Other Projects
3rd Person Shooter: Chimera
Chimera
Chimera is a third person shooter that gives players choices about how to approach problems. The level design supports players who want to run in guns blazing or be sneaky.
​
Full gameplay video at the bottom of the page.
Engine: Unreal 5.2
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox S|X
Team size: Solo
Duration: 12 weeks
Software used: Figma, Miro, Google Synthesis (AI Voices)
Goals: Create a full length level with engaging narrative that supports action and stealth playstyles & learn how to use sequencer to script events.
Beat Based Level Design
I laid out my story beats before starting 2D design to ensure engaging pacing and so I could design spaces that serve the narrative.
2D Layout
I laid out my map in 2D, including cover, enemy placements, trigger points, and patrol routes. This helped identify a number of potential pitfalls, including the issues noted on the map above which were fixed before production began.
Blockout & Iteration
The street's layout didn't change too much.
The dancehall got a major rework. The problem was, that if the player was detected, all the enemies would aggro. This was a very difficult fight and the rest of the area felt empty if you managed to survive. I decided to greatly increase the height of the containers and boxes to section off the room into two separate encounters. I also slightly downscaled the size of the room to make it feel more tense. Two large pillars were added on the main staircases to give the player somewhere to hide if a patrol approached as they were descending.
A landing was added to this ladder/fire escape because players frequently missed this jump and it resulted in frustration.
Guiding the Player onto an Alternate Path
One challenge on this project was making sure that the alternate paths weren't blatantly obvious, but still inviting. Here I used the bright, pink lighting to pique the player's curiosity.
I use loot breadcrumbs on the ground to draw the player into the alley.
Once in the alley, the graffiti on the wall draws the player's attention up.
When players look up, they'll see the ladder and air conditioning units. Curious players will try and figure out how to get up there, but uninterested players can return to the main path.
Once on top of the roof, players are blocked by some vents and a satellite dish. These push the players to the left and reward them with a nice view.
Encounter Design & Principles
Players arrive at most encounters in a safe place where they can observe enemies and plan their next move. The objectives are framed by geometry and lighting.
Enemies move in predictable patterns and never turn more than 120°
so as not to surprise stealthy players in a way that feels unfair.
There is plenty of cover which gives players options for fighting or sneaking.
In this encounter, narrative sound bites play as stealthy players approach the enemies. This develops the narrative context and gives players something to engage with while the waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Emergent Gameplay
Creative players can use the truck as cover to sneak into the loading dock!
Post-Mortem
I'm generally happy with how this project turned out. In particular, the set piece where you defend the bar from waves of enemies is a lot of fun and I was happy with how playtesters were originally drawn toward the loading dock area, but often discovered the alternate path through the alley before committing to a route.
​
I do realize that the set piece where players defend the bar violates the principal of supporting multiple playstyles. I think this is ok because it's a fun, dramatic, and fairly straightforward encounter, however I may have missed an opportunity to design a stealth option to get through the encounter. The idea of hiding as a wave of enemies runs by you and then moving forward and finding another hiding spot before the next wave comes would be a fun and different kind of stealth encounter than other encounters in the level.
​
Looking at the player flow charts, it's clear that I like designing spaces and encounters that push players towards the periphery to find strong positions, so I should mix things up and also have incentives for players to go down the middle sometimes.
​
The nightclub's design would've been more memorable if I incorporated more themes from classical architecture, so the interior better matched the exterior.
Full Playthrough with Commentary
Assets used: Super Grid, Third Person Shooter Kit (by Marcin Matuszczyk), Tokyo Nightclub, Tokyo Street 2, Paragon Lt. Belica, KitBash3D Cargo