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Level Design Document

Games Proposal XB2001

Sam Gregory Haigh

Tutor: Benjamin Hill

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Contents

Level Overview 2

Purpose and features 2-3

Player Character/Story 3-4

Enemies 4

Objective and Obstacles 4

Key Events 4-5

Focal Points 5

Collectibles 5-6

Directional Cameras, Cut Scenes, Interactive Cut Scenes and Quick Time events 6

Initial Visual Research 6-7

Photo Reference 7-8

Map Overview 8

Top Down Map 8-10

Original Map and Objectives/Obstacles Mind Map 8-10

Changes Made 10-13

Walkthrough 13-24

Pacing and Tempo 24-25

Conclusion 25-26

Level Overview

The setting for this level is a seemingly abandoned futuristic space station inhabited by an

unknown enemy. The level will take place aboard the station in and around the tight, long and

dark corridors. The year is 2178 in deep uncharted space aboard an active, but hostile, space

station.

Purpose and Features

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The reasons for creating a map in this setting and to achieve what I am trying is to learn how to

create an intense atmosphere and setting for any future projects/work. Also, the idea of telling

a story through design features and without any text or obvious references is very appealing

and seems like a challenge but being able to do this well would be a very useful skill to have. I

will also be learning a lot about Unreal and modular modeling which are very important skills

for a lot of companies today.

As stated previously, this project could give me some of these essential skills which could allow

me the opportunity to get a job for a company I’d like to work for.

The key features of the level include:

Narrative development through environmental design

Effective lighting and decal design

Atmospheric, tension filled arena

Player Character/Story

Thoughts of loneliness and desolation plague your rotting mind. What was once an

overwhelming sense of dread and despair now beckons your soul to its everlasting stasis.

Wandering the endless corridors of an empty shell, you find yourself descending into a state of

insanity you once thought was bound to certain personalities. Terror strikes an impending

sense of doom which keeps your mind active; the only way to survive intact is to face your

fears.

The vessel the level takes place on is an active space station, used by scientists and marines for

research and communications. The unnamed vessel is one of a fleet of 6 which all seem to have

lost comms with one another. The fleet is assigned to a previously uncharted area of the

universe in order to study a possible new species, whilst the marines were sent as backup and

as an underhand way to study their prime enemy in the battle that wages between Earth and

Cromitron 6.

You are a marine and part of Charlie squad, you and your squad were assigned to study an

enemy base on a nearby rock formation. However something went wrong and the fleet were

attacked – you are unsure of what’s going on and unable to contact any of your friends. Was

this an experiment gone wrong with the new species or did the Cromitrons find out about your

subterfuge?

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You find yourself in the administration department of the ship, desperately trying to contact

any survivors you know you must reach the comms centre but you feel like you’re being

followed by something inhuman.

Enemies

There are no direct threats in the level, however by creating an unseen terror an intense

atmosphere will be created whilst the player’s mind races with thoughts of what it could be.

Objectives and Obstacles

The main objective of this level is to reach the comms centre to try and gain contact with any

survivors. The player can complete this by simply getting to the comms centre, however some

areas will need updated clearance or some doors may be locked entirely so you'll have to find

another way around.

The obstacles the player will have to overcome are some of the previously stated things like

locked areas and environmental puzzles; however the main obstacle will be trying to keep your

sanity and humanity. There is a twist however as in order to do this you will need to be scared.

Key events

The first major event is the entrance of the admin block, or the start of the level. This opening

scene will start off the narrative and give the player some idea of what is going on, but also will

remind them that they need to complete their objective and they are not alone. This should

give the player some real incentive to continue forward. The scene itself will consist of lots and

lots of blood splattered onto computers and desks, ruined architecture and failing systems;

reminding the player of how dangerous the threat is.

The second major event is a window into space - this scene will really drive home the ideas of

isolation and hopelessness. The scene itself will be a window looking onto a distant planet

reminding the player how far away any sort of support is - making them want to progress but

also providing a jaw dropping background.

The third major event is a broken elevator. This scene will consist of a broken elevator covered

in flames and blood, there will also be some clues as to what is going on to further the narrative

and keep the player engaged. This will also hopefully encourage the player to move on through

the level and challenge them to find another way up, which could also mean they let their

guard down. It will also make the player need to find another way to get to the comms centre.

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The fourth major event happens once the player continues up the stairs and finds their way

towards the comms centre. Boxes and items will fly across the room making the player more

scared of what is to come.

The fifth event happens when the player starts to climb the larger set of stairs, a large explosion

will be heard and an alarm will start to chime as the player desperately makes their way up

towards the comms centre.

