Role: Level Designer

Engine: Cryengine 3

Game: Crysis 2

Time: 12 Weeks

Synopsis: 

“Infestation” is a single-player level created for the video game Crysis 2.  This mission serves as an add-on epilogue to the Crysis 2 main campaign.  The player, Alcatraz investigates a series of alien disturbances near a New York refugee camp.  As the player moves through the level, it is clear that government experimentation has revived the main campaign’s alien threat.  The overall level gameplay reinforces the cinematic and engaging gameplay of Crysis 2.

Design Goals:

• Create a level that believably fits into the environment of Crysis 2's main campaign
• Convey narrative through the environment using subtle visual clues and tableaus
• Design a series of combat experiences around Crysis 2's adaptable and non-linear gameplay
• Contrast visual styles between the open feel of the beginning of the level and the claustrophobic second half
• Script a series of engaging and impressive visual moments through flowgraph

The goal when designing “Infestation” was to draw players in with the allure of seeing New York’s recovery following the destructive events of the Crysis 2 main game.  Additionally, fighting a variety of Ceph enemies in different environments ensures changing and interesting gameplay.  Progressing from a sweeping open feel at the beginning of the level to the claustrophobic feel of the level’s finale reinforces the degree to which the alien forces have reclaimed the refugee camp.  Strategically placed vignettes remind the player of the destruction that reclaimed the camp.  

Design/Layout:

Sniper's Perch

As the player descends the building, an alien gunship flies in and shoots down the helicopter that dropped the player off.  This immediately confirms to the player that the aliens are indeed back in full force, and the player is stuck in their current situation.  The player reaches a sniper’s nest shortly after the beginning of the level.  Looking down, they can use their ranged weapon to kill the enemies below from range, or drop down and take the aliens out up close and personal.  This section starts the level off with a bang, but there were some issues with having an overpowered sniper rifle.  To solve this, I replaced the sniper rifle with a weaker scoped assault rifle.

Experimentation Tent

This image depicts the player’s first objective, destroying the live tissue samples.  This room introduces the player to their goal of destroying the revived Ceph, while subtly hinting that humankind is responsible for the revival.  One challenge of this space was creating a convincing scripted sequence where the player torches the live alien samples.  This sequence was not a part of the game’s initial animations, but it gives the player a small sense of reward to drive them through the rest of the mission.  

Squatter's Den

This destroyed shipping container serves to remind the player that people are living in the ruins of New York in the aftermath of the Crysis 2 main campaign.  This civilian hides in his dingy squatter’s housing, hiding from the alien invaders outside.  Rewarding players for exploration with interesting visual storytelling allows me as a designer to enhance the sense of the world.  However, the various extra areas I created in “Infestation” reminded me that extra non-gameplay space is decoration that pays off only when there is time to spare.  

Park Center

This image depicts the previously fortified central evacuation area within the park.  It serves as a miniature arena for a battle against one of the campaign’s tougher enemies, the Heavy.  The layout of this space served the gameplay very nicely, but posed some design challenges.  To create this space, I had to imagine at least four stages of conflict that affected the area.  It started as a peaceful park, changed to an evacuation center, fell victim to the destruction of New York, and was re-established as a refugee camp.  Overall, I think that I only hit 2 and a half of the stages in the final product.  

Facility Entrance

This area serves as the introduction to the level’s interior space, providing a transition from the brightly lit exterior to the moody interior.  Setting the scene with slaughtered Hazmat scientists becomes even more repulsive with the alien biomass draped from the roof.  This instantly escalates the sense of urgency, as the player now knows the alien forces have reclaimed the research facility.  Additionally, a flashing orange alarm beckons the player down the passageway to the left.  One of this space’s major challenges was the massive amount of decal work needed to blend the alien and human structures.  

Alien Nest

This is the filthy final room of the level.  The player’s final objective, the alien generator is immediately obvious when highlighted with the bright red light.  The atmosphere of this room makes the player feel as though they have entered basement turned into an alien nest.  Even though the gameplay in this room ended up being not particularly difficult, the level ending animation lends the player a satisfying sense of destruction to the level.  One of the major difficulties of this section was repurposing Crysis 2’s preexisting animations to create a custom ending to the level.