Beacon of Hope

“Beacon of Hope” is a single-player, standalone mission based in the Dying Light world, created through
the Dev Tools engine. The player enters castle grounds, once prosperous and full of magic, now in ruins after
falling to the infected. The goal is to locate the different sources of energia around the kingdom, activating
them to create a beacon to bring in help and cleanse what remains.

Design Overview

Details

Team Size: 1 Developer

Software: Dying Light Dev Tools

Platform: PC

Responsibilities

Level Design
Quest Design
Combat Design

Design
Goals

Environmental Storytelling

Naturally reveal stories and support the map theme solely through the player's surroundings, creating immersion and depth in the player's experience.

Balanced Combat for Different Paths

Create variety to support different player strategies/ choices in open areas, while still enforcing the desired level of challenge.

Enforcing Mechanics

Design moments and places intended for players to appeal to the exploration side of gameplay, while fostering incentive to engage with core game mechanics.

Design & Implementation

Creating a Rich Environment

Despite not having an explicit narrative, I wanted the level to feel as though it had a story to tell, rather than just generic themes of infection and decay. I did this by hinting at what the kingdom was like, and by shaping moments to reflect what happened to certain individuals.

I created small scenes that emphasized the causes of death, allowing the player to glimpse at how their last minutes were spent
I carefully considered props and completed a heavy aesthetics pass to depict specific settings and events going on within the kingdom where larger groups of the infected reside.

Consistent Challenge

I wanted there to be an increasing challenge in the combat and skill pacing of the level, and ensured this was evident even when the player could choose different paths to take.

I varied the AI implemented, while altering quantity and difficulty to not make one path the "better" or easier one to take.
I provided paths that catered to player strategies, allowing different skills to be executed in order to progress.

Utilizing Loot & Combat

I created areas for players to explore, but also used these areas as a way to enforce key game mechanics.

I provided loot and resources slightly out of the core path, encouraging players to slow down and explore in these level segments to collect them.
I used AI enemies to 'guard' these resources, so players must engage in combat.

Postmortem

What Went Well

Several passes on the AI allowed me to create exactly the level of challenge and pacing I desired to have in the level
Added detail incorporated with environmental storytelling made the level seem like part of a larger game and worldspace
Timeboxing to meet the quality aesthetics and polished ambience, which amplified the tension and adrenaline felt during gameplay

Some occasional bugs or unintentional AI behavior occurs that would have benefited from more time to debug
The interior currently feels too distinct from the standard level design with multiple pathways; with more time I would have liked to make the space larger and offer more navigation choices to the player

What Needs Improvement

What I Learned

Inclusion of color language and consistent visuals for conveyance
Using AI to guide player flow and drive them to quest goals
Incorporating gameplay that gives opportunities for different play styles, even in small-scale level design

PEYTON WALKER

Narrative & Level Designer

Beacon of Hope

Design Overview

Details

Responsibilities

Design
Goals

Environmental Storytelling

Naturally reveal stories and support the map theme solely through the player's surroundings, creating immersion and depth in the player's experience.

Balanced Combat for Different Paths

Create variety to support different player strategies/ choices in open areas, while still enforcing the desired level of challenge.

Enforcing Mechanics

Design moments and places intended for players to appeal to the exploration side of gameplay, while fostering incentive to engage with core game mechanics.

Design & Implementation

Creating a Rich Environment

Despite not having an explicit narrative, I wanted the level to feel as though it had a story to tell, rather than just generic themes of infection and decay. I did this by hinting at what the kingdom was like, and by shaping moments to reflect what happened to certain individuals.

I created small scenes that emphasized the causes of death, allowing the player to glimpse at how their last minutes were spent

I carefully considered props and completed a heavy aesthetics pass to depict specific settings and events going on within the kingdom where larger groups of the infected reside.

Consistent Challenge

I wanted there to be an increasing challenge in the combat and skill pacing of the level, and ensured this was evident even when the player could choose different paths to take.

I varied the AI implemented, while altering quantity and difficulty to not make one path the "better" or easier one to take.

I provided paths that catered to player strategies, allowing different skills to be executed in order to progress.

Utilizing Loot & Combat

I created areas for players to explore, but also used these areas as a way to enforce key game mechanics.

I provided loot and resources slightly out of the core path, encouraging players to slow down and explore in these level segments to collect them.

I used AI enemies to 'guard' these resources, so players must engage in combat.

Postmortem

What Went Well

What Needs Improvement

What I Learned

PEYTON WALKER

Narrative & Level Designer

Beacon of Hope

Design Overview

Details

Responsibilities

Design Goals

Environmental Storytelling

Naturally reveal stories and support the map theme solely through the player's surroundings, creating immersion and depth in the player's experience.

Balanced Combat for Different Paths

Create variety to support different player strategies/ choices in open areas, while still enforcing the desired level of challenge.

Enforcing Mechanics

Design moments and places intended for players to appeal to the exploration side of gameplay, while fostering incentive to engage with core game mechanics.

Design & Implementation

Creating a Rich Environment

Despite not having an explicit narrative, I wanted the level to feel as though it had a story to tell, rather than just generic themes of infection and decay. I did this by hinting at what the kingdom was like, and by shaping moments to reflect what happened to certain individuals.

I created small scenes that emphasized the causes of death, allowing the player to glimpse at how their last minutes were spent

I carefully considered props and completed a heavy aesthetics pass to depict specific settings and events going on within the kingdom where larger groups of the infected reside.

Consistent Challenge

I wanted there to be an increasing challenge in the combat and skill pacing of the level, and ensured this was evident even when the player could choose different paths to take.

I varied the AI implemented, while altering quantity and difficulty to not make one path the "better" or easier one to take.

I provided paths that catered to player strategies, allowing different skills to be executed in order to progress.

Utilizing Loot & Combat

I created areas for players to explore, but also used these areas as a way to enforce key game mechanics.

I provided loot and resources slightly out of the core path, encouraging players to slow down and explore in these level segments to collect them.

I used AI enemies to 'guard' these resources, so players must engage in combat.

Postmortem

What Went Well

What Needs Improvement

What I Learned

Design
Goals