In The Shadows
A Third-Person stealth Adventure
Introduction & Development Objective
My goal for this project was to design an interactive stealth game that allows players to choose between multiple paths to reach their goal.
The level is set in a medieval city, where the player takes on the role of a thief attempting to reach the city’s cathedral.
This project was inspired by Dishonered and Thief.
Summary
4 weeks half time (4h/day)
Made in Unreal Engine 5.6
Focus on level design
Assets and software
Blockout Tools Plugin
Mixamo Animations
Low Poly RPG Fantasy Weapons Lite
Skeleton Knight Modular
Level Design
Overview
4. City Square
1. View of goal
6. Neighborhood
FLOWCHART
2. Main Street
5. Alleyway
7. The Cathedral
3. Path Variation
Design Techniques & Walkthrough
Area 1
Level start
The level starts after curfew as the player climbs out of a window on the side of a house. The player can see a landmark in the distance. The main objective is to reach this location before the sun comes up.
First encounter
The player reaches the first main street from a vantage point. They can see that their desired path is blocked and they need to find different way.
The player needs to choose what path they want to take and whether want to sneak pass the guards or fight their way through.
There are two paths the player can choose: the window path and the underground path.
The window path is visible from the main road and offers a clearer, more straightforward route.
Path variation
Window path
Underground path
The underground path is more hidden and rewards players who take the time to explore. However, it is blocked by a locked door that the player must lockpick in order to proceed.
Area 2
city Square
The player will arrive at the city square after they have navigated their way through the first area.
The player can get a vantage point over this area, depending on what path they previously choose.
Alleyway
The player will find them selfs in a more slow paced and narrow alleyway, trying to find a path to their goal.
Area 3
Neighborhood
After passing through the alleyway, the player can once again see their objective, now just one street away. In the distance, they spot a window across the way, a possible entry point into a house that leads directly to the main goal.
The Cathedral
When the player climbs through the window, they are funneled into a small hallway inside the building.
At the far end of the corridor, they can see their main objective right in front of them. Now, all that remains is to find a way inside the cathedral.
Playstyles
I wanted to give the player a real choice in how they approached the level. They could sneak past all the guards and remain completely undetected, or use their bow, the terrain, and interactive objects to distract or neutralize the guards or choose a playstyle somewhere in between.
The bow’s function
The bow is an important part of the level and gives the player more ways to interact with the city. By using the bow, the player can interact with the environment or destroy structures to create new paths. The bow can also be used to take out enemies from a distance, making it useful for both stealthy and more direct approaches.
A well-placed shot to the head takes out an enemy right away with out making any sounds or alerting other enemies nearby.
Stealth
Stealth is a key element in this level. The player can take advantage of the city’s environment to move undetected, discovering alternative routes around guards as well as paths above them. This encourages careful exploration and strategic movement, allowing players to avoid direct confrontation and approach situations in multiple ways.
TECHNICAL DESIGN
BLUEPRINTS
Bow and arrow
While aiming with the bow, a circle gradually closes in around the crosshair, indicating how long the bow has been drawn. Once the bow is fully drawn, the crosshair turns red.
The arrow’s flight path is determined by how long the bow is drawn. A short draw causes the arrow to quickly lose momentum and drop.
The draw length also affects the damage dealt to enemies. The longer the bow is drawn, the greater the damage.
Crane
The cranes-rope can be shot to make the building block fall down. It makes a sound alerting the nearby guards.
If it falls on top of a guard it will neutralise them without raising suspicion.
The cranes can be turned by interacting with them, which allows the player to impact where the building blocks can fall.
Complete BluePrint
Falling boxes
The falling boxes works in the same way as the crane. The player can shot the broken leg to make the platform collapse and the boxes will fall down. It makes a sound alerting the nearby guards.
If it falls on top of a guard, it will neutralise them without raising suspicion.
Complete BluePrint
Reflection
I accomplished my goal to create a level where you can choose different paths and playstyles. But there is a lot I would have wanted to polish more on.
Early on, I realized my initial blockout was too large and the differente paths made you skip a lot of them levels content. So I hade to scale it all down and make the paths connect eariler.
I also would have liked making the differente paths more unique with more obsticals for each of them.
Despite these reflections, creating this piece was a fun and teaching experience. Trying to make various playstyles work in a single level.
Thank you for reading!"