Walkthrough (Crackdown)

I have created a video walkthrough that briefly shows off the boss locations and overall level layout. Below are some rendered images from the model file and descriptions of each section.

Within the constraints of the Challenge I was only able to make three boss areas where I had originally intended there to be five. I may return to this level again but I am still happy how it turned out.



The layout of islands is meant to provide a different experience in each area. The cities are dense with enemies but also have a lot of opportunities to attack from any angle or escape up a building. The mountainous area was meant to have a boss, but still provides a different kind of terrain to navigate and look for Agility orbs. The forested section is not meant to provide much gameplay but helps separate the two islands so that the player knows when they are crossing from one area to the next. The tower is supposed to be a constancy noticeable structure that acts as a looming threat the entire time on the islands. The player would likely know the tower holds the final boss of the level even if they weren't told.




Boss 1 is located in the central part of the west island on a tall building. The player cannot directly climb all of the way up the building because there is a large overhang preventing near the top. The player can climb to the top with even the lowest amount of Agility, but added Agility allows the player faster ascent and multiple paths to get up top. Driving helps the player to clear out the thugs on the street level much easier. Explosive skills can eliminate groups of thugs on the street level or on the roof. Strength affords a faster method of killing the enemies on the cramped rooftop. Firearms are generally useful for killing the basic thugs, but longer range weapons allow thugs to be picked off from a nearby rooftop making the boss easier to focus on when closing in for the kill.




The second Boss is located in a highly fortified industrial plant. The player must work their way through corridors inside the main building in order to reach the boss. Agility will aid the player in their battle with the enemies outside but will be of limited use indoors. Driving can be helpful since there is lots of room outdoors to drive around, but the player must get out of the car when going inside. Explosives are somewhat useful outdoors but when the player enters the main building the enemies are grouped together which provides better opportunities for multiple kills. Strength will be very useful indoors as the fighting is usually close quarters and a quick melee attack could be more efficient than using weapons. Firearms are useful both indoors and outdoors but favor larger areas where cover is available.




The final Boss is located in the large building in the center of the islands. The building is even difficult to approach before the player eliminates the other bosses, since the overall forces dwindle as the bosses are taken down. The main entrance is locked but can be opened by destroying power generators located around the upper city. An alternate entrance to the building is at the bottom near water level, but the player would have to fight through a large amount of extra thugs going that route.

Agility is very useful due to the vertical nature of the structure, but less agile characters can still progress to the top, just slower. Driving cannot be used in the building but finding the power generators can be done more easily in a car. Explosives are needed to blow up the power generators but are also useful fighting the difficult enemies within the tower. Strength can also be handy when fighting the stronger enemies since an enemy can be killed faster with a melee attack than with weapons. Firearms are still very useful because many enemies are located above the character where explosive or melee attacks cannot reach.

Model (Crackdown)

This is the model of the level created for the Crackdown Challenge. Get the Autodesk Maya file for the level right here. The file is a 6MB download. You can also view the walkthrough of the level if you don't have Maya.

Challenge (Crackdown)

The Challenge:
Create a nonlinear level design with a set of missions that emphasized the variety of options available within the environment. Time limit is two days.

The Point:
To create a level based around the ideas of freedom and nonlinear gameplay.

The Thought Process:
Freedom in gameplay is a area that I would like to explore as a developer because it attracts me as a game player. I want to get a better understanding of how to create levels where the path to success is not clearly set, but where I can provide a variety of options for how the player may proceed. Ideally no single play style would be the most effective, and almost any play style would be supported.

The Design:
Level design for Crackdown
The key elements to nonlinearity in Crackdown are represented by the different skills the player can increase throughout the game. The skills include Agility which represents the speed and jumping height of the character, Driving which covers vehicle handling, Explosives that affect the blast radius of grenades and rockets, Strength determines melee damage and weight of objects that can be lifted, and Firearms which increases the accuracy and damage of weapons. Each of these skills can be leveled up as little or as much as the player chooses and the level design should accommodate this variety. If the player just wants to use explosives then they should be empowered to use that skill without being prevented by the level layout.

I am building this level so that it would fit into the main game and simply be an extra set of islands for the player to explore. The player could travel to these islands at any time but there would be an expectation that they beat at least one full area already. The skills of the player may still be fairly low, but this level could be also approached later on where the skills of the character are at the maximum.

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This design shows the basic layout of the islands and the locations of the bosses. All of the streets are not fleshed out yet as it will be easier to create those specifics when the level is being made. The layout is meant to have mountains in the norther part, a small forested area in the south and cities in the east and west. The center tower would be the hideout of the final boss for the area and there is a raised platform surrounding it with another boss in this area.



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A preview of the final result



View the final model or the walkthrough.