At its core, SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 is a game with only four distinct level packs. I designed some extra ones on the side to be almost 'bonus modes', but the first four packs flow together intentionally to teach players the game mechanics (whereas the last ones are me goofing around in the level editor and making funny stuff).
So, with that said, last time on the Devlog we talked about how I designed the first 5 levels to teach students how to play the game. This time around, I'm gonna talk about how I use level packs 2 and 3 to introduce new mechanics, expand on old ones, and prepare the player for their final challenge.
THE SECOND LEVEL PACK
The second level pack starts off by introducing the players where their win conditions are dependent on pushing more than one chip into place. So as not to confuse the player, the first time this is introduced is in a stage where it is impossible to fail, and then we expand on this in the next level where we combine their skills of pushing chips from Level Pack 1 with their newfound ability to push multiple chips into place.
Level 2-1: Two of Em - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
The second level, Chip Push Chip, also introduces the fact that your robot can push multiple chips at a time. We once again force the player to do this in a safe environment where they can't fail by locking the chips in a groove, and then they're able to break them apart and complete the circuits.
Level 2-2: Chip Push Chip - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
The third level introduces the hazards, which will become a mainstay of the way that SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 develops its, well, challenge. This allows me to force precision from the player in a way other than having their chips get lodged in corners. Because the player can take 3 hits, it also means that the players can have chances to fail with hazards, unlike with 'chip jams' that require a restart. This level is pretty simple, it provides a narrow path for the player to start, and it dips their toes into navigating a chip around a corner with hazards nearby. This is mostly to warm the player up, as there is plenty of space, but the hazards might be a little bit frightening to younger students, so giving them ample space is a good thing here.
It was a point of debate for me as to if I wanted to wait until Level Pack 3 to introduce hazards, and have the focus of that pack be on avoiding hazards while pushing chips. I found that constrained me a bit with designing solely hazard focused levels, not really giving the combination of multiple chips and hazards enough space to breathe before the final pack which would ramp the difficulty up. Neither is a bad way to approach this, and if I designed the game to have more levels along its main progression this is likely how I would have done it. This would have also given me no natural opportunity to introduce the levels where two robots are being controlled at once. Overall, it helps to view all but the first and last levels in each pack as a continuous set, introducing and testing concepts gradually, while the first and final levels act as warm-ups and 'boss battles' in a way.
Level 2-3: But Suddenly a Hazard - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
If the third level was a toe in the water, the fourth level helps players get their sea legs. It's a lot more open giving the player a chance to tackle it from multiple angles, and to assess their options before moving forward. I've found this one to be a bit intimidating to playtesters on their first try, but they always seem to be satisfied with the fact that they cracked the code to beating this level by the end, moreso than most levels in the game. Just goes to show that variety is king sometimes.
Level 2-4: Even More Hazards - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
I like sending the worlds off with a bit of an extra level, it's just in my nature. This level introduces the concept of a third chip, which should be less groundbreaking to players than the introduction of the second chip. This concept doesn't get played around with much in the main set of levels, but I feel it's a nice shock to the players here. This level is pretty straightforward, but it also reinforces that chips can be knocked off their place and put back on with no consequence, as this level requires it to complete.
Level 2-5: Triple Trouble - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
THE THIRD LEVEL PACK
This one starts off with a returner from the first game, this being the infamous level that got many a student stuck, not knowing that they can bring chips over wires. Thankfully, that's a mechanic I established early on with this game, so this level should be an introductory breeze for the player. The little passageway at the bottom is mostly to remind players about the 'chip jams' in the corners of the map. They're still here even if they didn't bug you much in the last level pack, and that channel reminds them if they try and push a chip through it!
Level 3-1: In the Swing of Things - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
This is a simple level that introduces the possibility of there being 2 player controlled robots. This level doesn't expect the player to do anything different with the two, and simply expects them to mirror actions. It's to get them comfortable with the concept, and to show them that their actions go directly to both bots.
Level 3-2: But what if there were Two - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
Now the NEXT level has the two robots do things differently. This time around, we try to have the player 'swap focus' from one robot to the other, with robot 2 opening the door for robot 1, who then must navigate his path. It's important to note that if not played well robot 2 can un-lodge robot 1's door if enough focus isn't being paid, but this is a concept played with more in the challenge level packs in the postgame.
Level 3-3: Task Delegation - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
As the title implies, level 4, Multitasking, has the player focus on BOTH robots at once. The player can navigate the board safely if they pay attention to the hazards on both robot's sides of the board. If they try to focus on one at a time, they can accidentally ram the other robot into hazards. This one's pretty simple once you know to watch for it, but a lot of people focus on one at a time, and I like the switch up between mechanics to test the players on both facets of this game mechanic. Both sides of the coin get used in the later Multi Bot pack to greater effect, this is more of a teaser.
Level 3-4: Multitasking - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
Finally, the pack ends with a challenge combining the skills learned in Multitasking with the chip pushing brought over from Level Pack 2. The player has to navigate 2 chips past a maze with differing layouts for both robots. This one is actually really hard to fail, but it tends to scare people looking at it, unless they already had a pretty good grasp on Multitasking. Overall, I'm quite happy with this as a final challenge that transitions into the late-game.
Level 3-5: More Multitasking - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 | JAEOStudios
THE WRAP UP
And speaking of the late-game, that's what I'll be discussing next time on the devlog, as I talk about how I designed the player's final set of challenges to prove themselves an SSCC2 expert. If you have any favorite examples of a game ramping up challenge well, let me know in the comments!
If you'd like to play SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2 for yourself, the game is free on PC, and has source code available on GitHub. More information can be found here: https://jaeostudios.odoo.com/sscc2
That's all for now, hope to see you all back here next time, and
never forget to play without limits!
- Mikey, SSCC2 Developer
Putting Together the Mid-game - SFA STEM Circuit Challenge 2