Genre: First-Person Shooter
Team: 1 person
Platform: PC-Windows
Time: 1 week
Main Work: Level Designer
Ideation & Concept of the level
Design the levels of the game, their goal, and overall pacing
Learnt Hammer and Source
Iteration's Path
The first ideation of this level was to create a level focused on Gordon infiltrating through a Combine blockade in the middle of the street that lead to the Citadel, used as a landmark.
The general steps for a new player would be:
1. Check the helicopter to see the landmark (Citadel)
2. Check the wire of the shield leading to the building
3. Get the crowbar and then the pistol
4. Enter the building and infiltrate through them to reach the interface
5. Deactivate the shield and fight against the final enemy assault
Iteration's Problem
The biggest concern, which was later confirmed with the tests, was that the player did lose the perception of where they were inside the building versus where the cable was going, this created navigation errors that needed to be addressed.
Another concern was the lack of space to properly fight enemies, especially on the second floor, where there was a "library" really small that didn't offer any alternative path or approach.
Iteration's Path (Modifications)
The main difference between the 2 versions was the use of the building to reach the key to the blockade. This new version focuses on letting the player know that the objective is located on the third floor of the building, so the players understand that they need to go up always. With this change, we fix 2 problems: the navigation issues of the previous blockout / layout and the unnecessary backtracking to reach the main street again.
The other important difference is how big and tall the space inside the building is. The rooms now allow the enemies and the player to use different covers in case they need them. With this change, some weapons like the SMG make more sense and allow diverse and funnier encounters.
Even though the iteration gives us a better experience, there are some moments in the level that probably would need more iteration.
The helicopter that marks the landmark can be easily missable, with level scripting we could simply force the player (not ideal) or find another layout for the starting room, maybe a hallway where you can follow the helicopter until you reach the balcony.
Another missable point is the ladder to descend from the 3rd floor to the street. The mattress helps the player to guide him to know places where they are expected to fall and not receive damage, but it can still be a little bit abstract to quickly understand for some players.
Finally, it's been a great experience learning Hammer (Hammer++, to be more precise), Source, and the other used tools. It's been a great experience finding myself comfortable in those tools, which I never used before.
