Beat 1: Meeting and talking to your ally to gather more intel

The player sees a first image of the final destination (main building) and walks towards the bridge connecting the initial plateau with the one where the enemy's facility is. Next to the bridge the player's ally awaits to share some important intel in terms of where the captured friend is

Beat 3: Reaching crafting building and getting the gate's key

Upon finding the infiltration spot, the player hears a conversation between two guards hinting at where the gate's key might be. The player proceeds to navigate through the first area in order to reach the crafting area and obtain the key by either using the underground passages or rushing through the area

Beat 5: Access the prison in order to free your captured ally

The player reaches the second part of the facility. In this new area the player encounters certain platforms that can be activated in order to reach higher or lower spots; the elevated ones serving as vantage points. The player reaches the prison and, after using one of the controllable units, frees the captured ally

Beat 7: Escape the facility and reunite with your ally

After recovering the stolen item, the player finds an exit that leads towards the cargo storage building, a place that connects with the outside at the back of the facility where the other ally is waiting for you to escape together

Beat 2: Finding the infiltration spot to enter the facility

Upon investigating the next area from the bridge, the player has to decide which path to take from the different ones branching out in front of them. The central one seems full of patrolling enemies, so the player decides to take the left one as it feels more secluded and less guarded

Beat 4: Solving a puzzle in order to access Area 2

With the gate's key opening the main door connecting areas 1 and 2, the player now finds themselves in a transitional room where alarm sensors can detect them. The player will learn how to control certain robot units in order to deactivate sensors and be able to progress

Beat 6: Infiltrate the main building to recover the stolen item

If the player analyzes the area closely, they will realize there seems to be an alternative way to access the main building on the side closer to the prison. By using some moving platforms, the player reaches the side entrance and enters the main building in order to find the stolen item and retrieve it

Objective: Establish a level layout and pacing from the gathered references, concepts and initial sketch, resulting in:

1. 2D Map with beats
2. LDD
3. Intensity chart

Solution: Divided the whole quest the player has to complete into smaller pieces (beats) that define different gameplay moments, each of them with different encounters, mechanics and intensity. Upon finishing that, proceeded to place the beats in the map to get a visual representation and distribution of them in order to refine if needed.

1. 1. Meeting and talking to your ally to gather more intel
2. 2. Finding the infiltration spot to enter the facility
3. 3. Reaching the crafting building and getting the gate's key
4. 4. Solving a puzzle in order to deactivate the building's alarm and access Area 2
5. 5. Reach and access the prison in order to free your captured ally
6. 6. Infiltrate the main building to recover the stolen item
7. 7. Escape the facility through the passage in the lower area of the cargo storage building

Objective: Quickly create a very first "playable" version of the level in order to start validating spaces, navigation, flow and dimensions.

Solution: Opened Unreal Engine 5 and began creating a very simple blockout of the level following the 2D map created in the previous step. For this first version the focus was on:

1. Created the main areas that form the level: Level Start, Facility Area 1, Facility Area 2
2. Established the main spots for each of those areas:
   1. Level Start: Ally interaction spot, bridge connecting to main plateau where facility is
   2. Facility Area 1: Vantage point (tower), Crafting area, main gate connecting to Area 2
   3. Facility Area 2: Prison, Main building, Cargo storage building
3. Playtested the level to get an initial feeling of the flow, navigation, dimensions of the main areas and their important spots
4. Added elements such as enemies, items, quest trigger volumes and NPCs to simulate gameplay and help shape each of the spaces as a unit

Objective: Started to focus on further defining certain zones within the three main areas: Level Start, Area 1 and Area 2

Process:

