PRE-PRODUCTION
RESEARCH
I researched Events, Level Affordance, and video game Landmarks to create my initial sketches. As well as gather reference material.
The Office acts as the tutorial level where the player is first introduced to our game mechanics and events system.
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The Frankfurter Experiments is the last level of Unemployed and being so meant I needed to make sure this is where the player felt the most challenged, whether it be through parkour, or problem-solving.
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STAYING ON TRACK
During the pre-prod phase, we created an Asana board, where we wrote down each task that needed to be done in order to realize the goals we set for ourselves. This also helped me keep track of my progress and made it easier to cut content when needed.
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THE OFFICE
Quick Overview
This level serves as a tutorial level.
Upon starting the player will be greeted by a Secretary. She thinks you're the new intern and informs you that there are 3 people in need of your help in the office.
BLOCKOUT
LEVEL FLOCHART
The TP event
The player needs to find toilet paper
Either you give the TP to help the manager or give him sandpaper to annoy him.
The Chili Event
The Slides Event
The player needs to find the "presentation slides" that were left in the breakroom or you can go to the printer and print funny images to ruin his presentation.
A man located at the staircase needs your help to bring his huge chili pot to the breakroom the catch is you need to balance it while walking.
You either bring it to the break room without spilling on the floor by crashing into somebody else or you spill it and ruin everyone's lunch.
The Frankfurter experiments
RUNDOWN
DETAILS
The Frankfurter Experiments servers as the final level in Unemployed: Tales of an Interview. As a level designer, I was in charge of this level and The Office.
An old underground sewer system/prison cell has been repurposed into a human experimentation facility, endorsed by yours truly, the boss.
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Unreal Engine 4
15 Weeks
Team of 4
Polygons Pack From Epic Games Marketplace
Level Design
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Pre-Development
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Blockout
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Interactibility Scripting
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Playtests & Iterations
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Optimization
Environmental Art
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PRE-PRODUCTION
Research
I began my process with planning, here I spent my time researching reference material, documenting the design of the level, and sketching layouts.
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Staying On Track
During the pre-prod phase, we created an Asana board, this way we could easily document our whole production pipeline and receive instant feedback from one another, and it made it easier to cut if need be.
BEFORE & AFTER
Iterating
During the blockout phase, I constantly iterate on my design since this is when it's the easiest to make changes. It's crucial to get the gameplay beats and flow down to the tea, as well as getting this prototype version feel fun and natural.
Set Dressing
When designing the Frankfurter level I was aiming for a "make-shift" science lab that was placed into an old underground jail/sewer system.
Being a large level brought inevitable performance issues.
They were mostly related to object rendering and allowed me to learn the diverse tools such as "Draw Distance" and "Cull Distance Volumes" UE4 offers.
GAMEPLAY
With the focus on player intuition and exploration, players can freely navigate through the level and can decide which order to complete the events.
Every event has two possible outcomes, which promote replayability!
Level Flowchart
Pipes Event
Maze Event
Cauldron Event
Conveying Information
It was crucial for me that players were able to intuitively find their objective and secret paths and feel clever about it.
Through crafty set dressing and light placement, I was able to offer great level affordance and level readability
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Rewarding Those Exra Steps
Throughout the game, there are "Synko Boxes" that are hidden. If the player finds them all in a level they are granted a "Synko Toy" that serves as currency to purchase cosmetic suits.
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The boxes get progressively harder to collect as you advance in the level.
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These boxes serve as a great motivator to explore unconventional paths you might have skipped otherwise.
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DESIGN METHODS
Modular NPC
Having a modular Base AI ensured that we had a cohesive AI behavior and made it easy for any of us to change animations and the mesh depending on our context freely.
Indirect Information
Thanks to our in-world text dialogue, we can convey information through conversations NPC's have with each other.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Working on a level of this scope was a fun learning experience. Although I would've liked to spend more time adding 1 or 2 events, I'm proud of our final version. The iterative nature of level design and challenges that come with it were a great opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and put my design decisions to the test.
A huge congratulation to my team.
Thank you for reading!