TERMINUS
“Terminus” takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, after the demise of humanity at the hands of AI which have infiltrated all areas of the UK. Klaus, the protagonist of the game is on the search for supplies to keep his desperate camp alive in the cold, harsh winter. After hearing rumours of valuable resources being hidden in a nearby train station, he goes in to investigate only to find that the old abandoned railway is a charging station for the AI. Cameras keep a watchful eye on all the platforms and the rooms which could hold Klaus’ key to salvation, and should they spot him, the freshly charged AI will chase him down and bring an end to his rescue mission. down and bring an end to his rescue mission.
RESEARCH
Due to the apocalyptic setting in the brief being a necessity to the game “Terminus”, the Fallout series immediately came to mind. When looking at each game, Fallout’s level design leaned heavily on its building layouts that guide the player to where they need to be while also giving them the freedom to do what they want. One of the main concepts when creating the level is the use of a 3rd person camera which within the apocalyptic genre is mainly associated with State of Decay. The game is a post-apocalyptic survival game set in a 3rd person camera perspective in which the player must survive the apocalypse with multiple characters at their disposal. The main aspect of State of Decay which will be implemented into the level will be the fixed 3rd person perspective and the sneak mechanics used.
FINAL CONCEPT
“Terminus” is a game that is based in an apocalyptic train station in the UK in the thick of winter. Taking inspiration from the likes of Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks, 2008) and Metro Exodus (Deep Silver, 2019), to create a fully playable experience without shooting mechanics and limited enemy AI involvement. Instead allowing a more stealth based game in a world that feels baron of other human life, as the player searches the station for a way to complete their objective of gathering resources for their desperate camp.
PLANNING
The theme of the map places the player in a run down, broken train station on a dark, midwinter night with only the natural moonlight helping to guide the player, along with the faint flicker of lights after the power is turned on. The layout of the map is intended to trap the player on individual platforms until they can unlock the other areas of the station, specifically on the first platform, so they can be taught the mechanics of the game in a safer environment, until they travel to the other platforms each of which increase in difficulty. Within the game the player has a classic stealth-based movement system similar to the likes of State of Decay, as they can walk, run, jump, climb and crouch to find their way around the station while avoiding detection.
LEVEL DESIGN
When looking into the robot concept, a safe room was considered to ensure the game wouldn’t end as soon as the player was seen. This idea is based off the game Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve Corporation, 2009) with its own safe rooms in between levels. Games journalist Ewan Wilson believes that “safe rooms play an important dramatic function… They can be places of mental refuge, sanctuaries of reflection — a much needed pause or gap in the action” (Wilson, 2018) On the visit to Preston Train Station, ladders and scaffolding were seen around the station and were thought of as possible climbing mechanics for the level. This would allow for the player to explore the roof access points of the station and could allow them to grab the resources within a room via a different method than they originally tried. With the inclusion of the safe room, these roof objectives would be more difficult with there being no reason for a safe room to be up there meaning the player will need to navigate back down to the platforms.
FINALISED GAME
Overall, me and my teammate were very happy with the game as a whole. A few changes to the game would include fixing the animation as it would sometimes bug out. In comparison to our research photos, we believe the game looks like the Station depicted with subtle changes to give it its futuristic look, we also think having more time to work on our gameplay could have been very beneficial as it was our first attempt at a 3rd person game and a stealth game.