Baoze "Wilbur" Wang
Level Designer
Summary
The Sawblade Factory is a Half-Life 2 custom level made in hammer editor. This is a is a single player first-person shooting level, which contains many puzzles with the theme of saw blades. In this level, players need to make the sawblade act as stairs or block some moving objects to solve the puzzle.
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Game: Half-Life 2
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Engine: Harmer Editor (Source Engine)
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Development Time: 7 Weeks
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Play Time: 10 - 20 mins
Focus on
Single Mechanic
The core gameplay and main puzzles of the game should be designed around one mechanic, and the depth of this mechanic should be explored to the greatest extent as possible as you can.
Good Pacing
Level pacing should follow good design principles, including:
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The combat part and the decryption part should be interspersed.
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The level should have a good difficulty curve.
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There should be a reasonable number of blockers and supplies to enhance combat experience.
Cool Moment
I wanted to use a landmark building to grab the player's attention and have it visible from most locations in the level. At the same time, this monment should be part of the puzzle.
Design Iteration
1 Unique Mechanic
All puzzles in the level are designed around the mechanic of "using saw blade to block objects" and can be roughly divided into two categories.
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Using the saw blade as a stair
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Players can use the gravity gun to shoot saw blade into walls and jump onto it to reach higher places. When players first learn this mechanic, they will find a saw blade embedded in the wall and the surrounding doors are locked. Players with no way to go will try to jump to the high platform using the saw blade. Then there will be a second platform to help players enhance this new skill.
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Advanced skill: The player shoots the saw blade into the rotating water wheel and lets the water wheel transport him to the roof.
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Using the saw blade as a blocker
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Play can use the saw blade to block moving objects like the rotating fan. When the fan rotates to a horizontal angle, block it with a saw blade to make it passable.
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Design Iteration
2 Conveyance
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Light
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In my levels, lighting is often used as a conveyance tool to remind the player of their destination. Also, the lighting will be well integrated with sprites.
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Light will tell players where the sub-goal is and where is the final goal as soon as they leave the starting room.
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Preview
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I added some stuff like windows or fences to help players to have a preview of the space where they need to go later, so that players will be well prepared for what happens next.
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Landmark
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In my level, the waterwheel is not only a landmark but also a part of the puzzle. Even if players are not in the outdoor area, they can still see the waterwheel in many spaces.
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Breadcrumbs
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The bricks on the ground can act as breadcrumbs guiding the player to navigate.
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Decal & Props
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When players get lost, decals and props can often help players find the right way and remind them where they can and cannot go.
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Design Iteration
3 Combat Pacing
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Advantage Point Conversion
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The flow in the basement allows players to experience two different situations of being in a disadvantaged position and an advantageous position at the same time.
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Bonus Time
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In order not to make the battle on the first floor too difficult, I placed some explosive barrels on the second floor. Players can attack these barrels at specific locations and let them blow up a group of enemies. This can be seen as a small reward for players who are good at exploring.
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What Went Well
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Focus on one mechanic.
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Smooth gameplay flow.
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Interated rapidly according to the feedback.
What Went Wrong
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Didn't manage time well.
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Lack of playtesting.
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No attention paid to the stability of the mechanism.
What I Learned
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Plan your time well.
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Narrow down the scope if time limiting.
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Always put the functional stability of the mechanism in the first priority.
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Playtest and gather feedback as early as possible.