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Summary

This level aims to deliver an immersive, narrative driven stealth experience. It is based on a  story  in which the protagonist is required to investigate a remote harbor which remained isolated from the rest of the world throughout a long lasting, terrible storm. Thematically I’m inspired by the Victorian era industrial aesthetics and the Lovecraftian cosmic horror and I decided to deliver these aspects in the blockmesh, atmosphere and the lighting.

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Playable Build Link

Team Size: Solo

Average Playtime: 15-20 mins

Responsibilities: 

  • Level Design

  • Layout Drawing

  • Blueprint Scripting

  • AI Path placement

  • Narrative Implementation (dialogues, texts, events)

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My Process

  • Concept: What is the desired emotion for this level and how should it change during the playthrough?

  • Consistency: How significant is this space in the overall story? Why and how it has changed during the story events?  How it came to be as it is now and how will I reflect this in level design?

  • Planning: ​How do I set up encounters, NPCs, triggers, and dialogues in such a way that won't result in overlapping and clashing mechanical processes?

Level Overview

Design Philosophy

Multiple Endings

The level has three different endings which are triggered based on the actions of the player. The standard ending doesn't need extra attention. However, other endings require exploration and attention to the narrative in order to be experienced.

Non-Linear Approach

Non-linearity as a design approach works hand in hand with the immersive sim and horror genres. The level is multi layered with four floors that are interconnected with each other. There are two save spots for which the player can eventually unlock shortcuts so that they can also establish familiarity with the space. 

The cultist enemies are numerous and lethal. They can chase down and overwhelm the player easily. It's possible to take them down using the Brine Blades scattered throughout the level, but there is only a few of them. Avoiding the enemies and using stealth is the safest choice for the player. However, they can also be creative about how they will handle the cultists.

Avoiding Enemies

The level has various NPC's, notes and manuscript items which will gradually unfold the story of The Harbor. It is up to the player's attention to discover the secret third ending, which is the Boatman ending.

Unfolding Narrative

Red Circle

Green Circle

Blue Circle

Yellow Circle

Enemies

Save Spots

Eldritch Manuscripts

NPC's

Harbor Floor Plan

Ending Logic

Regular Ending

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Disguise Ending

Boatman Ending

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Most of the scripting was already handled by the Horror Engine framework. However, I needed to implement some custom logic in order to tweak the gameplay elements according to my goals.

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Monster Fish Event

  • Another custom logic was added for the monster fish encounter.

  • Once the introduction sequence is complete, the monster fish will start moving based on a spline.

  • The fish will damage the player when overlapped and will be trapped behind bars once the necessary valve is found.

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Scripting

Enemy AI

  • I coded a basic enemy AI with Unreal blueprints.

  • This AI is able to hear and see the player and will chase and strike them with an axe when in melee range.

  • ​The enemies move slower than the player's sprint speed and will forget about them after waiting for a few seconds.

Disguise Mask

  • A custom blueprint logic was added for the cultist mask which is required for the disguise ending.

  • Equipping this mask will remove all AI perception features from each cultist actor and will also remove their damage dealing collisions.

  • The mask also removes all triggers for the other endings.

Gallery

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