ILYAD'S LAST STAND
Thirdperson Action Shooter
Introduction
This level was a practice in layout, fitting a thirdperson action shooter with climbing as a focus.
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An experimentation with going from lower points of intensity to thrilling moments of combat.
Project Details
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Developed in 5 weeks half-time
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Made in Unreal Engine 5
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Ai placements and spawnscripts
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Made using Jakub's IWALS Template
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Got help with:​
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Overview
Design Process
The base was inspired by different third person action games, where stealth, combat, and climbing are part of the core game loop. I wanted to experiment with how to present combat scenarios from points of climbing.
Pre-production
Inthe early stages of this project, I was heavily inspired by Tomb Raider and how they swap between different game beats in a format that revolves around exploration, looting, climbing, and puzzles.
Intensity
Player vision
These two curves helped me to keep track on the amount of intensity and prospect that I wanted to use in each area of the level.
Metrics
These are some of the metrics I experimented with early on.
These were essential for the combat spaces and I realized that putting more effort into metrics of the calmer climbing spaces would provide a better experience.
Flowchart
I used a flowchart with limited amounts of detours since I wanted to put focus on the mainpath.
The largest detour path is part of infiltrating the last combat area since the player gets the choice to take a quick route or a slower, stealth route.
Moodboard
I decided to scope this down to an idea where the player is allowed to climb towards an objective and engage with enemies along the way.
At first, I played around with the idea of having an old ruin as a main goal, similar to how Uncharted does it.
Blockout
Using the Jakubs template for the first time meant that I had to experiment with what the template could offer.
This left me with a blockout phase where I changed a lot of the level during a small period of time.
Blockout 1
The first blockout was used to understand the impact of different gamebeats and the Jakubs template.
It was made in the middle of the pre-prod of the project and paved the way for how I wanted to work with the space.
Blockout 2
This second blockout was made after pre-prod and consisted of a cave area that was scrapped.
I decided that 4 Combat spaces would be too long an experience.
Final Blockout
The final blockout was a more manageable, all-outdoor, layout.
This is where the 3 act structure became more clear and I could use the intensity curve
Cutting
When playtesting the blockout I realised that there never was a time for the player to breathe.
I understood that I had too many combat spaces packed on each other and decided to cut the one that the testers reacted to the most.
This left area was the first to be cut.
Putting an area here where you climb instead followed the intended intencity curve and gave the player some time to rest in between combat scenarios.
Working with AI
Ai patrol paths
Enemy ai was placed on splines to create patrol paths that made the stealth system more controllable.
However, spawning enemies at game start created a problem. The enemies tended to swarm the player from all their locations.
Swarming Solution
The solution to enemies swarming the players consisted of a trigger script that would spawn in enemies and assign a path actor that they would follow.
This enabled me to decide where enemies would engage with the player.
Triggering Spawns
This way of working with the ai gave me control over when the player would engage.
It also opened up to do takedown moments where the player would get a snackkill when moving towards an assigned area.
Alpha to gold
A large portion of the iterations for this map included tailoring the combat encounters in detail. This was mainly done with the tools that I created where enemies would patrol on paths and spawn in on triggerboxes.
Onboarding
The first combat encounter has simple paths where the enemies disappear behind rocks for a short while to create a feeling of suspense.
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The player can handle the situation easily if they take their time and await the perfect moment.
Stealth Paths
During the second combat space the player can stealth their way through the enemies up until a certain point after which it switches to a more direct encounter.
Van enemies
When the enemy reinforcements arrive with a truck, it creates a direct cut in the main path for the player, forcing a direct open combat encounter.
Combat wave
The last area consists of an open combat space where the player has to commit to engage enemies.
It consists of two larger waves of enemies divided by a helicopter sequence to up the tempo.
Presenting with cutscenes
The base van
In this example i created a van coming from the base to create a tension and release. Incorporating a sense of presence from the direction its coming from.
Helicopter Reinforcements
During the final combat space the helicopter arrives to reinforce the base. This also serves to create a sense of direction and prepares the player for what is to come.
Play-through with commentary
Closing Thoughts
The goal of this project was to create a third person experience which revolves around climbing and action. I wanted to utilize different gamebeats in order to create a map where the player can read the scenario infront of them and execute on their own plan.
The level suffered from a less detailed plan during the pre-prod. Something I will take into consideration in the future.
Frans Alexandersson Jensner
