
PROJECT CERBERUS
Warframe 2D Sidescroller
Engine: Unreal
Platform: Console
Role: Technical Designer
Project Type: Master's Degree
Project Cerberus is an exciting new 2D comic book sidescroller game that has been developed by the talented team at the Alchemy Lab during our time at the University of Bolton doing our Master's Degree. The game is based on the popular IP Warframe, and the team worked tirelessly to create a new unique gaming experience while still remaining true to the original IP. The development process was challenging, particularly when it came to incorporating the comic book aesthetic into the game. I was the technical designer, working on the UI, menus, and level design, as well as prototyping the lane switching mechanic that was used in a previous project. Overall, Project Cerberus is a fantastic example of how a team can take an existing IP and create something entirely new and exciting.

In preparation for the pitch, a whitebox version of the planned game was created as proof of concept featuring a comic book-based level. The player could maneuver their way through each panel with camera changes throughout, something that would become further detailed as production continued. With this whitebox version having served its purpose, updates were immediately made in the following weeks with the feedback that was received during this time.

A bit of feedback that was received was the size of the rooms, with them apparently feeling too small for the player to move around and defeat enemies with, limiting the fast-paced approach the team wanted. Warframe’s level design also leans heavily on the player's ability to get around quickly to complete objectives and beat all the enemies in their path. A conceptual idea was made to showcase these room size changes and would implement a more thought-out level.

Using the concept and a list created to keep track of what rooms will be made for the game, the assets began being added, altering what some of the panels would originally look and play like. One such example of this is the storage room now having pillars blocking the player’s viewpoint, something that wasn’t conceived during the concept phase. What this accomplished was making the panel more visually interesting for the player and giving this area a bit more individuality.

Feedback was received about altering the gameplay to potentially a lane switching system. What this meant was the player would be locked on certain lanes along the floor that they could move back and forth on to avoid enemies and obstacles. This ultimately solved an aiming issue and created a more tactical approach to combat and allowed the team to play around with the gameplay, having certain areas like the storage room mentioned above be only one middle lane the player could run on.

With the shader continuously being developed to complement what was being pieced together in the levels, it would eventually get to a stage where lighting would become a primary discussion point for the team especially with the sudden loss of frames around this stage. Looking into the issue, it seemed the lighting that was being used during development was becoming too much when more and more assets were being brought in, so to combat this, emissive lights were used instead.

Throughout the design and mechanical development of the game, Warframe was constantly being referred to whenever making new decisions. This could not be more overstated than with the other work being done during the project. Widgets and UI are at the core of every game and ultimately allow them to feel like a complete product.