Diegetic UI Element: XP Bottle

Starting by looking at games I am familiar with, I broke down the various aspects of the games and found my favorite parts and their unique features. Many of the ideas turned into very broad mechanics or systems, but with the leveling up system I found it can be focused on a single item: an XP bottle.

Visual Equations:

Minecraft XP Points + Fable Anniversary Level Up Animation + Skyrim Soul Gems = Essence XP Bottle System

Across various games there is always a lack in story telling for how the character the user plays levels up. I decided to take inspiration from Minecraft and the way experience point drop visually and get collected, and expand further into that idea. Combining the mechanic of “Minecraft” XP drops with the visuals of a player leveling up in “Fable Anniversary,” along with “Skyrim’s” Soul Gems, an “Essence XP Bottle” is created. This bottle will remove the XP bar on the screen and help the leveling up experience feel more integrated into the story. The player will see an “essence” mist appear from any tasks where they would gain experience (killing creatures, crafting), and it would flow into the XP bottle that the player carries. The amount of XP would be displayed by the amount the translucent bottle is filled and the glow of the bottle. The player will have opportunities to find gems to give unique effects when the bottle becomes full. A “companion” gem will grant the player a small creature to help them fight until the next level, and a “fire” gem will grant the user fire casting abilities until they level up again.

Visual – Instead of an XP bar on the screen, the user will see the character interacting with the actual bottle filled with the XP. The user will see the different states of the bottle for more information as well.

Story – The XP will feel as more of a part of the story with the character being aware and involved with the leveling up. It will not feel like a separate mechanic just for the user.

Control – The user will have control over pulling out the bottle from their belt to collect XP, or drink the full bottle to level up.

Sensory – Controller will vibrate when the bottle becomes full. When the user drinks from the bottle, the controller will vibrate along with the level up animation on screen. When the bottle senses nearby soul gems, the controller will vibrate occasionally.

Final Images:

Final Storyboard: