Overview
Genre: Action-Adventure
Mode: Third Person Single Player
Setting/Timeline: 'Eth Alth'ban (Arabian Peninsula), Central Gotham City (New Jersey)
Level: Docks on the outskirts of Arabian Peninsula
Software: Unreal Engine 5.1, Adobe (XD, Premiere Pro), Pureref
Inspiration: Batman Arkham Knight, Under the Red Hood
Timeline: During time of Batman Arkham City, prequel to Batman Arkham Knight
Game Pitch: Experience the origin story of Red Hood by killing and manipulating some of the most high-profile killers in the criminal empire.
Summary: Jason Todd, Batman's previous sidekick, was brought back to life by an organization known as "The League of Assassins." Jason woke up with a vengeance specifically against the Joker and Batman and has made it his mission to grow strong and powerful enough to get revenge on both of them. The player will steal territory and supplies from the most powerful crime bosses and kill anyone who gets in their way.
Level Overview
Objective
Find out where Egon is taking his illegal shipment and stop him before it's never seen again.
Steps 1-9
1 - The level starts after the cutscene from the last level
2 - Take control of Jason's motorcycle and drive after enemy trucks and vehicles
3 - After defeating all enemies, find a ledger that tells where Egon's shipment is going
4 - Cutscene of Jason at the warehouse
5 - Defeat all enemies interior
6 - Defeat all enemies exterior
7 - Kill Egon
8 - Take a jetski and defeat enemies on the water
9 - Arrive at the Cargo Ship and watch the final cutscene
Pre-Production Process
For this level, I started by brainstorming in the middle because I always had a clear idea of trapping the player in a confined space. Although it changed from a factory to a cargo warehouse, the main mechanics stayed the same and gave a general idea of basic gameplay that could be used for the beginning and end.
References
The project first started as a interior only factory level with a lot of machery but was later changed to utilize interior and exterior space. I researched factory and warehouse buildings from Batman Arkham Knight and GTA 5 to have a better idea on how to fill up space with objects other than crates and containers.
Narrative
XD/Summary
The Joker killed Batman's sidekick, Jason Todd (aka Robin), but was brought back to life by a woman named Talia Al Ghoul in the Lazarus Pit. Talia performed this ritual against her father's wishes, who is the leader of an organization known as "The League of Assassins." Jason later learns to trust and train with Talia after learning about Batman letting Joker live and replacing him with a new Robin. He makes it his life's mission to get revenge on Batman and Joker by building a criminal empire and killing powerful crime bosses to gain a reputation that will bring him followers.
Leading up to future levels, he tracks down Gotham's drug lord lieutenants, decapitates them, then delivers it to crime bosses to show his power and become the new man in charge of the drug trade. The criminals who will later follow him will share his persona of being called "The Red Hood." After gaining enough popularity, he will get into a battle with Batman but escape and continue building his empire.
Playable Character
Jason Todd/Red Hood
Jason Todd is strong, unstable, and angry. He makes impulsive decisions and doesn't think about consequences for his actions. He hates criminals but is willing to work with some to focus on achieving better things. He also has no problem killing, but is very protective of kids and threatens anyone who threatens kids.
Enemy AI
Thugs
Thugs are very similar to the militia enemies from Batman Arkham Knight when it comes to weapon tiers of small and large weapons. They respond to criminal bosses that pay a lot of money for jobs and kill anyone in the way.
Notes for thugs:
They make a lot of verbal threats towards the player like mocking and taunting.
NPC
Workers
Workers are only NPC's who are doing their jobs and don't know what they are shipping in cargo containers.
Level Layout
The interior layout is vastly influenced by warehouse references I found on the internet and the DLC of Red Hood in Batman Arkham Knight. The top floor is more open and allows the player to see a greater distance while still being in a confined space. The bottom floor makes it more difficult to see multiple enemies but the bottom vents makes it easier to escape them. The rooms on both floors allow the player to lure in and separate enemies or hide and strategically take out enemies more easily.
When creating the exterior layout I wanted to give the player more space to escape enemies and see a farther distance. It also gives more room for mechanics and space to defeat the boss enemy. I didn't create a layout of the woods for the first scene chase because it wasn't needed and the description lays out the foundation for what it needs to achieve. It is a looping path that "stops" when the player defeats all the enemy vehicles.
Production Process
Blockout
Measurements/Scale
(narrow vs. open)
I started with measurements before importing layouts or whiteboxing so I could easily transfer sizes and test mechanics in a separate level.
Although the interior space is a large warehouse, the objects inside and the enclosed rooms are meant to make certain areas feel smaller as opposed to the large open exterior space that portrays the opposite.
If the player chooses to traverse from above, it is meant to look like a bigger open space that has more room. If they are below, it has much more division with specific routes to get around.
Points of Interest/Landmarks(Weenies)
For this level, the point of interest is not highlighted on the map but is shown as a goal in the HUD. It stays on the screen for a few seconds and then disappears but can be referenced at any time until the player completes the goal.
Landmarks
The only obvious landmark in this level is the cargo ship. It is the end goal but is seen throughout the entire second part of this level. It starts close and drifts further away but becomes a destination that showcases the player's location and helps keep the right direction.
Visual Language/Leading Lines
Every container highlighted in red is to show the player this is a "grabbable" container. The arrows highlighted in yellow and white are to potentially give the player a sense of direction and pick their best route. All other color is to fill out the environment like the green plane for grass and the yellow gate as a sliding blueprint.
Affordance/Denying Affordance
To avoid having the player think they can jump multiple containers, I stacked the containers to make it look like a staircase. This shows they have to go around and start at the lowest container if they want to reach the second.
Cover
There's a certain distance that enemies can spot the player and if they do, they will alert others to rush over and shoot at the player. Depending on how many enemies there are, it may be difficult to stay out of their line of sight once caught.
Mechanics
Weapons
Being trained by assassins, Jason Todd only has one blade weapon and melee combat. Enemies have guns short and long ranged, and weaker melee combat.
Perception
To give the player some room to escape, the enemies give a small grace period when spotting the player and investigate if the player quickly moves from their line of sight.
Patrol vs. Stationary
Enemies who are walking around have a smaller view and perception than enemies stationed in one spot. It is slightly more difficult to take out stationed enemies, but will make it easier to maneuver around without getting caught.
Stealth vs. Direct
Stealth is easier because enemies won't hear and line of sight will continue to stay in a stationary area. If caught, it switches to "direct" temporarily because enemies will watch for where the player tries to hide.
If the player chooses a direct combat route some enemies will track his last known location and keep following him until he is out of their line of sight. Other enemies may try to run away and get to a better hiding position even though the player has no guns.
Traversal
One of the main features for easily escaping enemies in the interior is by using the vents. The vents work as a hole between the floor mesh that has the camera set above to show a larger distance. Players can see in a certain radius above them when going in the vents but the enemies can't see the player at all.
Player/Enemy Damage
For melee attacks, the player can kill an enemy from behind and quickly snap their neck. Using the blade is slightly louder, if an enemy is near they will investigate.
The player can withstand 5 shots without any health before dying and having to reset the level.
Player Damage - Fall Height
The second floor interior is not high enough to kill the player, but will take away 10 health if they fall.
Scripted Moments
Cutscenes
Scripted moments come from the cutscenes that are described in the narrative contributing to the player's mission. This includes Jason destroying enemy trucks in the first scene, entering the warehouse, and watching the cargo ship leave the docks.
Screenshots
Asset Packs
Future Asset Packs:
Third Person Shooter Kit v2.1 (Marcin Matuszczyk)
Factory Environment Collection