DIRTY JOURNALIST
A Third Person Stealth Adventure
INTRODUCTION
With this project, I wanted to create an experience inspired by the movie
. It takes place around a crime scene in an apartment, where you, as a nightcrawler (a freelance crime journalist), break in to get some footage before the cops arrive. However, they do arrive while you're still there, turning the experience into a game of cat and mouse as you try to make your way out without being seen.
The goal was to design a level that naturally guides the player forward and presents a narrative, with metrics that suit a third-person perspective.
BREAKDOWN
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Solo project spanning 6 weeks (half speed).
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Focus on scripted events, narrative and stealth design
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Refined blockout
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AI placement and AI patrols
ENGINE
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Unreal Engine 5
ASSETS USED
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JakubW IWALS v3.1
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Blockout Tools Plugin v1.52
PLAYTHROUGH WITH COMMENTARY
OVERVIEW
TOP DOWN
FLOWCHART
TENSION GRAPH
DESIGN TECHNIQUES
GUIDING THE PLAYER
To guide players, I've framed the current objective with the level's geometry, funneling them towards it. This method aids progression by preventing aimless wandering. I've also included moving elements like blowing curtains and tape to attract attention and guide players toward points of interest.
VISUAL LANGUAGE
When designing the different sections of this level, I always kept the player character and their mechanics in mind. It's important to include parts of the level that not only let the player use these abilities but also encourage it. To achieve this, establishing a clear and effective visual language is essential. This visual language should let the player easily identify the affordances of the surrounding geometry.
PACING
Maintaining the player's focus and preventing gameplay fatigue was a primary goal of mine, so I paid extra attention to the pacing of the level. By utilizing an hourglass design, which separates open areas with narrow sections, I gained better control over pacing. In particular, I could lower the tension during the narrow areas to let the player catch their breath between stealth sections.
STEALTH ENCOUNTERS
FIRST ENCOUNTER
The first encounter introduces players to the stealth mechanics. They enter from a safe, elevated vantage point, allowing time to plan and decide when to proceed. Cops patrol between designated points, and the player can throw soda cans to lure them away. I made this first encounter easier by having the cops never entirely block the path forward. However, there is no entirely safe route, requiring focused and timed movement. The encounter features an open design with cover islands that lets the player find their own way forward.
LAST ENCOUNTER
Since the first encounter was meant to teach the player, this one is designed to test them. After dropping from the crane, the player has to act quickly before a patroling cop arrives. Both exits are blocked by guards, forcing the player to find a throwable can and use it to reach the end without getting caught. The sense of infiltrating deeper into enemy territory is heightened by the surrounding cops. This section marks the final stretch before reaching the end: the player's car.
SCRIPTS
EVENTS
In this experience, I aimed to tell the narrative through environmental storytelling and scripted events. To make this easier, I created a blueprint that could be used to trigger any event. This blueprint also considers the player's progression, ensuring events are not triggered prematurely. While most events revolve around the arrival of cops or patrols, I also utilized events for gunshots, window shattering, and the murderer's escape via the elevator.
AI
I scripted AI for the stealth sections, allowing guards to detect the player if they aren't careful and hear thrown cans hitting the ground. To make the game more forgiving and engaging, I included a detection meter. When a guard notices the player, the meter fills up. The guard chases the player when it's full and then investigates the player's last known location when they lose sight. If they completely lose the player, they return to their designated patrol or guard point.
WORKFLOW
PRE-PRODUCTION
I began this project by gathering reference pictures of areas with the theme I wanted to set the experience in. After looking through them, I learned what it looked like and got more ideas. The next step for me was to write a text walkthrough to help me visualize the flow of the level. Finally, before I started blocking out the level, I made a paper sketch to test different layouts and get a clearer picture.
PLAYER GYM
A player gym helped me test features and figure out the metrics before I began the blockout process.
BLOCKOUT & PLAYTESTING
A rough blockout helped me get a feel for the scale and set up sightlines. I then began playtesting to see what worked and what didn't, iterating and repeating the process. When the flow and feel of the level felt good, I started refining the blockout. I kept playtesting throughout the process to ensure things didn't break along the way and to identify areas that needed improvement.
REFLECTIONS
Working on this project has taught me a lot about designing spaces for a third-person perspective. I've enjoyed creating satisfying stealth encounters and presenting a narrative with scripted events while maintaining a reasonable pace throughout the experience. I do, however, have some reflections:
As depicted in the tension graph, the tension peaks around the midpoint of the experience and then begins to fade, resulting in a somewhat unsatisfying ending. In hindsight, I would have liked to include a more high-tension moment towards the end to really let the player end on a high note!
Furthermore, I noticed that many players wanted to explore the plaza before heading to the crime scene, even though the gunshots had already been heard. This conflicted with the sense of urgency I aimed to create. So I attempted to make the intended path as appealing as possible, since I didn't want to force the player. Despite my efforts, it didn't quite work out. So, If given more time, I would have placed the start of the level on the other side of the plaza, integrating it into the critical path and allowing players to explore it at their own pace before hearing the gunshots. I also believe this would have made the final stealth section in the plaza more engaging for players since they would recognize it from earlier.
Overall, I am pleased with the project, and it has been a rewarding experience. I have learned a great deal, and it has been intriguing to explore the idea of putting the player in a morally questionable role.