Under Fire and Overrun
Role: Level Designer
Engine: Dying Light Developer Tools
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Team Size: Individual
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Development Time: 9 weeks​
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Platforms: PC
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Playtime: 10-15 minutes
"Under Fire and Overrun" is a single-player quest mod for Dying Light where the player, playing as Kyle Crane, must help Jade secure a safe house in the middle of the city. This quest takes place around the mid-game of Dying Light and focusses on having the player maneuver from cover to cover while under fire from difficult to reach enemies.
Overview
Design Goals
Moving Under Fire
The first half of the level has the player only equipped with a melee weapon. While it works great for mowing down zombies, the gunmen are easily able to shoot at the player. They're also positioned out of reach of a melee only player, forcing the player to tactically avoid them until a later point in the mission.
Being aware of their environment and cover opportunities will reward the observant player throughout the entire level. Even after acquiring the assault rifle and dispatching the gunmen, the player still has to contend with the trip back through the sewers and a hangar full of zombies.
Area Foreshadowing
I'm a fan of reusing spaces and allowing the player to preview their upcoming challenge/area. When the player starts the level, they can see the area up ahead with a green light located behind the gunmen and bars. The path to their right also previews the upcoming area of the sewers they cannot reach yet.
Similarly, once the player gets to the shopping district area, they can see the gunmen out of reach as well as the ladder to climb the building in the middle, but on the other side of a gate. Additionally, upon killing the gunmen, the player can see a small section of the upcoming safe area that they can choose to visit.
Power Progression
All throughout the level, the player will find themselves in disadvantageous positions with their overall goal being to deal with enemies after acquiring a means of turning the situation in their favor. From the beginning this is introduced with the player needing to swim under the gunmen positioned in the middle of the hall to safely reach the other side. This concept it again repeated during the shopping district area where the player needs to navigate the streets safely.
After looping their way around the crowded and dangerous street section, the player receives the rifle (or can melee kill the gunman above to take his). From this point forward the player has much more power than before and can efficiently make their way through the rest of the level given that they manage their ammunition responsibly.
