|
Level Overview"Light in the Darkness" is a single player level created for Gears of War. Marcus finds out that because he wasn't able to take the direct route into the Emulsion Factory, that he now must pass through one of the connecting factories to continue.
Along the way Marcus must fight through packs of Lambent Wretches, Drones, and avoid the deadly Kryll. The focus of this level was creating a dark environment where light symbolizes safety. The interior areas are darker and more confined, whereas the exterior area is lighter and seem more vast. |
Design Goals
Prolonged exposure to darkness is certain death.
Multitasking: Avoiding the Kryll while fighting an enemy.
- This level was inspired by the Kryll lore.
- Making the player cross areas cloaked in darkness, knowing the Kryll lurked there, added tension to the level.
Multitasking: Avoiding the Kryll while fighting an enemy.
- The idea of the player having to avoid being killed by the Kryll while also fighting a tough enemy, like a Boomer, was interesting to me. I wanted to experiment with setting up a Kismet sequence that would keep the player on their toes while fighting the Boomer.
- The player must start an engine that begins a sequence of lights on the bridge to turn on, but they short out a few seconds after coming on. Marcus must move into the light points as they turn on and fight the Boomer from cover.
Level Walkthrough
- When the player opens the door, Lambent Wretches burst through a vent down the hallway and assault the player. The player can choose to take them out from a distance 1A, or in close quarters combat at 1B. Because Lambent Wretches explode after dying, the player must navigate the cramped space to avoid taking explosion damage while fighting them.
- In the second room, Drones crawl out through emergence holes in the center of the room. The player has enough time to get into cover behind nearby objects 2A or go up the stairs to the upper-landing to shoot down on them from above 2B.
- After defeating the Drones, the player comes to another door. Upon entering the area, Kryll fly past and up into the sky. This draws attention to their presence, as well as builds tension.
- The player crosses the first bridge to the towering building with the Power Generator. There they find a generator that allows them to continue across the next bridge, which is not protected by lights as the first bridge is. As soon as the generator is activated, the first set of lights go out.
5. As soon as the player starts the generator, the first light at (5A) turns on and a Boomer spawns. The player can take cover under each set of lights and fight the Boomer as they are able to move closer. After 15 seconds, the second light turns on at (5B) and the player has 5 seconds to move to that light before the first one shorts out. If the lights short out before the player gets to the next light the Kryll attack them, but there is a short delay. The third light turns on at (5C) after another 15 seconds and the player must reach them before the second light shorts out. By this time, the Boomer is low in health and the player can switch to close quarters combat.
6. After the tension from the previous area, the next room is more of a cooldown area. Upon entering the final room at (6), Kryll burst through a window in front of the player and fly up and out of a hole in the ceiling, startling the player.
7. The player goes down the stairs in the final room, avoiding the areas with holes in the ceiling that kryll could attack from. They find that the door to the next warehouse (7A) is powered down and the only way to fix it is to restart the generator nearby at (7B). After starting the generator they are swarmed by Drones and must fight their way back to the door, while still avoiding the Kryll above. After defeating the Drones, the player can now exit the level at (7A) and continue on to Act 2: Evolution of the main campaign.
6. After the tension from the previous area, the next room is more of a cooldown area. Upon entering the final room at (6), Kryll burst through a window in front of the player and fly up and out of a hole in the ceiling, startling the player.
7. The player goes down the stairs in the final room, avoiding the areas with holes in the ceiling that kryll could attack from. They find that the door to the next warehouse (7A) is powered down and the only way to fix it is to restart the generator nearby at (7B). After starting the generator they are swarmed by Drones and must fight their way back to the door, while still avoiding the Kryll above. After defeating the Drones, the player can now exit the level at (7A) and continue on to Act 2: Evolution of the main campaign.
Matinee
Kryll Cinematic Moments
- There are several moments in Light in the Darkness where the Kryll fly by and cry out to remind the player of their presence. The player is also able to see them outside windows and through holes in the factory roof. Seeing them in small doses before the major combat sequence that involves them foreshadows their significance later on in the level.
Kismet
Spotlight Kismet + Gameplay
- The idea I had in my head when creating this level was to create a combat situation using Kryll and another enemy. I tried using Drones or Wretches, but found they moved around too much or ran into the Kryll volumes and were killed. So I ended up picking the Boomer as the enemy to keep pressure on the player while hopping from light source to light source.
- There are three pairs of lights with a Kryll volume over each pair, each set of lights stays on for 15 seconds. Once the 15 seconds pass, the next pair of lights turn on and the player has 5 seconds to move to those lights before the lights they're in short out (which is signaled by an electronic buzzing noise and sparks). I chose 15 seconds for the wait time to provide the player enough time to take the Boomer's health down a good amount at each zone. Otherwise they'll just rush into close quarters combat with the Boomer and the tension of the Kryll is lost.
Post Mortem
What Went Well?
|
What Went Wrong?
|
What I Learned?
|