DEAN TOLEDANO
​GAME DEVELOPER
SATELLITE AWAY
6 MONTHS
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Satellite Away is a third person shooter game set within a Lunar crater and presents a single large combat/stealth encounter.
The game and level are built with the core idea that it can be completed in a multitude of ways. It is up to the player to utilize the tools and environment around them to choose how they want to complete it.
CORE PILLARS
The core ideas that define the experience and can be found, characterized, and utilized through gameplay
PLAYER OPTIONS
The encounter must present the player with options, at nearly every point, to afford different opportunities in both replayability and rapid decision making.
"Do I go the route with more enemies but a weapon in the end, or the one with less enemies while unequipped?"
IMMERSIVE SETTING
In order for the player to maximize their experience and come out of it with something of value, they must be engaged within the setting in addition to the gameplay.
The lunar crater was chosen to do exactly that: afford the player the opportunity to be immersed without being directed / prompted with cutscenes and voice acting.
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CHOICE > CONSEQUENCE
With options come desicions, and with decisions must come consequences.
In Satellite Away, the approach to this concept was to reward the risky decisions, and to put pressure on the player through the safe decisions.
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Everything is viable.
LEVEL SHOWCASE
START OF ENCOUNTER
At the beginning of the encounter I wanted the player to receive an orienting picture of the experience.
From the very first moment a player is confronted with an enemy, they are safe behind cover and allowed as much time as they need to study their surroundings and plot their route.
From the first piece of cover, the player is able to see:
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Three points of high sightlines
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Three weapon boxes
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Two imidiete paths (inside/outside)
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Direction to goal
INDOORS
This segment of the encounter is firstly built to add variety to the mostly outdoor experience. To best utilize this, the indoor base is built with tight corridors with lots of cover and escape routes.
Most enemy encounters here are built with an idea that personally appeals to me: the ability for the player to weave themselves in between foes unnoticed.
The 2nd and off the path floor is built to encourage exploration and further highlights the risk and rewards in the level.
If chosen to engage, the player is rewarded with two weapons and a significant sightline on the battlefield.
Lastly, indoors offers 4 different escape routes to leave other than the initial entrance. Two of which connect directly to the final area. However, those two exits are under heavy guard meaning that it will be difficult to reach the far end from those positions.
2ND FLOOR PUZZLE
As the player reaches the alternative path from indoors that takes them outside, they are immediately confronted with a puzzle mechanics introduction.
To be as clear as possible I used signifiers to let the player intuit the answer instead of telling them.
Through environmental storytelling, they are able to perceive that the ladder has collapsed, and as they turn a corner, they see a box colored the same green as the ladder lines.
The solution is to simply drag the box beneath the ladder to use it as a jump off point. This will give the player access to the 2nd floor, and reward them with a weapon for their exploration.
ENCOUNTER EXIT
This area is meant to represent the final challenge for the player should they wish to engage with it.
If taken the outdoor approach from the encounter start, the player receives some affordable stealth opportunities. However, this encounter is meant to be challenging to funnel a stealthier approach up the cliff.
Here, enemies carry assault rifles, and more numerous than before.
The long run to the exit in the distance is also to encourage the player to seek AND create an opportunity for a break-for-it sprint.
CLIFFSIDE
The alternative Cliffside route is meant to be an option for those who are...
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1. Curious as to what is above them. At almost all times outside, they are able to see the sniper's perch so exploring is something that makes sense.
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2. Desiring another option than to engage in the encounter exit.
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The Cliffside ramp is accessible from all places in the midmap, Including all exits from indoors, it has one guard guarding it, and leads to its own opportunities.
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In the sniper's nest, players are also able to collect a sniper rifle and shoot enemies from above.
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Lastly, the end of the Cliffside offers an alternate exit from the encounter, where the player is able to scale their way down the cliff and seal the base from the other side.
LEVEL DESIGN RULES & LANGUAGE
A fundamental first step in designing an engaging level is to know and understand your audience.
When I started this project, it was always with three core player archetypes in mind:
THE GOLDENEYE
The Goldeneye tries to remain in stealth for the entirety of the encounter, and takes down enemies when necessary or in general.
THE RAMBO
The Rambo prefers to engage encounters with a 'shoot first' mindset.
They weave and flank around cover, and engage the enemy loudly and with precision.
THE GHOST
The Ghost enters and exits the encounter without being seen once. They never alerted an enemy, they never took one down, and they left no trace of their presence.
I designed the level with all three archetypes in mind at all time, so that whenever the player wishes to engage in any of them they are afforded the opportunity and the tools to accommodate it.
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All encounters are also designed to allow the player to switch their playstyle on the fly, and respond to their surrounding however they see fit
This ties into the final part of bringing the experience together:
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How to communicate opportunity?
WEAPON/PICKUP
Bright and loud to stand out against the grey environment, this immediately calles the eyes of the player to investigate and get rewarded for their attention.
INTERACTABILITY
Parts of the game that mean 'intractability' 'traversal'
It lets the player know that there is something of value through here, and it encourages engagement.