Top Down Level Design Mapping

 

This week I have mostly been working on my top-down level design work.


I spent a long time deep-diving into the start of the Iraq War in 2003. Mostly into the lead up to the first invasion of Iraq and what other events could have been unfolding under the cover of the first days of the war.

Plastic Fabricator Baghdad
 I had in my head this mad idea that there could be a completely hidden covert operation happening at the same time that would never have been detected in the chaos of the invasion. This quickly escalated into my main focus for the setting and mission information.


 2003 was still within the early days of mass public availability of the internet; Illegal file-sharing, forums, and chat rooms were largely unpoliced due to the inability to contain the wildfire. This is the perfect ignition point for a spy film, book, or game. Super secret files end up being sent to somewhere they definitely shouldn't be and the big agencies start to sweat, a tale as old as time!


My initial idea is that the players work for a big American agency, NSA seemed like a good call as they were just starting to make adjustments to their digital crime-fighting techniques. Files containing "sensitive information" has been sent from a cybercafe in Germany to a system in a supposed plastic fabrication factory in Baghdad.


The mission is simple; under the cover of the invasion infiltrate the fabrication factory, recover the stolen files, destroy the computer they're contained on, and exfiltrate without alerting local authorities. Additionally, any information that can be gathered on the true nature of the facility and those involved would greatly help the war effort and potentially help track down the German assailant.


Final Layout Floorplan
I figured this would allow me to create an interesting location while keeping my work contained should I choose. 

I can create a whole multi-story facility or simply focus on the first floor and create some fun moments there.



I got obsessed with the idea of overhead walkways across a floor allowing the player to be mostly unseen while being able to scope out a lot of what's to come.



This work is due tomorrow and I don't want to reveal too much until it's officially submitted as I may make some more changes to the layout before then.


Please enjoy a pre-release image of the current layout though!

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