1. Introduction
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Cyberpunk 2077 Non Linear Level is a 3D Single Player First Person Action RPG level based on the game Cyberpunk 2077.
The goal is to realize a non linear level imagining to be in an usual in-game situation where the player receives a call by a fixer and they have to rescue an item from a certain location. I worked as Level Designer: the main goal was to create an experience that could give players multiple approaches to infiltrate, combat and interact in a sandbox environment. My role: Level Designer Genre: Action RPG Engine: Unreal Engine 5 Team: 5 Total Time: W.I.P. |
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2. Pre-Production
During the Pre-Production phase, I gathered references about the structure of big-size Grocery Stores and many locations in Watson in Cyberpunk 2077: the goal was to starting from a realistic structure to convert it in an appropriate den for Maelstroms and playful for the player.
I started to list also all the possible elements (like furniture and areas) that are present in a grocery store, in order to have a clear idea of the environment and be able to have all the elements in mind before starting planning the sequence of the level and its layout.
Personally, I took time also to study many videos online from level designer who actually worked at Cyberpunk 2077 to understand and imitate their approach for the development of the level.
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Mission Structure
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To build up the project I started thinking what kind of mission I'm going to design, and in this process I thought about the following questions:
- What kind of mission are we doing? - What is the player looking for? - Where is the location? - Which gang occupied the grocery store? - Why the grocery store? In this way, we were able to have clear goals and build up also topic moments for the gameplay. Type of mission: Gig Goal of the mission: Get Russian Drug from Maelstrom Brief: Regina Jones calls V because she’s aware that Maelstrom got a very special “stuff” from Russia. She knows that it contains a drug that could alter mental processes and diminish levels of cyberpsychosis. She asks the player to find it in the abandoned grocery store, used by the Maelstrom as a warehouse for the drugs that they produce. |
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I started to list also all the possible elements (like furniture and areas) that are present in a grocery store, in order to have a clear idea of the environment and be able to have all the elements in mind before starting planning the sequence of the level and its layout.
3. Design Process
Since the level is built for a non-linear approach I found very difficult to set a series of linear game moments, but I wanted to guarantee key-moments in the gameplay:
1. The player receives the call from Regina Jones
2. Combat/Stealth session
3. The player enters the grocery store from one of the multiple entrances
4. Combat/Stealth session
5. The player finds the key to enter the warehouse -> first dialog with Johnny Silverhand
6. The player takes the elevator
7. Combat/Stealth session
8. The player finds the suitcase and they have to decide what to do with it -> dialog with Johnny Silverhand
9. The player gets out from the building
2. Combat/Stealth session
3. The player enters the grocery store from one of the multiple entrances
4. Combat/Stealth session
5. The player finds the key to enter the warehouse -> first dialog with Johnny Silverhand
6. The player takes the elevator
7. Combat/Stealth session
8. The player finds the suitcase and they have to decide what to do with it -> dialog with Johnny Silverhand
9. The player gets out from the building
Sketches
For the first prototype I tried to make many sketches of the building and I come up that the building, for those purposes shown before, should be made by 4 floors and a parking lot
- Grocery Store (First floor)
- Offices (Second floor)
- Warehouse (First and Second Basement Floor)
- Grocery Store (First floor)
- Offices (Second floor)
- Warehouse (First and Second Basement Floor)
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The player will start outside the fence, and the building will have multiple entrances.
The main gate can be open if the player has technical or strength skills, otherwise they can enter turning around through 2-3 other ways in the fence. In the picture you can see the general idea I had on the left, while below are shown the idea about the first floor, the second floor and the warehouse. The first two floor are connected to each other internally and the second floor has only a walkable space in the rear and the right side of the supermarket. A simillar situation is set in the warehouse - reachable only by an elevator inside the store or externally from parking lot - where the player has to walk on a grid in the upper floor where they can bee seen below by the enemies. |
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4. Blockout Process
Exterior
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The exterior is designed to offer players multiple entry points into the grocery store. Outside the fence, there are both traditional entrances and gaps that allow players to choose their preferred approach to begin the mission. Inside the fence, the area is split into two parts:
- The main section in front of the grocery store features a standard entrance with patrolling enemies who are sufficiently distracted, making it an easier entry point; - The other section, located on the side of the grocery store at a lower level, is guarded by multiple enemies monitoring the entrance with cameras and turrets. This area poses a greater challenge as it provides direct access to the warehouse. If you can't see the pictures, reload the webpage |
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Inside the Grocery Store
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The Grocery Store serves as the central building where players learn how to access the Warehouse. It is designed with two levels:
- The first level is labyrinthine, offering a challenge for players to evade enemies and analyze their surroundings. This floor also houses the elevator that transports players to the warehouse. - The second level holds more intelligence, such as the control room and another room that provides insights into the mission objective. Additionally, there's an air conditioning room that allows players to enter the second level directly from outside, bypassing the first level. If you can't see the pictures, reload the webpage |
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The Warehouse
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The Warehouse marks the mission's final stage, teeming with numerous foes and perils for the players.
It is structured across two levels, offering players various strategies for engagement. Additionally, there are two access points: one through the Grocery Store and another directly from the courtyard. The facility includes several hackable elements that players can use to distract and attack enemies via quickhacks. The ultimate chamber holds the artifact, the mission's objective, and from there, players can access an elevator that leads outside, concluding the mission. If you can't see the pictures, reload the webpage |
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5. Design Choices
Reward Exploration
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The entire level is designed to reward players throughout their exploration.
This encourages players to delve deeper, with the knowledge that there are secret paths and rewards such as guns or perks awaiting them. |
Multiple Approaches
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Since Cyberpunk 2077 is a RPG, the goal was to create an experience that could be appreciated by multiple approaches:
the level gives the chance to different builds enjoy the gameplay through differents skills. For the level we imagined 3 different builds that could be selected at the very beginning of the build: - Netrunner - Soldier - Tech expert The gameplay is set some hours later after the prologue, so still at the beginning of the game but not too far. |
Dialogues
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To enhance the player's commitment to the mission, it was crucial to create a context that would facilitate immersion.
Therefore, the player will engage in dialogues and calls with Cyberpunk 2077 characters, guiding them throughout the mission. |
6. Closing Thoughts
This project significantly enhanced my approach to level planning, iteration and testing.
Constructing a complex building was a challenging endeavor; through this project, I learned to partition spaces in the project plan, extensively study numerous existing buildings to replicate assets enjoyable for a video game of this nature, and ultimately envision the optimal utilization of pacing in-game, depending on the environmental setting.
The level's non-linear design was instrumental in encouraging players to explore the environment and determine their optimal strategy, and testing helped a lot to adjust the pacing and the game flow.
Additionally, it provided an opportunity to refine my blueprint skills in Unreal, my proficiency with the modeling editor and for the creation of cinematics within the Engine.
Constructing a complex building was a challenging endeavor; through this project, I learned to partition spaces in the project plan, extensively study numerous existing buildings to replicate assets enjoyable for a video game of this nature, and ultimately envision the optimal utilization of pacing in-game, depending on the environmental setting.
The level's non-linear design was instrumental in encouraging players to explore the environment and determine their optimal strategy, and testing helped a lot to adjust the pacing and the game flow.
Additionally, it provided an opportunity to refine my blueprint skills in Unreal, my proficiency with the modeling editor and for the creation of cinematics within the Engine.