Tile Project
I started with a template my teacher provided and added a new win condition requiring the player to rotate mirrors to guide a laser to the laser receiver. This mechanic uses a line trace to determine what material the laser will hit; if it hits a glass material, it will mirror using the vector normal. This makes it look like the laser is reflecting off the mirrors. The mirrors are interactable objects the player can rotate to solve the puzzle. I also wanted to challenge the player with a water and lava tile; the point of these tiles is to create a barrier for the player to overcome. Using an interactable box, you can drop it into these tiles, creating a new pathway for the player to traverse. The difference between these two tiles is that the lava tile slowly melts the block and will eventually destroy the box. The lava tiles often require the player to move quickly and think ahead to traverse a lava barrier. Removing the light allows players to explore the levels and discover how to beat them by trial and error.
Thoughts
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I wanted the player to be able to move the box in different directions, but when implemented, it didn't feel natural and made the game easier.
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I did not like the game until I removed the directional light. Then, the entire feel of the game improved, and I saw the player experience improve in playtesting.
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I learned how to use event dispatchers to communicate between tiles and objects and created timelines for doors, boxes, and mirrors to make them operate realistically.
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The box mechanic had issues when a box moved onto a submerged box, and my initial blueprints could have been more organized and clear. I cleaned them up multiple times until I got them to a place I was satisfied with.