 school year.[/p]

The Game Design and Interactive Media capstone group’s goal this semester was to bring the spy in Spy Cats and create a new level. We started the semester by brainstorming new mechanics, the story of Spy Cats, and level ideas. Then, we moved on to create the 2nd level in the game.

First, we started with brainstorming mechanics, where we had over a dozen ideas split into categories such as combat, movement, and abilities. Below is a screenshot of our jam board with all that we brainstormed.


That's a lot of ideas! We're a small team with a limited amount of time to work on the game, which means we're unable to do everything, so the team narrowed the list down to a handful. The ideas we decided to run with for abilities are the extendo-tail, where the player can use their tail to attack enemies from a distance, the meow enhancer, which players use to stun enemies, and the hacking ability, which sees the player complete a minigame to unlock doors and other secrets as they traverse the level. For movement, we decided to include wall climbing and a jump boost. Lastly, we decided to include the ability for the players to disguise themselves from enemies.

Next, we brainstormed ideas for future levels and changes to the level currently in the game. Below is a screenshot of the several different ideas we had. Just as the mechanics, we narrowed this list of ideas to three and decided on one to work on this semester.


Now that the brainstorming sessions were done, we got to work on creating the level and programming the new mechanics we decided on for the semester. The team started with programming the wall-climbing mechanic and drafting concepts of the main and the sub-world we decided to include at the research facility level. Below is a video showing the wall climbing mechanic in action.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
While the programming team got to work on the wall climbing mechanic, the level design team started blocking the vents subworld in-engine after the concept paper drafts were made. Here, players use the wall-climbing mechanic to traverse a maze-like world as they travel between floors. As the design team started work on the new mission, the art team drew concepts for new enemies that players may encounter.


The level design team then moved on to blocking the main world. Here, the player must traverse the different floors of the facility, find notes, fight rats, and avoid detection by the security cameras to find out what the rats are doing in the facility at night. Below is a video showing off the completed first version of the level.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
And that's the progress we have made on Spy Cats this semester. Stay tuned for future Spy Cats Intel reports, and please wishlist the game!