1. Challenge 1 (1st row of pics): The different paths the player can take were not clear enough upon inspection from the bridge
   1. Solution: Worked on both the landscape and layout before the facility to further emphasize the idea of three potential paths the player can take to approach the zone:
      1. Left path: More secluded, less guarded, optimal for player onboarding and finding the infiltration spot
      2. Central path: Leading towards the main entrance, heavily guarded: patrolling units, sensors
      3. Right path: Accessible through the main path, guarded
2. Challenge 2 (2nd row of pics): Lack of guiding references for the player and more stealth routes and opportunities to traverse the area
   1. Solution:
      1. Added some extra details and elements that would act as guiding references (crane in the middle)
      2. Added an underground passage that connects to the crafting area and to the upper part close to the main gate that gives access to the second part of the facility (Area 2)
3. Challenge 3 (3rd row of pics): Second area's layout feeling too square and lack of alternatives to access main building
   1. Solution:
      1. Focused on adding an alternative route to infiltrate the main building, offering the player more verticality and a way to access it by using stealth instead of having to go through the main entrance which is way more guarded
      2. Created a cave entrance on the rocky part on the left of the area to break the squareish pattern in this area and connect it to the cargo storage building from a narrative and functional perspective

Objective: Began iterating on the blockout with initial feedback from first playtesting sessions and personal runs while working on the level in order to validate spaces, player flow and experience

Process:

1. Challenge 1 (1st row of pics): The area surrounding the infiltration spot was too plain and didn't boost and offer variety when it comes to stealth approaches
   1. Solution:
      1. Added more cover for the player to use upon entering the area from the infiltration spot
      2. Added verticality to the zone by swapping the props on the left with an elevated building connecting to an even higher platform. This also offers the player an extra vantage point (apart from the watch tower) from where to analyze the whole area and decide their next action
      3. Added a path leading up the smaller building on the bottom center of the "After" image by mantling on some props. This added yet another potential vantage point from a different perspective
2. Challenge 2 (2nd row of pics): Keeping the crafting site as an open area felt disconnected to the rest of the facility's aesthetic and flow and didn't pose a challenge when it comes to infiltration
   1. Solution:
      1. Changed from it being an open area to having the whole structure inside of a building. This added more ways to infiltrate and matched better the whole facility aesthetic. Added the exterior building light to the spot for player guidance
      2. Created an alternative passage connecting the crafting area from the inside with the underground corridors. This gives the player more than one way to access and exit the crafting area, offering options to go past the different guards patrolling outside
3. Challenge 3 (3rd row of pics): Using the transition between areas 1 and 2 to teach one of the new mechanics the player will use in the following area and pose a challenge they have to overcome
   1. Solution:
      1. Presented the "controllable" unit as new mechanic for the player to use and be able to traverse certain areas or unlock spots
      2. Used the space to create a small infiltration puzzle the player needs to understand and solve in order to continue further and avoid being caught, always ensuring the challenge isn't frustrating while teaching the player the mechanic
4. Challenge 4 (4th row of pics): The prison building felt disconnected to the entire right side of Area 2, breaking the player flow and making it feel isolated
   1. Solution:
      1. Removed one of the buildings (from 4 to 3) and brought the entire prison's building and area closer, connected it with the rest of the buildings and offered a traversal and continuos route from the first building to the prison while avoiding the guards
5. Challenge 5 (5th row of pics): Risk of the central area within Area 2 feeling way too open, sabotaging the stealth purpose and distracting the player
   1. Solution:
      1. Added some buildings, elevations and structures in order to split the whole area in smaller sections, limit the player's flow and reduce the paths the player could take

Objective: Further iterate on the blockout and gather more feedback from playtesting in order to polish the level

Process:

1. Challenge 1 (1st row of pics): The main gate connecting areas 1 and 2 is the only way to switch between areas and becomes both a bottle neck and a struggle to revisit previous spots
   1. Solution:
      1. Created a shortcut connecting areas 1 and 2 through an elevator the player has to unlock first in Area 2 to be able to use it as shortcut. Said elevator is blocked when coming from area 1 initially
2. Challenge 2 (2nd and 3rd row of pics): Despite reducing the space in the previous iteration, the player still has up to three different paths they can take
   1. Solution:
      1. Blocked one of the paths with a locked gate the player can't open or operate. This leaves the player with two potential paths, one leading towards the main building and all the guards patrolling around and the other towards the right side of the area with the buildings connecting to the prison
3. Challenge 3 (4th row of pics): Lack of vantage points inside Area 2 for the player to scan the surroundings stealth purpose and distracting the player
   1. Solution:
      1. Added a double floor structure with a guard on top of it. The player can access the lower floor from the ground and the second one coming from the prison. Inside the upper part there's a platform leading upwards to the elevated platform where the guard is, some loot is present aside from the views