Level Design - Greyboxing TLOU Assignment

About Level Design

Who would have thought that at one point in my life I would be able to play a video game for an assignment? And not just any game, but one of my favorites, The Last of Us. After replaying it and completing 40% (due to limited time availability), I have noticed the personal contrast between being a player back in 2015 and a designer. Nevertheless, let's not forget the task at hand: Level Design. With just a few classes, level design factors such as size, scale, composition, pacing, function, negative and positive space, among others, have come to mind while playing.

For example, the following frame below fig1 may seem ordinary, but, in fact, it is the first time that the player will be up against non-infected rivals in a space that will become a recurrent structural resource throughout the game. In other words, the player will start to familiarize themselves with two key components: 1. Combat mechanics and 2. Structures like so, to be able to anticipate combat. Furthermore, the other two frames are later in the game fig2, fig3, and it is clear how the complexity of the structure, number of enemies, size, go hand in hand with the player's learning curve. That reminds me of another level design component, function—everything has a reason and a purpose, as simple as it may seem.

fig1

fig2

fig3

Now, let us look at another example regarding pacing. Emotional peaks and valleys are constructed through the contrast of space and tension. The first frame below fig4 captures a dangerous moment—tight spaces, risk, and overall stress. Moments later, when the player successfully escapes, not only are they rewarded with a beautiful view, but the contrast becomes clear fig5: relief, hope, and negative space boost up the player's emotions.

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Patterns

2 main characteristics surround my take on this exercise: 1. Peaks and valleys, in order to use that constant pattern inside the game by contrasting tight and wide spaces, mass and void. 2. Focuse on non-human enemies, my level was focused on dangerous indoor situations, such as in fig. 4.

Sketches and Drafts

Now, coming up, there are a few handmade sketches that I did while playing the game. This allowed me to become familiar with the space distribution patterns The Last of Us utilizes. For example, fig6 is a brief sketch of a barricade area inside a building where Joel faced a couple of enemies; fig7 is a sketch of the subway area; fig8 is my first 2D layout top-down sketch, and the last one is a cleaner version of a top-down view sketch. After playing the game and sketching some areas, I noticed that a common pattern inside the levels is the rubber band effect. Where the rubber band is the player and the levels periodically pull and let go of it, in other words, the player will be tense, and moments later, relaxed. Taking this into account, I designed the top-down 2D layout, starting with a compact and dangerous area, followed by a rewarding rooftop, and finishing off with an open and explorable section.

fig6

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Before and after

Photoshop 2D layout evolution and final result in engine.

Block out