Nathanaël DUSSAUD
Level Designer Junior
Dishonored
The Game
General Informations
Genre : Immersive Sim
Developers : Alone
Time to do it : 2 months
Pitch :
After Daud was spared by Corvo, he lived a loneliness life away from the assassins. Until he learnt, 15 years after, that the Dalilah’s painting will be used by a Jindosh’s friend in Karnaca, to set her free.
Powerpoint
Word
Visio
Unreal (BSP + Blueprint)
Software used
What I have done
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Level Designer :
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Made the 2D/3D part of the game
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Script some features
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Put all the enemies and important objets/NPC in the level
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Test the level
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Correct it
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Beginning
I started by making a word document which contain all the different important puzzle in the level, but also the main and the side mission. I also wrote a list of the different features important or not, to make the recreate at the maximum the feeling of a Dishonored game.
Intentions
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Close to the second opus in term of scenario, some codes or technologies must be in my prototype (Monorail, the ability to go on the roofs to have more altitude)
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Integrate my level in the Dishonored’s universe.
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Play with the verticality (Switch between the different level of floor when he wants and to a speedrun)
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Attract the attention of the achievers. For example, if a house is not in the main objective’s direction, it must have some rewards for the player who looked in here.
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Make my level playable with and without powers.
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Give several options to the player in front of a situation. For example, if the player doesn’t want to do the side mission, he can also have the reward.
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Give an importance to the different choices. Not instantly but if the character needs to repass on this part of the Island, he can see the direct impact of his choices.
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Show the strong social inequalities between the people like in the Dishonored franchise (Poor/riches people)
Inspiration Macro
In this process, I have just looked for the outside inspiration, to create the shape of the map. By thinking just about the macro, I'm totally free to think by myself, by using my references. I'm not forced to adapt my level to my micro inspiration, rather, I will just adapt my micro inspiration to the macro one.
My inspiration for the outside of the map, are 3 french towns (Menton, Lyon and Montpellier) and of course Dishonored 1 and 2.
Macro of the map
After found my inspiration, I started with a first 2D macro of my map.
At my first look, I found it too straight and with too many square building and also with some street with exactly the same size from the beginning to the end. So, I decided to watch a few 2D macro from the different Level of Dishonored 2 and found this :
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Red Square : The street become thinner to lead the character/player to a place which can be important
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Green Lines : Play with the shapes of the building to play with the look of the player
So I decided to make another 2D Level Macro by using those two tips I found, by always keeping my first intentions.
I made a last 2D Macro, to add a new building near the gare station for the player to take altitude really quick. But I also change the shape of a few building.
The map
After I made the entire shape of the map, I started by making the inside of the visitable building and then the outside. There are no collectables in the prototype but I have counted and the amount of the collectables is equal to 2364.
Basement
Ground Floor
First Floor
Second Floor
"Third Floor" and Sewers
After the 2D version in one mouth after restart it. In during the other month I made everything in Unreal (BSP, color code, put the IA in place...). After a few test I correct everything who wasn't good enough or not clear during the processus (one after the end of the blockout, one after the IA were placed and all the environment was set. And a last one after the corrections.)
Once the Unreal part was finished, I have made a LDD to explain the main points in or not in my prototype.
How I lead the player for examples
In this case for examples I'm using the architecture to attract his attention on a door in a huge place. I tighten the place to attract it
In this case for examples I'm using the light to show him a other way in the level (a safest one)
Or just the different puzzle that you can have in the final prototype like the "mirrors numbers" in this case
I also speak about the different choices of the entire map if It should exist and their consequences. In this exemple I speak about the ownership title of the factory and his consequences (not in the prototype)
Coding Part
As my first prototype alone on Unreal, I had the chance not to code everything. the huge part was made by Yohann Sacquet (Lead Level Designer for Arkane Lyon), but I have made a few things by following some tutorials because I want to learn more about Blueprint.
The note
Dark Vision
