The Outpost - Level Design Jam 6

First section of the level, which the player is immediately exposed to is The Outpost. After a short boat ride and a quick introduction to the story, the main character arrives at the gates of an outpost and attemps to locate his captured allies. The level is narrative driven and is based on a dark fantasy themed story that I wrote.

Initially I was planning to build the whole level, but since I had spent so much time programming the mechanics and features (which still don’t work quite well, especially the AI) I didn’t have much time left to build the entire level. Instead, I decided to build only the first part and iterate on it in the remaining duration. 

While building the level, I faced certain challenges primarily because I was also trying to make the level non-linear and vertical. The level also needed to have narrative elements. This, combined with stealth gameplay proved to be difficult and caused some issues. I attempted to tackle these issues and challenges by analyzing them in accordance with Randy Smith’s 2006 GDC talk, Level Building for Stealth Gameplay. 

Objectives 

1 - Merge stealth gameplay elements with third-person action gameplay.

2 - Provide non-linear gameplay progression.

3 - Build the level around vertical movement and provide platformer elements.

4 - Keep the narrative relevant.