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OLD kHrushchevka
A Third person action adventure
Summary
An action adventure level focusing on player-driven gameplay, composition, and pacing.
the Goal
My goal with this project was to improve an existing level by allowing more player agency, designing a well-paced mission, and bettering composition.
Pitch
"In a post-apocalyptic Soviet town, sneak or fight past enemies to unlock a sealed bomb shelter for crucial intel."
Design presentation
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Overview
Objectives
This level takes place in a post-apocalyptic town. It features an hourglass design that contracts and expands the space, providing player agency while steering them through key gameplay and story beats.
Throughout, the gameplay and narrative build in tension and intensity, culminating in a climactic final showdown.
There are three main objectives:
1. Locate the missing friend
2. Locate the bunker
3. Reactivate the bunker through the radio tower
tension & gameplay graph
level walkthrough
Click images to enlarge.
Walkthrough & Design
ACT 1
setting the scene
The level starts with the player entering the town of Khrushchevka to find their missing friend, who disappeared while searching for a bomb shelter believed to contain crucial intelligence.
The first act offers light combat while advancing the story and setting a new objective.
Additionally, the player will observe distant sights, foreshadowing future events.
1. Road
2. Church
3. Apartments
Long-term goal
mid-term goal
short-term goal
introducing combat and furthering the narrative
Upon nearing the church, gunshots are heard from within. Two scavengers can be seen inside, shooting at something out of view.
The player is eased into combat, starting at an advantage and able to easily take the enemies out undetected.
The player climbs to the second floor only to find the target of the shooting: their missing friend, who has been injured.
Now, it's up to the player to take on the friend's task of entering the bomb shelter and securing the intel.
ACT 2
4. military facility
5. town square
6. Theater
New objective
Act 2 presents a new objective: unlocking the bunker.
The area is designed to encourage the player to explore. The player is given opportunities to spend time mental mapping in the town square and theater, which can benefit them in the future combat scenario.
guidance in open spaces
Upon seeing the town square, where the map opens up, attention is directed to the military facility where the bunker is, prompting the player to explore it first. Various compositional techniques were used to achieve this:
People & movement
People are one of the most efficient ways to draw attention, so directing scavengers to walk into the base drew focus and incentivized players to hurry toward it.
Leading lines
Leading lines gently assist in guiding the eye toward a goal.
Frame-in-frame
Frame-in-frame uses borders to draw focus
Promise of what is to come
After discovering that the bunker is locked, the player must unlock it by sending a decryption signal from the nearby radio tower and reactivating the base.
Since the radio tower is integral to the player's objective, it is foreshadowed multiple times before the player is told to go there.
Rewarding exploration
To reach the radio tower, the player must traverse through a theater building.
Players who choose to explore the theater are rewarded by finding a new weapon to use, as well as getting a mental-map of the area which gives them an advantage in the future combat encounter.
ACT 3
7. Radio tower
8. Theater
9. Bunker
The final act
Act 3 is the crescendo of the experience, where the player is thrown off guard right at the start. It is also where the most significant combat encounter takes place, providing options for both stealth gameplay and active combat.
Down the rabbit hole
The rabbit hole technique is designed to push the player out of their comfort zone and immerse them in an entirely new situation.
After climbing the radio tower and reactivating the base, the town square below is illuminated. Soon after, enemies arrive and destroy the radio tower, causing it to collapse onto the theater's roof. The player must familiarize themselves with their new, hostile surroundings and strategize in order to get back to the base.
player agency
In the old version of the level, combat was the only option for getting through the theater. In the new version, the player is given multiple paths to take depending on what approach they prefer. Both paths were available for exploration during Act 2, meaning that players who explored are now rewarded by having a mental map of the area.
Combat approach
The player can choose a head-on approach, starting at an advantageous high-ground position but ultimately being forced down onto the theater's ground floor.
The theater is designed with both dwelling spaces and roaming spaces in mind, giving the player "safe" areas where they can linger before moving forward.
The looping design of the theater means that the player can always keep moving and retreat rather than being overwhelmed. They can also use this to their advantage and flank enemies.
stealth approach
From the same position as the combat approach, an alternate path is presented, featuring a stealth approach, where they must sneakily take out certain enemies in order to move forward.