The sixth and final event of the level is the comms centre entrance. This is the end of the level

and will hopefully really drive home the themes touched upon by the rest of the level. It will

also serve as some kind of context of how bad the situation really is. The scene will consist of a

ruined doorway with some more narrative clues scattered around.

Focal Points

The focal points on this level include the entrance of the administration block, a window into

space, a broken elevator and the comms centre entrance.

The first major focal point is the entrance of the admin block, or the start of the level. This

opening scene will start off the narrative and give the player some idea of what is going on, but

also will remind them that they need to complete their objective and they are not alone. This

should give the player some real incentive to continue forward. The scene itself will consist of

lots and lots of blood splattered onto computers and desks, ruined architecture and failing

systems; reminding the player of how dangerous the threat is.

The second major focal point is a window into space - this scene will really drive home the ideas

of isolation and hopelessness. The scene itself will be a window looking onto a distant planet

reminding the player how far away any sort of support is - making them want to progress but

also providing a jaw dropping background.

The third major focal point is a broken elevator. This scene will consist of a broken elevator

covered in flames and blood, there will also be some clues as to what is going on to further the

narrative and keep the player engaged. This will also hopefully encourage the player to move

on through the level and challenge them to find another way up, which could also mean they

let their guard down.

The fourth and final focal point of the level is the comms centre entrance. This is the end of the

level and will hopefully really drive home the themes touched upon by the rest of the level. It

will also serve as some kind of context of how bad the situation really is. The scene will consist

of a ruined doorway with some more narrative clues scattered around.

Collectibles

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There will be some notes and pda screens for the player to learn about the situation and give

some context; however I’m not sure if these count as collectibles. The player will also have to

pick up some key cards in order to progress through the level.

Directional Cameras, Cut Scenes, Interactive Cut Scenes and Quick Time events

The first cutscene will play when the player takes their first few steps, it will swerve around the

room showing the path of destruction left by whatever the unknown terror is. Lights wil l flicker,

blood will drip and the player only has one way to continue – towards the madness.

The second cutscene will play once the player reaches the window into space, it will really drive

home the feelings of hopelessness and make the player feel isolated. The camera will pan

around the window for a few seconds then the lighting systems will come back online to show

things written on the wall in blood.

The third cutscene plays at the end of the level when the player enters the comms centre. It

pans around the room showing the utter chaos and ‘hell’ that the player has just entered

leaving them knowing that the only way is forward.

Initial Visual Research

Whilst none of the featured materials in this section are mine I still believe they convey a good

representation of the kind of feel I am aiming for with the final product of the level. These

images have all been gathered from third party sources or using the internet so I will include a

short list of references in a bibliography at the bottom of this document.

This first image conveys the sheer scale of the experimentation going on aboard the ship, and

the players character wouldn’t know this at this point so it would be a shock for them also,

adding an element of believability to the character.

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This second image shows a good idea of how the window into space I am talking so much about

will look, however it will be at the end of a long corridor with branching paths either side

instead of how it is visualized here.

This third image shows the sort of detail I would like to add into the environment with all the

pipes and extended arches giving the area a more fleshed out look rather than just having flat

2D textures applied to a plane with normal maps.

Photo Reference

As I couldn’t really gather any photos of spacecrafts or sci fi interiors I have instead opted to

include some images of games that use similar styles of environment design with a similar

theme also. The images are from games the replicate the feelings and emotions I am trying to

get across to the player whilst being very visually similar to what I have envisaged in my mind

when I created the top down layout and initially started planning this level. These images will

also be referenced in the bibliography at the end of this document.

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Map Overview

Top Down Map

Original Map and Objectives/Obstacles Mind Map

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Here is a very basic top down layout I mocked up in photoshop to represent how the level will

look from a birds eye view. The focal points are all marked on the mockup in text; however lots

of other key features are not currently displayed as this was only a very basic mockup of what

the final product will look like so I can go into SketchUp and make a 3D mockup of it as well.

As you can see there are lots of slim, winding corridors to fit with the overall theme of a

claustrophobic space station. Lots of the corridors will not lead anywhere or will be blocked by

a restricted door so the player will have to explore to find what remnants of the crew he can

and be cautious to keep themselves alive.

Level Start

1. The player begins in the admin block and proceeds to find a way to

the communications block.

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2. The player navigates into the first cutscene that quickly paces around

the room, showing the path of destruction left by an unknown

enemy.

3. They then navigate through a locked door by using their PDA and

continue down a long hallway, with screams and shouts of pain in the

distance, turning at the L bend and triggering the second cutscene.

