Ian Fienberg
Game Design
Giraffic Park
Fall 2024-Spring 2025
Game Demo
Overview
Genre: 2D Platformer
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Time: September 2024-May 2025
Role: Team Lead; Game Designer; Level Designer; Producer
Team Size: 4
Context for Creating: Senior Capstone Course
Giraffic Park is a 2D sidescrolling platformer developed in Unreal Engine 5 by BISquik Studios, a team of 4 including Belle Higginbotham (Lead Artist), Steven Ho (Lead Programmer), John Currey (2D Animator) and myself, Ian Fienberg (Lead Designer). Giraffic Park takes place in a zoo as the player awakes to find themselves stuck and in need of escaping. The game features animal-themed enemies, abilities, obstacles, and weapons. Players must navigate through levels by avoiding enemies and obstacles and solving puzzles to progress. Food pellets can be collected throughout levels and spent in gift shops to buy upgrades and special abilities. This project was created in the context of our Senior Capstone class at Purdue University.
Map Design
Giraffic Park features an interactable 3D map of the environment that allows for level selection. From where the player starts, they can move along the pathway and select the level, stand, or store they would like to enter by standing on it. The levels are intended to progress with increasing difficulty, with the penguin level (P-1) being the easiest. Each level exists within an animal habitat, either giraffe, snake, or monkey, with 3 levels for each habitat. Following the final monkey level is the zookeeper, which is the final boss in the game.
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There are also Gift Shops and Concession Stands throughout the map. Gift Shops contain items that can be purchased with food pellets collected in levels. These items include weapon upgrades, special attacks, and other player enhancements. Concession Stands consist of a minigame that, upon completed, rewards the player with a new ability.
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Level Design
In Giraffic Park, I designed multiple levels with a focus on intuitive gameplay flow and progressive challenge. I followed the "Rule of Threes" design principle to teach players new mechanics:
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First, introduce a new obstacle or enemy in a safe, low-pressure environment.
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Second, offer a slightly more complex use of that mechanic, requiring player interaction or decision-making.
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Third, present a final challenge that tests the player’s mastery in a creative or unexpected way.
Each level was carefully structured to guide the player visually and spatially, reducing the need for explicit tutorials. I used layout, enemy placement, and item positioning to naturally lead players toward objectives and encourage exploration. Attention was paid to pacing, enemy difficulty, and maintaining player momentum.
Throughout the process, I playtested levels frequently and iterated based on feedback, ensuring they remained engaging, readable, and fair. I also worked closely with the art and programming teams to ensure level elements aligned with animation, enemy behaviors, and environmental storytelling.
Level P-1
Level G-1
Level G-2
Documentation
Below is the Giraffic Park game design document. This document contains all the information regarding Giraffic Park. Note that because Giraffic Park is still in development, some sections may be missing information.