Development
The process
Inspiration
This concept stems from my fascination with urban exploration and old, deteriorating structures. I also recently played Metro: Exodus and was inspired by its setting for this project.
When creating environments, I like to use real-life examples to make the spaces believable, such as the abandoned New Orleans Cold War-era civil defense center, whose circular layout I recreated for the bunker.
Based on an existing level
For this project, I chose to work with an existing level, initially created for a school assignment.
This meant that I had to rethink my work process and start by identifying what the problems were within the level, and figure out possible solutions.
One of the main issues I identified was the pacing. Act 1 was uneventful until the player spotted the base. To improve the experience, I created the scripted event involving the injured friend. This addition raised the tension through combat and narrative and strengthened the player's motivation to continue.
To create a climactic final act, the falling radio tower event was implemented right before the final combat encounter, solidifying a high-tension ending to the experience.
During the final combat encounter, I gave the player more agency, allowing for both stealth and combat routes within the theater.
Tension graph before
Tension graph after
Preventing exploration through design
Problem:
To direct players' attention to the military facility, I hid the rest of the town square with bushes and pillars. This made players hesitant to enter the facility, fearing hidden enemies. They tended to scout the area first, lacking a full view of their surroundings.
In this version, enemies only appeared once the player was on the ground, enhancing the player's feeling of insecurity.
Solution:
Letting the player see a full overview of the square from above, so they know what to expect once they get down there and won't be afraid to immediately follow the enemies into the base.
In the final version of the level, the enemies were introduced with the player at a higher elevation and not at risk.
Promoting exploration through design pt. 1
Problem:
Players were not encouraged to explore the theater in Act 2. My intention was for players to mental-map the theater, so they would have an advantage when navigating the area during combat.
old theater
Solution:
The stairs rotated 180 degrees, making them impossible to see from the entrance. The back doors were angled, making them more inviting from the entrance.
new theater
old theater
I identified the issue: the stairs leading up to the second floor were too accessible from the entrance, drawing the player in early and encouraging them to progress toward the radio tower.
Weapon
new theater
To interest the player in moving into the large room in the back, I placed a weapon loot on the stage, rewarding the player's exploration. The new angle of the doors also framed the middle of the stage where the weapon is placed.
Promoting exploration through design pt. 2
Should the player still skip the lower floor and proceed up the stairs, the stage is still visible, giving the player another opportunity to see and collect the new weapon and mental map the area.
creating a high-tension event
Problem:
The enemies that appeared after reactivating the base lacked a dynamic presence and arrived without warning.
In the first iteration of the level, the enemies emerged all at once, without any triggering event. After reactivating the base, the player ziplined onto the theater roof, only to discover that enemies had already entered the building.
Solution:
I implemented a scripted event using blueprints and sequencers, allowing the player to observe enemies arriving and blowing up the radio tower. The tower collapsing created an unexpected twist, catching the player off guard and heightening tension.
Through a hole in the theater roof, the player can glimpse some enemies approaching, still unaware of the full extent of their forces.
environmental storytelling
While considering ways to enhance the level, I realized I could further develop the environmental storytelling.
The level displayed signs of post-apocalyptic decay but lacked details about the society that existed in the town before the disaster.
I asked "What was life like here before the disaster, and what is it like now?"
To improve the bland town square, I transformed it into a Christmas market. This change not only added personality to the area but also allowed me to illuminate the fairy lights when reactivating the bunker, which I thought was a nice touch.
Full playthrough
Closing Thoughts
This project was a lot of fun and taught me much about working iteratively.
Creating a large map was both exciting and challenging; it allowed me to design a more holistic experience that included ups and downs while giving players more agency.
I found it beneficial to improve upon something I had already created by analyzing it to enhance the overall experience. I really enjoy the challenge of conducting playtests, identifying problems, and devising different solutions. Each time I do this, it helps me grow as a designer.
I feel like my main goal of improving the pace and player guidance was achieved, which makes me satisfied with the end product.
Thanks so much for reading!
/Nora
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