Dishonored 2

Level Design Exercise

Dishonored 2

The Challenges

As my objective was to understand and apply the design values of the immersive sim, I had to give a proper definition of it. For me, the principle of this genre is to provide the player with different options, a variety of actions, and information about various objectives to help them make conscious choices.

To do so inside the context of Dishonored, it's about offering:

Diverse objectives or different ways to accomplish one. I chose the second option.
Diverse playstyles, particularly focusing on infiltration. The level design should provide the player with various opportunities to navigate levels, often emphasizing verticality.
Plenty of information about what is happening in terms of lore inside the level to understand the problem and the narrative situation to finally decide the proper solution accordingly.

Flowchart & Walkthrough

Kill Bayles

Trap Bayles

The first part of the level sets the context of the district and what players should expect in terms of encounters and paths, whether through parkour or stealth. Depending on the path players choose, they can find documents to understand what's happening inside the district. They can also talk to the Homeless man, who will share his thoughts.

The second part of the level introduces players to the station. Many paths of parkour lead to a vista showing the station. Players should want to look at what's happening, as it's one of the more emblematic buildings than the others. Triggers are placed to allow players to see a scene inside the building. It marks the beginning of the second objective that players can choose to pursue or not.

Enemies

Enemy patrols

Objective’s steps

Chandelier blink path

blink path

Specific medical guard for quest

Player entries

The roof of this building is an entire entry

The third part gives players a break as there are not many enemies to encounter outside the building. Bayles has his own patrol path that leads to multiple places around the building. If players want to kill him, they will have to be patient or very discreet.

Otherwise, there is different entries that can make the life of players easier for the secondary objective.

Enemies

Enemy patrols

Objective’s steps

Chandelier blink path

blink path

Bayles

Bayles patrol

Player entries

Unique entry at third floor

Moodboard

Focusing on the immersive sim' s phylosophy and put it into practice Defining intentions and references Defining metrics and creating gameplay ingredients Creating 3D layout in Unreal Engine 5 Creating documentation

Work Highlights

Location : district designed to accumulate plague suvivors from Dunwall and emplied them to the mines.

Made in 12 days

Unreal Engine

My intentions were as follows :

Create intentionality by discovering events, objectives, pathways through the level, and narrative details.

Create a space large enough to allow players to explore, find clues about their objectives, and observe different situations and potential encounters.

Multiple layers of verticality enable players to experiment with their environment, creating different paths for various playstyles.

Create a special mood to convey to players that something unusual is happening in this district.

Time of the day : The action takes place at the beginning of the afternoon, during working hours.

Synopsis : A group of survivors tried to revolt and killed their supervisor. Duncan Bayles comes to the district to restore order by force..

Ambiance / Flavor : Silent and enigmatic, with a soft wind and sunny weather. Dirty, dilapidated buildings.

Objectives : The players have to kill Bayles.

A secondary objective can be triggered: the players have to set up a trap for Bayles, leading to his arrest after a positive infected blood test.

Players abilities : The players can slash with a sword, use the blink (teleportation), shoot with a gun, double jump.

Characters : Bayles Duncan, The medical guard, The homeless man.

Standard Guards

Story :

Players arrived in a district led by Duncan Bayles. He is the owner of the Bayles Trading Company and is in charge of the stilton Mines after Aramis disappeared.

He made a deal with Duke Luca Abele to import plague survivors from Dunwall to a destitute district in Karnaca that will not be accessible to anyone. Bayles will force the people to work in the mines in exchange for a fair share. Some plague survivors may still be infected, even if all the survivors are immune. Bayles had to build a specific train station for himself, his guards, or important people. Any exit from the district via the train station will require a blood test to ensure you're not infected.

The survivors regroup in a district, forming a community. Some resent Bayles and his methods, while others accept that life is better than in Dunwall. However, Bayles, operating in the shadows, sells some of them to the highest bidder, notably as guinea pigs for quack doctors.

A few survivors attempted to rebel by killing their supervisor. The district is on high alert, and Bayles has arrived to restore order.

Layout 2D

Enemies

Enemy patrols

Objective’s steps

Bayles

Buildings with interiors

Guard outpost

Path underground or under buildings

Second Objective triggers

Player start

Buildings

I decided to build the buildings with an interior height of 6 meters per floor. For larger buildings and a variety of setups, some can have an interior height of 7 meters.

As for the windows, I kept them at 1 meter high because it fits with the jumps and provides enough cover from the guards.

Metrics

Covers

2 m high

Players can stand up and be covered. They can’t step over it with double jump.

1 meter high

Players can crouch behind to cover themself. They can step over it.

Ingredients