FALLING OBJECT
Bomb! Bam! Bang! That's it.
Level Design Focused Project
Project Pitch.
Experience Goal:
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Start with a thrilling escape sequence
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Engage in the fun and coolness of explosives
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Affect and change the game world
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Amazed by cinematic moment
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Finish with a glory boss fight
One of the design pivots of this level is that the player starts the level with a thrilling escape sequence. Such a design can quickly raise the player's tension and engage them with the level.
This level aims to create a thrilling, compact experience that emphasizes vertical parkour. It was designed and documented before its production to give me a solid planning of my idea.
Not all players are good at combat. To provide another layer of fun in the boss fight, I also designed a second solution: the player can skip it by distracting the boss and its adds and then lockpicking the door to escape.
One of the design pivots of this level is that the player starts the level with a thrilling escape sequence. Such a design can quickly raise the player's tension and engage them with the level.
Key Responsibilities:
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Designed and built the level blockout
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Documented and iterated level to shippable quality
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Scripted the quest event and wrote narrative dialogues
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Designed and made cinematic scenes and level sequences
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Decorated the whole level with available assets to be visually pleasing
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Carried out the lighting pass to build aesthetic depth
Project Information.
The level focuses on using consistent level design language to convey the critical path while emphasizing exciting parkour experiences in an open-world game with level sequences and Wow moments.
Engine: Chrome Engine
Mod for: Dying Light
Work Time: Sep, 2023 - Dec, 2023
Team Size: Individual
Play Time: 10 - 20 minutes
Features:
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Parkour
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Cinematic Moments
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Combat based on Explosive
Falling Object is a single-player level mod developed for Dying Light. The level starts with an accident where the player, Kyle Crane, falls from a highrise roof and ends with returning to the same spot.
Design Process.
In the initial design, I intended for the player to take an elevator to reach the roof. However, because of the absence of modular pieces of the elevator tower, I had to design a new solution to make a way to the roof for the player.
Rather than using an elevator, I designed a moving trolley spreader hanging cargo leading to the roof. The player needs to pull a handle to move the trolley to the middle and climb on it. The successive challenge I addressed was making the power room stand out by reducing the repetition of the gray walls in this area. Making the hole in the ceiling stand out was also a critical task.
In the final launch version, I transformed this room into a rooftop botanic garden to make it stand out and look like a landmark. These changes received positive feedback, and the testers enjoyed engaging with the boss fight while having a good view of the level landscape.
In the initial design, I intended for the player to take an elevator to reach the roof. However, because of the absence of modular pieces of the elevator tower, I had to design a new solution to make a way to the roof for the player.
#1 Wow Moments.
The level starts with a climax
Quest starts from an accident
Falling Object starts with an accident while crossing a concrete beam of a building on construction. The player tries to catch up with Rahim, the player's partner, and suddenly, the beam collapses. Hopefully, the water pool at the bottom saves the player. But the bad news is that the player needs to escape from the slum street sieged by berserk zombies.
Finish the journey with an achievement
A Boss fight challenge is one of the best coda of a level. It can further emphasize the player's accomplishment and culminate the game flow. In addition, the mild soundtrack that plays at the moment of defeating a boss is certainly a great way to release high tension while providing a sense of a heroic moment.
Lure the and detonate the explosive
Boss Fight Parameter:
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Circular cover vs. Boss having strong melee attack but moving slowly
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Emphasizing effectively using explosives
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Two kinds of adds that can be killed in one shot:
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Slow-moving one but with grappling ability in close range → limit the player's space of kiting the boss
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Fast-moving one but with climbing ability → push the player away from safe positions
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Two resolving solutions​
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Fight against the Boss directly​
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Lure the Boss away and lockpick the exit door
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#2 Breathe in & Breathe out
Fluctuating game flow keeps the player engaged.
In the initial blueprint, I prepared a couple of "wow" moments throughout the level to keep the player engaging. However, in the first round of playtests for this level, feedback from testers told me that they needed more room and time to take a rest from them.
With the compact scope and production schedule, instead of bringing in more playable areas, I solved this issue by changing flows and enemy positions to allow longer "breath out" time after each section that the player felt stressed.
"Breath out" space at the end of the escape sequence in the Whitebox vs. in the final launch:​
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Removed enemies for training sequence because they added stress and were too basic
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Expanded safe space from a tiny pergola to a whole survival camp
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Added more supplies and weapon choices for the later combat
"Breath out" space at the factory roof in the Whitebox vs. in the final launch:​
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Removed the door to expand the safe space for the player to take a rest by looking around the landscape
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Turned a dangerous exploration area into extra space for breathing out
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Added supplies and weapons for completing the previous challenges of climbing to the roof
#3 Diverse Conveyance & Feedback.
Clearly convey where is the next goal
For a factory-style level, being visually too grayish is a great challenge while conveying the objectives and making the level visually pleasing. To have the next goal stand out at the player's first glance at the level, the following techniques are implemented:
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Leading Lines
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Pinching
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Motion Objects
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light Contrasting
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Color Contrasting
Diverse feedback emphasizing affecting the game world
Powering up the whole factory and operating the cargo spreader are two wow moments at my level. To amplify the player's sense of progression, I implemented the following elements:
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Motion Objects
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Sound Effects
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Lighting Changes
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Objecs' Status Changes
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FXs
Scripted Feedback of the Player's Action Showcases
Scripted Feedback of the Player's Action Showcases
Moving Spreader
Facotry Power On
Postmortem.
What Went Well?
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Compact and Fun
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Level use verticality and space well, resulting in a compact but fulfilling level​
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Wow moments​
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All designed Wow moments succeeded in bringing engaging and exciting experiences to the player​
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Environment Design​
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I successfully made the level look less gray-colored by decoration
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With limited assets, I did a good job of creating a chemical factory environment​​
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What Went
Wrong?
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Arrow Combat
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The level is initially designed to be a bow and arrow level but I gave up moving forward in this direction because the game objects are too modulized and hard to customize​ physics and collision events
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Some sightlines aren't ideal​
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The player needs to turn 90 degrees to see the goal after falling to the ground​
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The hole in the factory ceiling is too high to catch the player's eyes
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What I
Learned?
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Vertical Sightline
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Verticality is good but requires cautious use because players usually don't look above the head
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Level's Scope
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Levels can be compact but still create a lot of fun if space is fully used​
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Environment Design​​​
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Environment Design is not dogmatic and requires thinking out of the box because the player won't notice the unnature unless they are out of the game flow​ if the level is decorated property
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Gallery.
