Linger

The concept drawing of the Level one level layouts stayed similar throughout the planning and development process as I had a clear vision of what I wanted to create.

The level of detail present in each draft increased over time, resulting in a helpful guide when it came to implementing the assets in UE5.

The layouts include the flow and desired route I wanted the players to take, including the walkable areas that the NPCs patrol.

Path One:

Path one looks to guide the player to the objective using the audio of the warning alarm from the red lights. These lights are bright so the player can see them even when the white ceiling lights are on and the player is out of range of the audio.

Once the player is near to the end of the path, an exit sign pointing down the hallway will appear, reassuring the player they are nearly at the exit and then once again when the player is in the room before the elevator.

The deterrents that the player will encounter on path one is the unstable, dim, flickering white ceiling lights that create dark areas and the NPC guard that will chase the player once they are spotted. Getting caught by the guard will fail the run and give the option to restart the level.

Exit signs are used towards the end of the path to tell the player they are approaching the end of the path.

Path Two:

Path two is the longest route to the objective. It is quite linear with no NPC characters to worry about. The oxygen mechanic is unique to this path and will deplete as the player moves and the only way it can increase is to stop moving. It decreases at a rate of -3/100 every four seconds and will increase at a rate of +1/100 every five seconds when not moving.

The aim is to explore a player's willingness to explore in a dark, claustrophobic space while enduring a lack of vision, a timer (in the form of an oxygen meter) and the perceived notion of an enemy character present.

Path 2.1: The player will reach an electrical room that will require the player to crouch under a series of pipes while avoid electrified puddles of water that cause instant death before entering another vent shaft that leads directly to the elevator.

Path 2.2: The player can make no turns and just follow the vent system where they will start climbing upwards and will load Level 2.

Path Three:

Path three is the safest route to the elevator as there are no threats for the player to encounter. The NPC guard can spot the player but it can't reach the player once they are on the stairs that lead into the open room. The guard can only reach the player when they are outside the office.

The alien biomass can cause some player to turn back to find another path and the alien spore creature can do the same.

There are no exit signs like there are on path one, with no indication of how long the path is either.

Path three looks to see how the players can be influenced by environmental design that suggests a threat, even when there is none.

The concept drawing of the Level two level layouts increased in detail as I found it was lacking information which made it difficult to understand.

As these levels were open areas where the player could traverse any direction, it was difficult to draw the flow of the level.

The bright red lines represents the most optimal route to the objective while the dark red line represents the most difficult route to the objective. 

I ended up changing these routes when developing the level to make it flow better, but as a concept, these level layouts done a good job of helping me design it.

Path One:

Path one looks to guide the player to the objective through environment hints and strong lighting. The first door on this path is slightly open and is the only door in the project that is open this way. Once interacted with, this door functions like the other doors that the player can use.

The lights in this room are stronger than the other lights in this area of building. With the door that will progress the player to the objective being lit up by the room lights.

The lighting gets stronger and more stable as the player nears the entrance of the building, which acts as a progress meter for the player. In these rooms, the outer walls of the building can be seen. The player can follow these walls to find the entrance to the building.

Exit signs are placed in front of fires that block the player's path, forcing them to find another route.

The deterrents that the player will encounter on path one is the alien creature who will chase the player throughout the map. It always knows the location of the player, making escape a difficult task. Fires can kill the player instantly, forcing the player to find an alternate route to traverse. The environment has dark areas with other areas that are well lit.  Joined with long hallways and rooms that can trap the player.

The aim is to explore how a player will react to more obvious environmental clues (both with environmental props and lighting) when under pressure of trying to survive a difficult enemy.

Path Two:

Path two is the most difficult path for level two. The player needs to navigate a maze of dark maintenance hallways while balancing the oxygen mechanic (from level one) with the alien creature who is hunting them down.

To balance this increase in difficulty, there are green and red lights placed around the hallways. The green lights guide the player to the exit while the red lights indicate to the player that they need to alter their course.

The deterrents that the player will encounter on path two is a dark environment that is saturated with a red hue, the oxygen mechanic that becomes a difficult task to manage when the alien creature is constantly hunting down the player.

The aim is to explore how a player can be guided to an objective by environmental clues in a maze-like structure while under pressure of evading a difficult enemy and maintaining a critical life resource.

Path Three:

Path three looks to guide the player with the environment lighting, varying from dark areas to lit areas. Fire obstacles block the path to the exit, making the player traverse longer routes. The dark, negative nature of this path indicates to the player the danger of traversing this path with the creature spawning on the far side of the hallway. 

The lighting gets stronger and more stable as the player nears the entrance of the building, same as path one, acts as a progress meter. In the front rooms, the exterior walls of the building can be seen.

There is no signage on this path with only ceiling light intensity and stability guiding the player towards the exit.

The deterrents that the player will encounter on path three is the alien creature who will chase the player throughout the map. It always knows the location of the player, making escape a difficult task. Fires can kill the player instantly, forcing the player go stay clear. The environment is quite dark with dim lighting for the majority of the map with rooms that can trap the player with the alien creature if they are not careful.

The aim is to see if a player can navigate a dark, maze like environment with subtle lighting clues to guide them to the objective, while under pressure of trying to survive a difficult enemy.

The concept drawing of the Level three level layouts are vague. 

This was done as the level is open with only environmental hazards and obstacles blocking the paths. 

Drawing the flow was hard to do as the player could move in any direction so I chose to draw the routes that followed the dirt trails that were on the landscape.

These routes didn't change when the level was developed but the positioning and size of the environmental hazards and obstacles did as it create a better flow through the level and a more enjoyable gaming experience for players.

Path One:

Path one has minimal guiding elements for the player and the flashlight is not very strong. Obstacles such as trees and mud pools appear very close to the player as they traverse.

To the right is the building which can be followed to find the exit gate but the player will need to avoid the mud pools which will slow the player down.

A cabin can be found halfway through the path that has six batteries inside and a health pack. This cabin can be used to trap the alien creature inside if the player is fast enough when opening and closing the doors.

The exit gate has red lights that can be seen from the cabin. The back of the facility building is visible from this point making the final part of this level a straight line. A final health pack can be found just at the gates. 

The aim of paths one and three explore how poor environment design affect a player's ability to navigate a level while under pressure from a relentless enemy. 

Path Two:

Path two is the shortest path of level three.

The player leaves the vent system into the roof maintenance room. This room is patrolled by the alien creature. The alien creature will chase the player when it spots them. It will deal 25% health damage to the player. The player will need to crouch under pipes and avoid electrified puddles as they make their way to the open door on the other side of the room.

Once the player leaves the room they only have to climb down a ladder and navigate a mud pool to the exit gate.

The aim of path two is to explore the influence of cluttered level design (in the form of  a claustrophobic space) on a player with a calm open area towards the end.

Path Three:

Path three has trail lights that are sparse. The trail lights can barely be seen from each other, with the path between in complete darkness. The flashlight is not very strong, making obstacles such as trees and mud pools difficult to avoid.

The facility wall is on the left of the player but is only lit up by either the trail lights or the player's flashlight. This wall can be used to find the exit gate but following it isn't easy.

The cabin can be found towards the end of this path but it is on a steeper slope than the rest of the trail which will slow the player down.

The exit gate has red lights that can be seen from the cabin. The back of the facility building is visible from this point making the final part of this level a straight line. A health pack can be found just at the gates. 

The aim of paths one and three explore how poor environment design affect a player's ability to navigate a level while under pressure from a relentless enemy.