4. The cutscene shows the window out into space with a quick pan

around it in full silence. Then the ships lighting system kicks in with a

loud boom and the lighting reveals some messages on the walls

written in blood.

5. The player then continues around the corner and finds that the

elevator to the comms block has been ruined and the room is filled

with flames. The player must then navigate around the flames to find

a PDA with credentials to unlock the door to the stairs.

6. Once the player has acquired the PDA, they will then be shown the

messages saved into the system which will give the player more

context to the backstory. Then the player can continue through the

door and up the stairs where the fourth event happens. A few boxes

and crates blocking the way will be flung across the room by

something unseen that then lets out a loud screech.

7. The player will then begin to proceed up the longer flight of stairs as

the lower stairs collapse and the ships warning systems initiate a

message and alarm.

8. Once the player gets to the top of the stairs they will be greeted by

the sight of total chaos, as pillars and wall fixings fall from place and

crash onto the ground – the player has to make a final dash towards

the huge bay doors of the comms centre.

9. Once the player has reached the comms centre they will realise it’s in

a worse state than the previous section and knowing that they have

descended deeper into the madness they will have no choice but to

continue. This is where the level ends.

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Changes Made

After revising my original design for the level and the top down I created I have made a few

changes to where some of the events and focal point will occur and be respectively. They are

clearly marked on the below image and if compared side by side the changes will become very

apparent, however no structural changes have been made to the overall layout of the level.

Level Start

1. The player begins in the admin block and proceeds to find a way to

the communications block.

2. The player navigates into the first cutscene that quickly paces around

the room, showing the path of destruction left by an unknown

enemy.

3. They then navigate through a locked door by using their PDA and

continue down a long hallway, with screams and shouts of pain in the

distance, turning at the L bend and triggering the second cutscene.

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4. The cutscene shows the window out into space with a quick pan

around it in full silence. Then the ships lighting system powers down

in with a loud boom and the lighting just shows some messages

written in blood on the walls as it fades.

5. Once the cutscene finishes the player will try to continue down the

hallway only to find that the door is locked due to low power and

they will then have to find a way to get to the backup generator and

turn it on to get the door open. The generator will be located on

higher ground with the player having to rip a wall panel off to create a

bridge to get to the generator.

6. The player then continues around the corner and finds that the

elevator to the comms block has been ruined and the room is filled

with flames. The player can then navigate around the flames to find a

PDA with credentials to unlock the door to the stairs or they can climb

to higher ground and go through a vent located just above the door.

7. If the player acquires the PDA, they will then be shown the messages

saved into the system which will give the player more context to the

backstory. Then the player can continue through the door and up the

stairs where the fourth event happens. A few boxes and crates

blocking the way will be flung across the room by something unseen

that then lets out a loud screech.

8. The player will then begin to proceed up the longer flight of stairs as

the lower stairs collapse and the ships warning systems initiate a

message and alarm and the player will have to rush up the stairs as

they collapse.

9. Once the player gets to the top of the stairs they will be greeted by

the sight of total chaos, as pillars and wall fixings fall from place and

crash onto the ground – the player has to make a final dash towards

the huge bay doors of the comms centre.

10. Once the player has reached the comms centre they will realise it’s in

a worse state than the previous section and knowing that they have

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descended deeper into the madness they will have no choice but to

continue. This is where the level ends.

Changes Continued

Walkthrough

Here is a very basic walkthrough of the map using a simple whiteboxing I created of the level in

Unreal 4 and it is really just to showcase the different areas of the map and give you a feel of

how well I have stuck to my design. Using whiteboxing has also allowed me to decide upon

suitable dimensions and measurements of my map and using this simple map I have been able

to create the final level to a very good standard that fits my initial brief and in my opinion

makes the player feel all I wanted them to. I have also included a few screenshots from the

development build of the final level so they show a representation of what is to be expected in

the final level and they show how each whiteboxed screenshot correlates to the final design.

The final design is fairly different to the whiteboxed design so some area look very different and

may not correspond to the numbers in the original whiteboxed pictures or their text.

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1 – The player spawns in an empty room with blood splattered on the walls wondering what

has happened in the facility to leave it in this condition

2 – The room will be full of chairs and boxes strewn about the room by something

3 – The player will see a

locked door and know

they have to proceed

through by finding a

PDA in order to

continue - once through

they can continue down

the hallway towards the

next door

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1 – The player will see another door at the end of the L shaped hallway. Once they pass through

a cutscene will player

2 – The cutscene will show the 'window out into space' in more detail, leaving the player feeling

more isolated than before, upping the tension.

