Dishonored 2223
Escape from the cyber prison
Description
Dishonored 2223 is a level design project by using Unreal 5.1.
The goal of this project is I will be recreating the Prison Escape experience from the original game(Dishonored 1) in a world where human guards have been replaced by cameras and machines.
Story: A sword is no longer useful here, but the player has a powerful Staff that lets her leap over gaps and "climb" up high walls.
The platform I used is Unreal 5.1 and the toolkit that I used is called Level Up Toolkit. Here is the link of the toolkit:
https://projects.etc.cmu.edu/level-up/
Here is the download link of the level(Only support for windows now):
Gameplay Demo
Paper Design/Level Explanation
Game Mechanics
The "POLE" (Affordance)
A pole can let players do special movement: such as slide or hang on the hooks. Players can use these 2 skills to help them pass some specific terrain or some traps.
Tutorial level: learn how to use the pole.
Breakable Structures/Walls
In the level, there will some breakable sturctures or walls. I use light color to highlight these structures in order to players aware these breakable structures at some points. The green cube(affordance) in the scene also can break the walls.
Red color walls indicate the breakable structure
Damage Zone
In the level, there are many different kinds of damage zone: Cameras, Damage floor, Traps.
All of these damage zones will lose players' health level, if players' health down to 0, they will die.
Cameras, Dead Trap, Damage Floor
Other Triggers
There are other interactable triggers in the level: Buttons, Recovery Zone, Portal.
Buttons: used to open all the doors in the level. Sometimes, players need to find the hidden button for the doors in the map.
Recovery Zone: players can get healing at this zone. Use green colors to indicate.
Portal: the door can enter in then out from the other door.
Button with blue wire connected to the door
Recovery zone (green area)
Portal example
Rough Prototype Playtest
After I build a rough prototype of my level, I invited 2 players to playtest my level. And here are the notes during the playtest and their feedbacks that I recorded.
The playtest feedback
Notes during Jason was playing
Notes during Nay was playing
Level/Map Iterations
Button/Door
First of all, the change of the connection between button and doors. From the playtest feedback, I add the blue wires to connect the buttons and the doors. Now the players will understand the buttons are use to open the door in the room. Also, the wire can also be the leading lines in the level because it can lead player's attention to somewhere.
Before
After
A button behind the breakable wall
Lighting effect
At some point, the player cannot really see there is a breakable structure and they will miss direction of the right path. Thus, according to the feedbacks, I add a spot light and change the color of the wall.
Before: Dark and Grey
Before: Too dark to see the path
After: More obviously and Orange color
After: Add more lights as the direction
Landmark/Direction
From players' feedback, I add the landmark for direction at the end of the level. This can help players know where is the final destination of the level and they will know their "mission" more clear than before. Also, at this position is a vantage point, players can decide whether continue to the building or keep exploring in the map.
Landmark at the end of the level, also known as Vantage Point