Level Two [The Facility - Surface]
Level Two [The Facility - Surface]
Level Two Discussion:
Concept Images:
Spawn room and objective:
Level two looks to see how players can be influenced by lighting and blocked pathways while navigating a maze-like structure under pressure from an aggressive enemy who is always chasing the player.
Level Two Story:
After escaping the underground portion of the facility. The player must now escape from the alien creature that is chasing them. Getting out of the building is the number one priority.
Spawn:
Level two spawns the player in a different location depending on how the player escaped level one.
Paths one and three will spawn the player in the elevator as it is opening. Subtitles will pop-up stating "I need to get out of this building".
Path two will spawn the player in the maintenance hallways. Subtitles will pop-up stating "I need to find a way out of here".
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. It has a bloody handprint on it. 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 and has a bloody handprint on it.
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 within two seconds, 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.
Run through of path one:
The player will proceed through the double doors into the hallway. They will turn to the left (seeing the bloody handprints on the wall pointing in this direction) and go through the door that is slightly open into a bright room. Closing the door isn't necessary but would make the run through easier.
In this room there are two doors, one on either end. One door is dark and the other door is bright. Proceeding through the dark door will bring the player to the back of the building where the hallway is very dark. Proceeding through the lit up door will bring the player to a hallway that is brighter than the previous hallway.
Ahead is a fire that is blocking the path and to the left is another hallway. The fire here makes the player either turn around or proceed down the hallway to the left.
At the end of the next hallway is a door that leads into a room with windows to the outside. Some players will use the exterior walls to guide them to the entrance of the building. The lighting is brighter this room than previously.
Proceeding through the only door in this room will lead the player to another room which has exterior brick walls and bright lights. Through the door will lead the player to the entrance of the building. An exit sign is above the door to indicate to the player that they are at the end of the level. Leaving the building will load level three.
There are a serious of flashlight batteries, health packs and documents for the player to interact with in the various hallways and rooms of the level.
Easter egg one can be completed on this level.
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 alien creature roams this level and doesn't always know the location of the player, only when the player is spotted.
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 roaming the hallways..
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.
Run through of path two:
The player will proceed to the junction in front of them. Straight ahead is a tight hallway with a red light at the bottom. To the left is a long, tight hallway with a green light on the left wall with the end of the hallway covered by the mist.
Following the green lights halfway down the hallway will lead the player to another junction. To the left is a green light and a flickering green light beside a door. Straight down the hallway is another green light. To the right is a red light. By this point, the alien creature can be close to the player so a decision might need to be made quickly.
The player turns to the left and goes through the door. This is a small room that holds two batteries and a oxygen refill tank (+50% to oxygen) on a table.
Proceeding through the door beside the table will lead the player to a hallway with a series of tight turns before straighten out to show the exit, a vent illuminated by a bright green, flickering light. There is a turn to the right at the vent which the alien creature can use to cut the player off.
Entering the vent will start Level three.
Pickups that can be found are flashlight batteries, an oxygen refill tank and a document. These can all be found in the safe room.
Easter egg two can be completed on this level.
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 within two seconds, forcing the player find alternate routes. 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. These rooms can also provide other routes of traversal, not forcing the player to stay on the hallways.
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.
There are a serious of flashlight batteries, health packs and documents for the player to interact with in the various hallways and rooms of the level.
Easter egg one can be completed on this level.
Run through of path three:
The player will proceed through the double doors into the hallway. They will turn to the right into the long, dark hallway. Blood decals can make players think this is the correct way to go if they missed the bloody handprints and the open door to the left of double doors.
To the left, is a hallway blocked by a fire. There is an exit sign stating the exit is straight ahead. The player must find a way around the fire.
Continuing down the hallway, passing rooms, is a junction. To the right is a fire. Going down this way will lead the player to the back of the building where it is very dark. Turning left at the junction, the player will see a hallway with flickering lights, a series of doors on the right and a dim red light in the distance and light emanating from a hallway on the left. The player can enter these rooms to find pick-ups on the furniture that can help the player explore the environment and reach the objective.
Turning left, a fire is on the other end of the hallway, a door is on the left (in darkness) and there is a bright hallway on the right.
Turning right, a short hallway with a door on the right (dimly lit) and a door at the end of the hallway that is brightly lit. The door on the right leads to a room while the door at the end of the hallway leads to a front room of the building. There are rooms either side of this hallway with more pick-ups for the player to collect.
A bright light is emitting from the left corner of the room. Following it, around the wall, reveals a small room that leads to the entrance of the building. An exit sign is above the door to indicate to the player that they are at the end of the level. Leaving the building will load level three.