Combat Simulator

Combat Sim was a third-person shooter game framework created by one of the instructors at VFS for Unreal Engine 4. The goal was for students to create a third-person shooter level split into three distinct segments: Assault, Stealth and Defense segment using only the provided ingredients.

Platform/Engine:
PC/UE 4

Genre:
Third-person Shooter

My Roles:
Level Designer
Encounter Designer

Responsibilities

Create the layout plan for the level.
Take the level from whiteboxing to final, including set-dressing.
Script any custom events using the given ingredients to enhance the level.

Level Features

Basic narrative to establish flow: Invade the enemy base, gain access to the underground facility, make your way through the security systems and steal the weapon at the end.
Fully developed Assault, Stealth and Defense sections (in this order) with Checkpoints between each.
Assault section crafted keeping in mind offering a solid player front, clear no man's land and flanking opportunities.
Simple puzzle for the Stealth section that focuses on exploration, giving players multiple routes
Defense section created in an area with two floors that require the player to keep moving around as enemies spawn.

Design Challenges

For this section, I wanted to provide two major enemy encounters with small breathing room between them. It was important to give the player multiple approaches for each encounter, a clear no man's land, as well as customizing the AI paths to encourage the player to keep moving while maintaining a balanced difficulty. Reinforcements are deployed in the first encounter after a certain amount of time, potentially increasing the difficulty. Cover areas are intentionally placed to encourage the use of the Sniper Rifle, and small flanking opportunities are provided in both encounters.
My goal was to make this the heart of the experience. This section consists of exploring a series of rooms in search of two buttons that unlock the door to proceed further into the level. Security Cameras and Laser Tripwires were placed in strategic points to offer a challenge to traversing through the environment. To teach the players about the buttons unlocking doors, I designed a small section where the player has relatively easy access to a switch that opens a door close to them. This section comprises the central room, where players can see their final goal on the other side and two adjacent rooms. The structure of the main room allows for multiple paths for each button, and players can also choose which to go for first.
To finish the level, I designed this section in a relatively small space with two floors. The challenge here was to place the enemy spawn points at a safe distance from the player to give them enough time to prepare. To do this, I set the objective that started the waves of enemies in the middle, giving players time to explore the area before engaging in the conflict. Each wave is timed, meaning that it will get progressively harder if players don't actively search for a way of dealing with the enemies.