I worked as a hands-on designer during Radiance's development, implementing gameplay within Radiance's single level utilising programmer-created tools and level blueprints.
Level Assembly
I took ownership of the player's gameplay experience within Radiance's single level. This included the positioning of puzzle elements, narrative triggers, tutorial triggers, collectibles, and more.
During the creation of Radiance's documentation, myself and other designers had requested a swathe of publicly editable variables. When it came to assembling the level, it made use of these public variables, slotting in tutorial and narrative text, and using them to link puzzle elements together (e.g. doors with the battery slots that powered them).
I communicated with the programming team throughout assembly. In some cases, I needed a little guidance on how best to use a tool they'd created, and in other cases it was to feedback on the gameplay performance of particular tools, refining them to give the player a better final experience.
Using the level blueprint, I created a few minor actors that were needed late in development that hadn't been anticipated at the start. These included the one-way doors at the exit to each laboratory.
Level Streaming
Radiance was developed by a hybrid remote/on-site team using Perforce for version control. This meant we had artists and designers working on different areas of the level at the same time. To facilitate this, I implemented level streaming into our Unreal Engine 4 project.
I created a Persistent Level, into which sub-levels would be streamed. This Persistent Level was devoid of all scenery, and contained only gameplay elements. By contrast, each sub-level contained only scenery and no gameplay. This meant I could design gameplay on-site (in the parent level) while other designers and artists worked on the layouts and visuals of child environments remotely, all without causing version conflicts.
The level streaming setup for Radiance. Gameplay was created in the Persistent Level, which contained only gameplay elements and lighting. Art and level design was done in sublevels parented to the Persistent Level.
Cutscene Creation
Radiance features two cutscenes: one at the beginning of the level to set the scene for the player, and one at the end. Both of these cutscenes were created using Unreal Engine’s built-in level sequences and sequencer.
From the sequencer, I implemented moving cameras, camera shake, and timed audio. I was also able to call functions on the player character, Loop manager actor, and dialogue manager.
Player character – Disable input (prevents the player moving and shooting during cutscenes)
Loop manager – Triggers music to start once the cutscene ends
Dialogue manager – Triggers voiceovers and subtitles to play
Timing is everything with cutscenes, and I paid close attention to the pacing of spoken lines and how they synched up with what was happening on screen. I wanted to give players an impactful cinematic opening, and for the introductory cutscene to relay narrative, objective, and character information, as well as a sense of urgency. The scene then fades in on the star the Erudition orbits, and the camera then backs away into the level’s Hub area. I designed camera movements to show the player the space they’d be navigating, giving them an idea of its layout before the game starts. They can also see points of interest, giving them things to go and investigate when they’re given control. It was especially important to include these glimpses of the Hub because the first time the player explores it, they’ll be under time pressure from the loop mechanic; seeing the Hub ahead of time makes that first loop slightly less difficult.
Dialogue in the intro cutscene explains the core narrative to the player and sets the stakes: the Erudition is under attack, and only Clarus can activate the emergency systems to make escape possible. The dialogue also gives clues as to what the player’s objective might be, and this is reinforced by the camera panning over the objectives and through in-game tooltips that teach the player what to do. The addition of camera shake and distance explosions makes the Erudition feel larger than the play space, adding extra authenticity to the world.
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