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1 – After the cutscene has played and the player has entered the room they will be greeted by a

huge open room as the lights and power start to fade with a system warning playing

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2 – This door will close and be locked due to the power outage and the lighting will be toned

down a huge amount leaving the player needing to find a way to get the door open

3 – The player will then see some stairs and with them being the only option the player has

they will be very appealing

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1 – The player will then proceed to go up the stairs

2 – There is a gap between the generator platform and the walkway so the player will have to

pull a pipe from the wall and place it as a makeshift bridge so the player can gain access to the

backup generator

3 – The backup generator can then be powered on by the player which will turn the lighting

back on and open the huge locked door

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1 – Once the player goes down the hallway they will enter another room and the first thing they

will see is some stairs leading up to walkway but they are blocked by a door

2 – There is an elevator at the end of the room with a PDA with credentials to unlock the door

at the top of the stairs, but there will be lots of obstacles and hazards between the player and

the PDA

3 – This is the walkway that the player will have to use to get to the next room by going up the

stairs and through a vent

4 – The room will be full of hazards and obstacles meaning the player will have to navigate

around them all and make their way to the PDA

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1 – This is the vent the player will have to use to get to the next part of the level which can be

accessed by the player using the walkway

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1 – Once the player drops through the vent they will see a big set of stairs

2 – This is where the poltergeist event will happen with the boxes falling down the stairs

3 – There is also a walkway leading further up the stairs

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1 – This walkway will collapse once the player steps on the second flight of stairs

2 – Once the player gets halfway up this staircase will also start to collapse after a loud

explosion is heard in the distance

3 – The player then has to quickly enter this room as the blast door starts to seal itself

Once the player enters the final room they must make a dash towards the comms centre doors

as anarchy rains down upon them in the form of objects and the base crumbling before the

players’ eyes.

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Here is the top down of the final whiteboxed level, as you can see it looks very similar to the

original design planned in the 2d top down. Overall I am pleased that I managed to keep the

shape and style of the level as close as possible to the original design.

Pacing and Tempo

The pace of the level is fairly slow to start and once the player enters the second room with the

big window into space the pace drops significantly and gives the player a false sense of safety,

however the lights will soon go out and the player will be forced into a panicked state whilst

they try to find the backup generator. Then the pace will pick up and continue to rise as they

player then rushes into the next room only to find it a burning crumbling mess. They will have

to rush round looking for an important PDA in order to progress whilst keeping an eye on the

oxygen levels in the room. Then once the player finally manages to get through the locked door

with the PDA the pace will once again be slowed for a few seconds only for it to be cranked up

to 11 as the stairway and final room starts to crumble around them as they make a mad dash

for the comms centre entrance whilst dodging the falling rubble and trying to stay alive. Then

that’s where the level ends so the pace is very rapidly shifting at all points throughout the level

really and the only really slow sections are right near the beginning and a few short false senses

of security thrown in throughout the level. This is done purposefully as it works in many horror

games and films and is a well known tactic for leading the audience down a path then totally

changing up the game and shocking the viewer/player. I feel that this will only further enhance

the feelings and emotions I am trying to give off during this level and if done right this will only

enhance the experience of the whole level in my opinion.

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The tempo of the level is very similar to the pace really in almost every aspect. However it

comes across a lot slower on tempo as it does on pace – there is never really too much going on

and the player is never being pushed along by a real time limit until the last few rooms of the

level with the fires and stairs collapsing – so around half of the level is actually very mild until

the latter half where things are once again cranked up to 11 so to speak and the player is forced

to face anarchy head on in order to survive. This is done intentionally to show the kinds of

massive destruction and damage this unknown force can leave and whilst this obviously

wouldn’t be the total extent of the damage caused if this level were part of a full title it does

give a good indication of what’s to come later on. This also relates back to very popular

techniques used in many forms of horror media these days whereby everything starts off

seeming normal and fairly quaint and it all gradually rises to a point until by the end of things

we are in total anarchy and then slowed down once again to another point of false security

which always then keeps the viewer/player nervous and on the edge of their seat.

Conclusion

This concludes my level design document and hopefully gives the reader and myself a good

interpretation of what my final level should look and play like. I will be using the walkthrough I

created using whiteboxing to further my level in Unreal Engine 4. This should be apparent in the

final level and will hopefully show the reference I have drawn from my own research and

planning.

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This way of planning a level definitely appeals to me as well as developing the key features,

story and focal points of the level beforehand gives you an idea of what to work for and some

aims to accomplish. I will hopefully be using it in some form again although maybe not as

lengthy as this one.