Taking place across multiple different dimensions, this first person puzzle game sees players boucing between dimensions to try and unlock the mysteries of the facility. All while trying to evade the very thing that caused the distaster...
The concept for this project comes from series 5 of marvels Agents Of Shield. It sees the teams base, the "Lighthouse" being used as a make shift space station. In one of the episodes the dimensions start to unravel and rifts to other worlds open within the base. Taking this idea into my game gives players a sprawling undergound map to explore that can push my level design to new expiernaces. where typical level desing might see players working towards the end point of a level. My design will be reusing the framework of the levels design and theming them to match that of the dimension its set in. Paths in one dimension might be open but blocked off in aother, leaving the player trying to figure the correct way to get to their objective.
Enter the facility, this is the "Hub" area the player enters upon taking the lift further into the facility.
normal dimension image goes here
space dimension image goes here
The Hub area was desinged to be a large open space to give players the feeling of safty within it's walls. From this area they have the ability to take different paths to further explore their surroundings however, not all areas can be entered at the start of the game, some are locked by keys that the player must locate, others are locked behind the games progression and must find items needed to open them.
Portal Mechanics
The portal mechanic works by allowing the player to walk between the dimensions seamlessly without them having to go through a loading screen that could potentially break the immersion of the gameplay.
At points in the level there will be transition points to where the player can move between the worlds. These will take place at doorways to give the impression of a doorway to another world.
Some portals are set out to be a straight transition to the other world where the player keeps walking in the same direction. Other portals are essentially mirrors and will directly flip the player 180 back in the direction they came from but in a different dimension.
Level Mechanics
To manage the different levels that can be found in the game, I used a system where by the game will unload and load levels in based on the players position in the world. The games main lighting system is contained within the persistent level which is always loaded. The blockout for the levels are contained within emtpy levels with no lighting to reduce load times when traveling between the levels
The compact coridors of the Lighthouse's design are the perfect match for a horror game. They can be used to great effect to create areas of tension for the player while keeping the larger areas of the base as "safe zones"
The "Lighthouse" Corridor from Agent's Of Shield that is used to refeence the spacial design of the blockout, narrow corridors and a sci fi element are the perfect fit for this horror game. This also gives reference to how i can break down the above image and turn it into a modualr kit to be used in the level design.