Spaces and Worldbuilding
Subway Murder Mystery
Level Design
Unreal Engine
Solo
4 Days
FPS, Detective
Timelapse
Project Brief
This was an assignment in our Spaces and Worldbuilding course, where we were tasked with creating a blockout for a level with an assigned story and setting as well as certain requirements such as featuring multiple paths.
The story given to us had outlined a series of events while leaving certain details for us to decide ourselves. The story goes as follow:
A group of bank robbers had planned to rob a bank whose walls are next to the subway station. They had a fight with a small security team before reaching the wall but after reaching it they were interrupted and had to flee mid heist. The player is a detective, who arrived on the scene some time after the events happened, which meant I had to tell the story fully through the environment.
Story
When making my version of the story I focused on how it would be told through the level, which led to me coming up with this:
The robbers initiated the robbery by using an explosive to derail a train as a distraction before making a run for the bank wall. On the way there, they went through an emergency exit, where they ran into a security team. They had a shoot out where the robbers came out on top, but not without taking some hits themselves. Afterwards, they reached the bank wall and started the break in. However, one of them had taken a real hit causing them to continuesly bleed, which forced the robbers to flee. As such, they fled along one of the train tracks.
Environmental Storytelling
As the detective, the player arrives later on and tries to figure out where the robbers fled. There are clues scattered around the subway station to help the player shape their understanding.
The Derailed Train
There is a derailed train over the main station, stretching from one of the tracks up onto the station itself. There is a bit of destruction present where the train collided with the wall, indicating the damage done.
The Emergency Exit
The emergency exit contains a lot of clues on how the fight between robbers and security went down. The bodies of the security team are still there, and a few blood splatters are present on the other side to tell that one of the robbers took a non-lethal shot.
The Detonator
At the other side of the station from the derailed train, lies a backpack with a detonator next to it. This is an optional clue telling the player where the robbers were when they initiated the heist.
Number of Robbers
An optional detail from the assignment was to give clues to how many robbers there were. I decided to have 3 robbers and left optional clues that could help the player figure it out. The robbers left their equipment behind, consisting of 3 backpacks and pickaxes.
Process/Sketches
I started working by looking at reference images and sketching 2d maps. While sketching, I kept a close eye at the list of requirements to ensure the layout could fulfill the needs of both a subway and the assignment.
The sketch helped me map out how and where the different areas of the subway would connect to each other, in a quicker manner than doing it in engine. Afterwards, I had a clear idea of how the main layout could work and so I moved onto building it in engine.
Layout
Another requirement the level had to fulfill was having three possible paths to reach the bank wall, where there would be clues given to which way the robbers entered and left. There were also additional requirements about details in the environment, such having three train tracks where one was at a different height. I decided to build a station with verticality through featuring the platforms along the wall seen in some subway/train stations in the world.
The three paths to the bank wall are accessed through different parts of the station.
First path
The first path follows the robber's path up from the two tracks and down into the emergency exit, where they would meet the security team.
Second path
As the station is currently suspended and only features stationary trains, it is possible to walk down the tracks. The player can walk down the opposing track to the one where the derailed train crashed, allowing them to walk around the emergency exit to the bank wall
Third path
The third path is where the robbers would ultimately make their escape, which the player will find out later on but it can also be used to reach the bank wall from the station. It has the player walk down the upper train station's track.
Iterations
Quickly after implementing the first iteration of the story into the level I playtested with a few classmates, which revealed some flaws to iterate on. The main issue came from the story, not the logistics of it but where it played out. Most of the story happened on one end of the level, leaving most of the environment empty.
First Iteration
The player starts where the robbers did at the upper train track, the player can either go down the train track or into the station center to reach the emergeny exit where the bank wall is. To guide the player; there are dropped items along the track and a dead guard outside the emergeny in the station center.
To combat this, I went through several rapid iterations to try different paths for the robbers and player. I moved a few pieces at a time to spread out the events more evenly and in the end I had story elements present throughout the various areas in the layout.
Final Iteration
Now the player starts at the entrance and the guards started in the station center. The bank wall is outside the emergency exit and the robbers fled through the upper track.
Guidance
Apart from storytelling; there are environmental details for guidance and player navigation.
Derailed Train
When the player enters the station the derailed train is visible, as it is a dramatic stunt by the robbers it is of interest for the player to investigate.
The Rat
When approaching the derailed train, the player can see it blocks the entrance to a staircase. It leads to the emergency exit which is a place the player is supposed to visit. By the derailed train is a rat, as the player gets close, the rat runs of under the derailed train towards the emergency exit to clue the player in.
Emergency Exit Signs
Both entrances to the emergency exit feature
bright green signs, which bring attention to the doors leading into the room.
Light
Down the tracks, light from lamps are visible. This is a subtle way of telling the player they are not off bounds and can lead to a new area.
Blood Trails
There are trails of blood over the upper train track. This is a clue for finding the robbers' escape route and for finding the bank wall through the third path.
Reflection
Blocking out a level like this in only 4 days from scratch was a great practise and I feel like I improved my skills in rapid prototyping and iteration. However, there are aspects I would have worked on further with more time one of them being the optional paths. While there is light to communicate they might lead somewhere I fear players' intuition of not walking along train tracks would cause them to miss them. The main thing I would have done with more time would be to further playtest the level, as I kept iterating far into the final day and I ended up not having too much playtesting on the final version.
With that said, I really enjoyed this project and am proud of what I accomplished in the given time-frame.