I started this project to improve my Level Design skills, especially in regards to scripted sequences. Because of this, I decided to use the Hammer++ Editor to create a Half Life 2 Mod, as it offers a range of useful tools.
At the start of the Level, the player crashes into a abandoned building, that is infested with zombies. They then have to travers the building to find and rescue their crew. The player can do this either by sneaking past the zombies, or facing them head on
I started this process with a text-first approach, inspired by the Level Designer Steve Lee and his approach to Level Design.
First, I chose an overall theme, before writing down important bulletpoints for the following topics:
After getting the rough path, flow and beat positioning down, I started to go more in depth when it came to the layout of singular rooms and NPC positioning. I also started very early with the positioning of Triggers for scripted events, as this was the main focus for me on this project.
After getting to grips with the Trigger and Entity System of the Hammer Editor, I was soon able to create interesting NPC encounters and surprising moments, as well as weave in narrative beats with dialogue.
Additionally, I also started focusing on my environmental storytelling. I tried looking at every room and every corpse with a history behind it, while simultaneously using it to convey important information to the player. If feel like this worked.
Lastly, I made sure the level in this state was already playable from start to finish, to not only be able to playtest it all the way through, but also to work with a mindset of having a working prototype at every stage of development.
The game starts with a helicopter crash that the player only experiences orally. This decision was mainly made due to technical constraints, but the black screen also helps to build suspense. While the vision of the player is fading in and out, they can see – and even more so, hear – a zombie approaching their injured crew member in the helicopter, which is on fire and also sliding towards the edge. The player can only watch, increasing the suspense inside the player. Additionally, this scene establishes two very important things. First, you are not on your own, but have a crew you need to help. And second, you landed in a house that is filled with zombies. These two forces are the main drivers throughout the entire level and were therefore introduced immediately.
Now the player can start exploring the dark corridors, accompanied by dark music and zombie moans that come from somewhere in the building. This, in addition to the flickering lights, poor visibility and the fact that the player is still unarmed, is supposed to make the player feel anxious and on their toes. The first room they find shows signs of someone having lived here, creating a more believable space. It also introduces wooden crates and most importantly, gives the player a flashlight.
Note: In retrospect, this first scene ended up too dark. Due to the lighting being done at the very end, (and my inexperience with the lighting in the Source Engine) I realized too late, that what was clearly visible when everything was fully lit, now easily got lost in the darkness.
After the explosion, the player is given a simple prompt. “Escape with your crew!” To make the progression of the remaining level clear and intuitive, the first view to the players right hand side shows them everything they need to see. The wreck of the helicopter, with the crew hopefully close by. Additionally, the player clearly sees a, what appears to be functional, vehicle, that could be used to escape. Due to this setup, there is no quest marker or dotted line needed to guide the player.
In the next section, the player is first confronted by a lock. The stairs leading down and towards the visible crash site are blocked by wooden planks, most likely put there by the survivor who used to live in the room we just found the supplies in. The player has no choice but to climb the stairs upwards. Here, they find their first weapon (and the key to the lock), a crowbar embeded into a zombie’s skull. A knocked over lamp on the desk beside the corpse guides the player’s vision towards this spot. The blood and signs of destruction tell the story of a fight that might have happened, hinting at the fate of the survivor.
Players making this connection will be rewarded with some health-regen as well as ammunition for future weapons. Lastly, this encounter also brings the story of the survivor to an end, who seems to have fallen to a zombie attack, turning into one of them. Adding these subtle narrative moments for more attentive players is something I really like doing in order to tell short stories and make the space around the player more believable, while also tying it into the entire gameplay experience.
On their way down, the player is surprised by a zombie flinging itself onto the stairs. With it wooden crates come tumbling down. This encounter serves many purposes and is a key part of the early player experience. Firstly, it surprises and scares the player, showing them that, even though they are now armed, they still must keep their guard up. Furthermore, the zombie lands in-between the wooden crates that were used to cover it from the players view originally. Now, during the fight, these crates will break because of the players attacks with the crowbar. Seeing this happen, the player should not only notice that they can now break through the wooden planks, but also that the crates back in the survivors’ room can be opened.
