Dying Light
Electrician On a Rainy Day
Project Summary
Game: Dying Light
Engine: Dying Light Developer Tools
Team Size: Solo
Development Time: 2 months
This is a single-player custom level made for Dying Light. In this level, the player plays as Crane, who accepted a mission from Jade to to restore backup power generators in a storm-damaged neighborhood. The player must use parkour skills to navigate rooftops, combat zombies, and avoid electrical hazards to restore power.
Map Overview & Gallery
Design Goals
Design Goal 1:
Adding challenge to parkour experience through traversal puzzles
I combined parkour with movement puzzles to make the experience more engaging. Players need both parkour skills and environmental observation to plan their moves in several areas of the map.
Gameplay Example #1
The player needs to avoid electrical hazards by figuring out a a path leading to the objective building.
Gameplay Example #2
To increase the difficulty and reinforces the mechanic, the player has to turn off the malfunctioning generators in this area first in order to use them as parkour platforms.
Design Goal 2: Guiding the player using good conveyance
# 1 Using Lights to guide the player
Since the level is set at almost night time, the overall atmosphere is dark and foggy. I mostly used lights to guide the player throughout the level because it’s the most obvious conveyance elements in this kind of environment.
# 2 Leading Lines
Another method I used to guide the player is through leading lines. I placed enviromental objects in a way that naturally draw the player's attention towards the next objective.
Design Goal 3: Use Environment to enhance player immersion
# 1 Emphasize weather effect using gameplay elements
Since this mission involves going out to the rooftop on a rainy day to fix power generators, I want to emphaszie the weather effect and incorporate it into actual gameplay instead of leaving it as a decorative background.
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Lighting Adjustment: Most of the areas in this level is lit using oil lamps and fire barrels to reinforces the idea that this neighborhood is out of power.
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Rain+Electrical hazards: One of the core mechanics in this level is electrical hazard created by malfunctioning power generators. This combined with the rain effect adds another interesting challenge to the level.
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Many ground areas sourrounding the generators have electrified water puddles, encouraging players to observe the environment and use their parkour skill to reach their goal. This adds a more interesting layer to the simple gameplay loop of walking towards a generator & interact with a switch.
Example #1
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Use parkour skill to find a way into the fenced area & avoid taking damage from electrical hazards.
Example #2
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Find alternative path to avoid electrified water hazard and reach a sidequest NPC.
# 2 Player action has a visible impact on the environment
Players must reset power generators to restore power throughout the level. After activating each generator, the environment visibly changes, such as lights turning on and indicators changing from red to green.
# 3 Environmental storytelling
The environment is being decorated in a way that feels lived-in. Each space has its unique identity.
Postmortem
What went well?
Quick Mastery of the DL Developer Tool and Modular Assets
Learning the DL developer tool was quicker than expected. Even though it was my first time using modular assets to build a large map for Dying Light, I completed the rough environment within the first 2 weeks.
What went wrong?
Challenges with Layout Adjustments After Adding Combat Encounters
I didn't have enough time to make major layout adjustments after adding scripted combat encounters. The modular pieces took a long time to assemble, and by the time I finished tuning and playtesting the combat, it was too late to rearrange the building pieces to meet the milestone deadline.
What I learned?
Design the combat encounters early
Polishing scripted combat encounters is time-consuming and significantly impacts the layout. I initially built the layout first and then tried to fit the combat, but it’s better to design the combat encounters first and adjust the layout based on playtesting and iterations.
Keep track of what I learned is important
Since the Dying Light Developer Tool lacks a Wiki page, I used OneNote to track various pieces of information from online sources and others. Without it, I would have wasted time recalling what I had learned. For engines with good Wikis, bookmarking useful websites and noting hotkeys can also expedite the level creation process.