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Get In, Get Out
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Trailer
Trailer
Details
Details
About: “Get In, Get Out” is a single-player mission for Dying Light (2015) meant for early in the campaign. The level takes place in the courtyard and bio-medical facility of Harran University. The player must enter the zombie-infested facility to recover a supply of medicine, and use their wits to find alternate entrances / exits around locked doors. The level takes on average 7 minutes to complete.
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Software: Dying Light Developer Tools
Total Production Time: 105 Hours
Release Date: December 9th, 2022
Platform: PC
Design Goals
Design Goals
Aesthetically Pleasing Environment(s)
1. Exterior Courtyard
I took inspiration from a real courtyard at SMU to create Harran University's medical facility. The surrounding buildings all hold rooftop vantage points, with scalable walls / windows, and other clutter to quickly and easily get up and down from the zombie-overrun courtyard. Across from the rooftops, the facility's exterior is adorned with a tiered garden that breathes life into the downtown and concrete courtyard.
2. Interior Bio-Medical Facility
The atmospheric and horror-inspired interior of the bio-medical facility contrasts to the lighter and more open exterior. I designed this mood shift to give the player a sense of urgency once inside the facility, leading to the climatic moment where they take the medicine. The rooms are small and the hallways are thin, mimicking actual hospitals, but also providing an increased challenge to how the player deals with the hordes of zombies.
3. Moody Lighting
The courtyard features string lights that lead the player along the rooftops, while the exploding "Gas Tank" zombies are lit by easily distinguishable blue UV light. Warm lanterns designate the fireworks that the player can collect. Inside the facility, flickering blue lights draw the player into the vents. Contained overhead lights provide a brief escape from the darkness, until the alarm is sounded and the facility flashes a bright red - prompting the player to escape as soon as possible.
Engaging Gameplay
1. Lure Zombies, Then Explode Them
To clear the horde of zombies in the courtyard, the player can use fireworks to lure a handful towards a stationary "Gas Tank" exploding enemy. The player can then fire at the Gas Tank to clear the area of zombies in a satisfying giant zombie explosion.
2. Search Around Hordes
The player is tasked with finding a keycard to get into the locked facility. The keycard is at an unspecified location within the courtyard - filled with dozens of zombies and gas tanks. The player can take a variety of approaches to find the keycard including: killing all the zombies, distracting them with fireworks, or weaving through the horde.
3. Quick Escape
Right when the player takes the medicine, an alarm switches on with red flashing lights and a loud noise. Fast-moving infected enemies start crawling in through the vents. The player must quickly escape the level before too many infected overwhelm them, prompting the player to hastily take an alternate path to the exit.
Encouraging Player Mobility
1. Accessibility of Courtyard
I designed the courtyard to have more open-ended player flow. There are multiple entrances and exits from the rooftops that allow the player to attain different vantage points or to quickly escape the grasp of zombies.
2. Climbing Through Vents
The interior of the facility features a system of vents that give the player the option to quickly and safely bypass the horde of zombies and locked doors. These vents also having floor grating that allow the player to take out unsuspecting zombies from above.
3. "Safe Spots"
While the player is at risk of being attacked by zombies in most parts of the interior / exterior, I designed specific areas where the player could rest to gather their thoughts and plan their next action. For the exterior, these were conveyed through the raised flower beds and tiered garden system. For the interior, these included the vents and locked doors accessed through the vents.
Iteration
Iteration
Level Design Document
Level Design Document
Whitebox
Initial Gameplay
Launch
Retrospective
Retrospective
What Went Well:
What Needs Improvement:
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Framerate drops occur in a few parts of the level due to the amount of lights / dynamic AI
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Scoped the level down from the initial design, but I ultimately could have included the first plan due to the amount of time I had later on
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Courtyard walls block a lot of the player's view, where a visible city scape beyond the walls would have been much cooler
What I Learned:
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It is much better to overscope at the start and trim a level down, than coming in underscoped and having to think of design on the fly
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Having multiple starkly different themes / moods for different parts of the level make it more memorable
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Performance checks require designers to get creatively with spawners / enablers for AI, Lights, and FX
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Taught myself how to use a new editor in the span of a month, which allowed me to spend more time on design
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"Found the fun" through exploding hordes of zombies and taking alternate routes through the level
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Ironed-out my gameplay early, allowing me to spend more time making the level very visually pleasing
Gameplay
Gameplay
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