In the next section, I wanted to offer the player multiple ways to cross the room. The player can either go hack away at the zombies, or sneak their way past them, using the furniture as cover. A third way is to climb into the vent, where the entrance is highlighted through strobing red light from a fire detector.
The only other two lights in the level highlight the exit of the room, as well as the dead crew member, who the player saw earlier in the wreck of the helicopter.
When the player, who is highly incentivized by the firearm next to the body, approaches the corpse, a little narrative event is triggered. First the player shouts out in grief, but then their attention is grabbed by a second crew member, Alyx, who is down by the wreck, urging the player to hurry. I set up this short interaction to not only add a short narrative beat with some drama, but also to give the player a very clear objective once again. Although the crew member the player originally was looking for is dead, their attention immediately shifts to the next member of the squad who is in need of support.
If the player goes through the vent, it will break halfway through the room. I made the decision to have the vent breake underneath the player to not only keep them on their toes, but also in order to introduce the idea of objects being able to break under the right circumstances, which will come up again later in the level.
Additionally, this section offers a small room with crates containing ammo and a health pack, rewarding players for exploring.
Note: Looking back to this section, I think I should have provided the player with more cover at the start of the room to properly be able to scout their options as well as analyze the patrol route of the zombie, without needing to fear being detected immediately.
After climbing out of the window and landing on the ground level, the player encounters another zombie that can either be attacked or snuck by. Then, the player enters the building from the back and finds themself in a demolished corridor. This is the first time the player encounters dead soldiers, indicating that a bigger battle had been fought. Corpses, blood splatter on walls and the floor in combination with a single flickering light and a menacing soundtrack are supposed to increase the tension drastically. There are even signs of explosions with tossed around furniture and a big hole in the wall.
When the player finds a soldier’s body further down the corridor, a blood trail leading into a small closet asks the player if they dare open it. The set up should already appear familiar, as a similar scene was presented to the player when finding the crowbar. That time they didn´t have the choice to avoid a possible encounter, but this time they do. At this point, it was hopefully also established that exploration is rewarded. So if the player decides to open the door and is attacked by a zombie, they are awarded with a machine gun.
These signs serve multiple purposes. Firstly, the hole in the wall gives a direct line of sight towards Alyx, implicitly telling the player where to go. Secondly, these signs of explosions hint on what’s to come in the finale, when the player will have to fight zombine, soldiers that turned into zombies. These zombies have a special attack where they cook a grenade in their hand, running towards the player.
The finale of the level starts with the player hearing Alyx yelling and shooting at zombies. With that the pace of the music changes, urging the player to hurry. The player fights the first horde of zombies, shooting their way through to Alyx. An additional machine gun is placed in the first room near a soldier’s corpse, so that players who didn´t pick it up in the last section now have heavier artillery to fight with (But still less ammo). During the fight, flickering light guides the players eyes towards two scary looking zombies pounding on thick glass. Even though they do not pose a threat yet, the player takes notice of them through the light as well as the noise.
Note: Looking at it now, I think I should have provided the player with more cover in the final section. The unfolding events lead to some very hectic and stressful gameplay, which is intended, but the space now appears a little bit to narrow. Also, when designing and building this space, I didn´t really think about what would happen if the player entered the vehicle right away. Although Alyx would be scripted to follow, a lot of the finale could be skipped that way, leading to a pretty anti-climactic ending. It would have probably been better to make the car a bit harder to access at first, really forcing the player to play through the fight.
After reuniting with Alyx, she tells the player to get to the car, which is positioned directly behind her, so the player is not left wondering which car she is referring to. But on the way there, another zombie attacks from the side. Because of this, Alyx accidentally (or so it seems) fires on a barrel behind the zombie. Shortly after that, the barrel explodes, leading to a chain reaction that ends up in an explosion setting the two zombine from earlier free, who then come charging. This then prompts zombies to approach from down the road, which quickly leads to the player ending up in a pinch.
Not only am I very happy with the setup of the chain reaction and how natural it feels, but also with the way the tension is at its highest at the very end of the climax.
