Level Designer
THE DEFIANT
JUNIOR YEAR PROJECT
ABOUT THE PROJECT
MY ROLE
Game Designer
Level Designer
Cinematic Designer
Gameplay Scripter
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YEAR
May 2020 - April 2021
The Defiant is an online cooperative first-person shooter set in an oriental cyberpunk city. You play as one of two sisters part of a rebellion group, The Defiant (yes, it is the name of the game), and are on a mission to overthrow an evil corporation that has been exploiting the citizens.
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This is a project I did in my Junior year (3rd year) in DigiPen over a span of 9 months. The team comprised of 7 programmers and 3 designers.
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It was one of the most challenging and ambitious projects I have been apart of. Mainly, it was due to the scoping of the project based on our experience.
Should you want to read more about the post mortem of the whole project, click here to read my article on Medium.
DESIGN PROCESS
During development, I worked on all 3 levels in the game but this level (The Push) is the one I spent the most time on. I will be breaking down my design process for the first section & mission in The Push.
The objective of this level is for the players to capture a payload and escort it to the Corporation Building to blow it up. There are 3 sections in this level, each with its own combat story to make them distinct.
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Section 1: Assault A Defended Position
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Section 2: Ambush
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Section 3: Gauntlet
PLANNING LEVEL EVENTS & INTENSITY
Before I started to even block out anything in an engine, I wrote a document for the flow and intensity I wanted in the level. As humans tend to be very visual creatures, I also created a graph for better visualization of the intended intensity curve.
While creating these documents may take some time, having them helps to set up a foundation to build the level. By knowing the events and intended intensity, I will be able to better assess each area of the level to ensure it is achieving the intended player experience. As Benjamin Franklin would say,
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“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”
-Benjamin Franklin
Designing spaces are also easier. Should I know that this area is for a Medium combat difficulty, I will construct the space to support the intense combat. For example, less cover and more open spaces will require the player to position themselves properly less they are killed.
PLANNING LEVEL LAYOUT IN 2D
Next, I went to Draw.io to design a 2D layout of the level which I will use as a reference to build the 3D version. In my approach, I took 4 steps in designing the layout.
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I would like to point out that this was the initial plan for the level but when I started building and playtesting the level, it went through countless iterations. The final level is much different from the initial plan, which I feel is a good thing.
As a Level Designer, we should always be iterating and improving our levels based on player feedback. This is ultimately what will make our levels great.
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"...it is okay to make changes, as iteration is how we as level designers make better levels"
- Max Pears, Snr Level Designer at CD Projekt Red
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1. Basic Layout
The purpose of this step is mainly to quickly come up with the shape of the level. As there are not many details needed in this step, it is very efficient to iterate on designs.
2. Detailed Layout
Once I was happy with the shape, I went to detail each area with the paths players can take. This will provide a rough mental image of how the space will look like in 3D.
3. Top-Down Metric Layout
In this step, I fleshed out the shape of the level according to metrics.
In this case, 1 grid = 5m.
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In my opinion, I feel that this step could be skipped due to the level being inevitably iterated upon and making this map is quite a time-consuming process. However, it does give me a very clear vision of how the level will look like as well as how much space is in each area.
4. CONCEPT MAP
The final step is to provide some context to each space and provide an idea of where this level takes place; is it in a factory? Or is it in a city?
To make this, I simply went to google for images that I wanted the level to look like and marked them on my top-down map.
In my level, I wanted the players to start off in a more oriental and homely part of the city, with shops and restaurants. As they progress through the level, the aesthetics become colder and more corporate as they are reaching the Corporation Building.
BLOCKMESHING LEVEL
It was then time to start blocking out the level.
This block mesh is close to the final version of the level but there are still some changes that were made.
My intention for this area was to have heavy resistance if players go through the Head On Path, where enemies will be blasting them as they moved into the area. Once players realize this, they would then use the flanking paths to get around the enemies.
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As I was running through my level, as well as conducting a few playtests, I realized that players would just face the combat head-on instead of using the flanking paths.
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The reason for this was the entrance to that area was too far up. Once players reach there, they feel committed to that path and would stick to it instead of finding alternatives. While I did place another entrance to the flanking path on the left, chances are they would not see it as they are engaged in combat.
So, I shifted the entrance closer to the starting point so that players have more allowance to react.
This also allows players to better see the opening to the alternate path.
FINAL ITERATION & SCENARIO
LEARNING POINTS
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Create a document for the level - Helps to set up a foundation for the level. Allows for better assessment of the player experience.
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Making a 2D layout - Also helps to set up a foundation for the level and provides a rough mental image of what the level will look like.
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Playtest your levels - The importance of playtests is so crucial in designing better levels. Through getting feedback, you get to learn which part of the level is not working which you are then able to refine.
IMPROVEMENTS
This is by no means a perfect level, and it is the first time I am designing a level for combat as well. Let me share my thoughts on how this level can be improved.
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Changing the Fronts - Fronts refers to where the combat will take place. By changing it during combat, it allows for a more dynamic feel and encourages movement. It also allows players to better see and understand the level.
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Height Level Changes - While this was in the plan, I was not able to properly implement it. Height changes allow a break in the line of sight as well as changing up the process of shooting.
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Have Better Flanking Paths - While there are flanking paths in the level, I feel that it could have been done much better. I could better establish where the openings to these paths are to allow players to make more informed decisions.
There are definitely more to be improved but I feel these are the more major points I need to keep in mind the next time I am designing a combat level.
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With that being said, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed looking at my process in designing this section of the level. I'll see you guys in the next project!