Cadaver Slammer
Goals
- Dive deeper into Unreal Engine 4's BluePrinting.
- Mimic industry level design process by making pitch documents and level layout plan (Sketchup).
- Create an early game level map.
- Create claustrophobic and tense action.
- Provide rewards for exploration (ammo, new weapon, health)
Details
- Singleplayer FPS map with horror elements.
- Emphasis on difficulty pacing with rooms centred on action or respite.
- Use of landmarks and themed rooms to help the player’s navigation
- Lock and key system used to create an open but linear level in order to create soft pacing.
- Rewarding exploration that results in a powerful hidden weapon.
- Multiple shortcuts allowing the player to enter and exit rooms in more than one way.
- Lighting and framing used to effortlessly guide the player around the map.
What I've Learned
- Various BluePrinting techniques including triggers, animations/blendspaces, UI elements, and game mechanics such as firing and reloading.
- Basic AI creation and NavMesh placements.
- The importance of map interconnectivity with regards to player freedom and enhancement to the overall gameplay experience.
Difficulty curve: Cadaver Slammer allows for some freedom in the order the player chooses to approach exploring the prison. This was taken into consideration when designing the difficulty to avoid any sharp difficulty spikes.
Layout: This document details the original 2-pager plan for the level developed with Sketchup. Upon iterating the map, multiple connective shortcuts were added (the rec room and cafeteria were united, a vent was created to connect the basement maintenance office to the hallway and a hole was placed to connect the cafeteria to the basement).
