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Fallout4 Level - "The Last Days"

    “The Last Days” is a single-player Fallout4 level that happens in a new settlement area named Newbury. As the sole survivor, the player will be asked to help investigate a secret experiment related to the Institute. The estimated gameplay time is around 20 minutes including one main quest and one side quest. The main discoverable building contains three floors with more than 6 rooms. There will be two main NPCs to support the main quest storytelling and make players more engaged in the gameplay. 

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Design Goals

Design Goals

1. Creating a unique and balanced narrative story with two final choices and making the storytelling fit with the quest pacing.

There will be two main talking NPCs in this level. One is settler Terry and the other one is Institute scientist Edith. Terry will follow players to explore the main building and gradually find out what the Institute is doing in their settlement. Terry will provide his opinions and help players fight with enemies. At the end of the quest, players will know the pros and cons of the institute experiment and choose to side with settlers or side with the Institute. There is no complete right or wrong choice but either will cause unique consequences. 

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2. Making the whole level aesthetically match Fallout4 and using environmental storytelling.

The whole level is built in a custom small world named Newbury. Players will see some idle settlers around the town. The settlement is relatively old with a big landmark building Hoagland Hall. While players explore the space, they will find some important items or note pieces that help explain the narrative story more. The lighting setup provides enough conveyance for players in both daytime and nighttime. 

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3. The practice of open-world design so that players can finish the level the way they want.

Players can explore the world in the way they want without breaking the quest. Players' progression will be tracked by quest stage and NPCs' dialogue will update accordingly. In the building interior, players can explore the space by following conveyance and trigger each event by order. 

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    4. Combination of combat and gameplay interactions for better quest flow.

The enemies for this level include Synth and Turret. Players will have both interior and exterior fights during the quest progress. By killing enemies, players might find better weapons, armors, and important keys to unlock the next space. In Hoagland Hall, players need to hack several terminals to unlock doors. Those terminals contain much information about the Institute's experiment which can help players better understand the narrative and make the final choice. 

Exterior

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Exterior

  • Using arrow and lighting as main conveyance, guiding players in both daytime and nighttime.

  • Good sightlines and the large landmark building help players find their next objective easily.

  • Overall world-building is similar to the original Fallout4 style, has a clear theme and is supported by narrative and gameplay.

Interior

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Interior

  • 3 floors in total

  • Several rooms with terminal locks

  • Using breakable floor traps to increase playability

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  • Several places for players to preview future areas, helping them identify final goals.

  • Reuse of space: creating a different experience when players reenter the same space.

  • Balanced encounter with Synths and Turrets, clever use of breakable floor traps.

Postmortem

Postmortem

  • What Went Well:  

    • Finish each milestone on time with enough updates and new elements

    • Make the level aesthetically fit well with FO4

    • Apply level design strategies to my level

  • What I Learned:

    • Working priority and time management

      • It is very helpful to have a production plan. I can look at the schedule to see what I need to finish first and manage my time, especially during weekends. Writing changelog also helps me have a clear list of my tasks so that I won’t miss any of them.

    • The importance of playtesting

      • There are so many unknown bugs that might appear in Creation Kit and FO4. Ask classmates to playtest my level prior to submission can avoid some unknown issues or crashes.

    • Think as a player instead of designer

      • As a designer, I always can’t understand why players will feel confused or can’t find their goals. I have to think as a player and try to understand the level from their perspectives. Receiving feedback and talking to playtesters help me know more issues about my level design.

  • What Went Wrong:  

    • Room scale

      • My room scale is too small since the first version. After adding large objects, the space became too crowded. After several weeks of updating, most of my interior spaces are in good scale for multiple characters to move and give players enough space for combat.

    • Change too much interior flow until GC, no enough time for polishing

      • My quest flow was confusing because players have to move between the 2nd and 3rd floor without enough quest markers. Until GC, I finally decided on the interior flow, which is not so confusing for new players, but I don’t have enough time to polish more details like enemy spawn timing or add more gameplays.

    • Spent too much time on aesthetic

      • I added a lot of large or medium objects for both interior and exterior which makes my later changes become more time-consuming. I should focus on gameplay and storytelling more and leave aesthetics to the end.

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