Level One [The Facility - Underground]
Level One [The Facility - Underground]
Level One Discussion:
Concept Images:
Spawn room and objective:
Level one looks to see how players can be influenced by audio, lighting, NPC's and environmental clues.
Level One Story:
The scientific research facility has undergone a security breach with alien creatures breaking out of their cages. The facility is ordering an immediate evacuation. As one of the employees, the player must follow the evacuation order and escape the facility. The guard that patrols the level has an order to stop all personnel from escaping and potentially leaking the knowledge of the alien creature experiment to the outside world.
Spawn:
Level one spawns the player in their office as the warning alarms are sounding off. The intercom will instruct the player to "proceed to the nearest exit". From here, the player has the option of three different paths to take.
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.
Run through of path one:
The player will proceed through the office door into a hallway with flashing red lights on the walls and dim, flickering white lights on the ceiling. These red lights emit the warning siren on path one only. Turning left leads to a locked door that cannot be opened. Turning right will bring the player to a junction. The hallway to the left is the beginning of path three.
The red light on the left of this junction does not emit sound while the red light on the right does. This hints at the player to stick to the right. A set of draws is across from thsi light. The player can hide behind it or retreat to the office if the guard turns the corner and approaches them. Continuing around the corner will lead the player to a long hallway with a series of flickering lights (white and red).
This hallway will see the player encounter the NPC guard that will chase the player when they spot them. The NPC will shout "Hey" when they can see the player initially, indicating to the player that they are being chased. The opening in the hallway to the left will lead the player to a large square room where they can loop the NPC guard if necessary. This balcony area has two entrances that the player can use if they need to. Furniture and environmental props are placed with the ability for the player to hide behind to stay out of the guards sight. This gives the player a stealth option if needed.
There is a series of black doors with red lights along the hallways of path one. These doors can't be opened but provide a distraction for the player that could prove fatal to their survival.
Continuing down the hallway will see the player encounter more red lights with the warning alarm and more flickering white lights. A reminder announcement telling the player to "proceed to the nearest exit" will play after turning the nearest corner, reminding the player of the objective. Following a series of turns in the corridor the player will see the first exit sign that tells the player to follow the route they are taking.
Continuing around the corner will lead the player to an open room with a door on the other side. The red light beside the door will turn green indicating that it is opening and it will slowly raise up as the player approaches it. The door will only open halfway, forcing the player to crouch under it.
When the player is on the other side of the door it will close behind them.
The elevator door will open and it will only close when the player steps inside it. The elevator will then start moving upwards and load level two.
Throughout the path there are many flashlight batteries that the player can pick-up if they choose to.
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% every four seconds and will increase at a rate of +2% every three 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. Blood can be found in the vent and the guard's movement from path one can be heard at intervals throughout the vent system.
Path 2.1: The player will reach an electrical room that will require the player to crouch under a series of pipes while avoiding 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 to Level two.
Run through of path two:
The player will proceed into the vent system instead of opening the office door. The vent system is in complete darkness meaning the player will need the flashlight in order to navigate this path. The oxygen meter UI will appear on screen once the player has entered the system.
Following the bend of the vent, the player will come to a junction. Turning right will lead the player around a bend to a dead end, which will waste valuable oxygen.
Continuing straight will lead the player to another junction. Continuing straight will put the player on path 2.2, meaning they would eventually load into path two of level two once they reach the end of the vent system that proceeds upwards as they traverse.
Turning right will put the player on path 2.1, meaning they would continue into the winding system of the vents and exit into the electrical room. The volatile flickering lights creates a difficult environment to navigate especially with electrified water puddles cluttering the floor. Stepping on the electrified water puddle will kill the player instantly. They will need to respawn in the office to try again.
Avoiding the puddles, the player will need to crouch under the pipes that block the player from standing up. After avoiding the pipes and the puddles, the player can enter the next vent system which is very short and will lead the player to the back of the elevator where they can escape.
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 and can enter the large room downstairs, but will not proceed past the alien biomass. The reason behind this is a narrative one. The guard is afraid of the alien creatures and refuses to enter an infected area.
The alien biomass can cause some players 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.
Run through of path three:
The player will proceed through the office door into a hallway with flashing red lights on the walls and dim, flickering white lights on the ceiling. Turning left leads to a locked door that cannot be opened. Turning right will bring the player to a junction. Turning left will bring the player to a locked door with a bright slowly flickering light above.
Proceeding through this path will bring the player to an open room with the NPC guard of level one patrolling the area above. Two red lights straight ahead indicate to the player to proceed through the door on the other side of the room. There is a door on the left and right of the room with very dim lights which subtly tells the player where to go without expressively saying so.
Alien biomass is covering the walls of this hallway and the next. This can indicate to players that there is a creature that is placing this biomass around the level and to proceed with caution. The alien spore creature is patrolling the hallways further up. The lighting is not as volatile and dim as path one to indicate more safety to the player, yet the lights still flicker to insinuate danger, particularly in the middle of the path where it gets dark. This coincides with the blood pools on the floor in this area.
The alien creature will roam around the hallways, moving quickly from point to point. The creature is passive and cannot hurt the player. The appearance of the creature can be more impactful to the player than the NPC guard from path one, as the tentacles gives a strict alien appearance.
At the end of the hallway is stairs for the player to go up. At the top of the stairs is a double door that is closed over. Going through these doors will reveal the room before the elevator where path one and path three merges.
The door to the elevator is on the right. Approaching the door will make it raise up and the red light will turn green. The door will only open up halfway forcing the player to crouch under it. When the player reaches the other side of the door it will close behind them.
The elevator door will open and it will only close when the player steps inside it. The elevator will then start moving upwards and load level two.
There are several flashlight batteries for the player to pick-up on the furniture on this path if they wish.