FIST TO FIST
Fallout 4 Creation Kit Level

ROLE

Level Designer

PROJECT SUMMARY

In this standalone Fallout 4 Quest, the Player is swung into the whirlwind of a secluded settlement - New Mong Kok. This is a city where its governor is elected via a boxing match. The Player gets to dive into the settlement of New Mong Kok, maneuver between gang wars, and engage in a boxing match with an electrical candidate.

YEAR

2023

GENRE

Open World, FPS

Total Work Time

~400 Hours

Base Parameters

At least 15 minutes of gameplay, one exterior area, one interior area, one main quest, one side quest

Click Here to Checkout LDD

PROJECT SUMMARY

DESIGN GOALS

Open, explorable area with an immersive environment and enriched storytelling

Good circular flow within the interior space with good reuse of space throughout the quest

Design a space that looks unconventional from the original Fallout 4 world, while staying true to the gameplay

Fun, unique custom weapon for the whimsical and melodramatic theme

DESIGN PROCESS

Level Iterations

Comparison of the level entrance sightlines between Blockout phase (Before) and Launch (After)

Blockout Phase

At the beginning, the path towards the quest NPC is further out and not as obvious to the Player when first entered the level.

Blockout Iteration

With first round of playtest feedback, I moved the Player spawn point closer to the quest NPC, and added ambient lighting to further guide the Player towards the center.

Vertical Slice

Further updated Medium/Large objects in the sightline to push the Player towards the center. However, the Mod Kit produced a line that might mislead the Player.

Alpha

Iterated away the line produced by the Mod Kit by adding decals and trash to cover up the line - I opened up the railing and hinted the player to move towards the pavement.

Implementation Details

1 Creating circular environments with "flavors" to encourage exploration and smooth gameplay flow

The exterior environment is designed as a round shape with circular pathways that encourage Player exploration and talking to various townspeople.

Using NPC Greeting to create a “bark” effect around the town, where the townspeople speak to the Player as the Player walks through the town.

Use Factions, and containers to script vendors through the Quest Dialogue system.

2 Using non-cinematic features to enrich environmental storytelling and accentuates narrative design in the level

Using NPC Packages and NPC Furniture animations to create mini scenes around the town, use unique Voice Types and NPC Greetings to create these mini-scenes around the town.

Using Quest Stage to enable the actors for this scene, then use unique factions to turn the two actors into enemies; with base actor settings, these two Actors can fight with agile melee movements that are similar to boxing; smoothen the fight scene movements of the NPCs by manipulating the shape of the NavMesh within the fighting ring to prevent awkward movements.

3 Using organic, natural layout and sightlines to guide the Player through the level

Exterior combat area is available to approach with multiple directions, but still leads to the critical path.

Interior flow also provides multiple approaches to solve the level, while providing different levels of skill. In the previous iteration of the interior design, there was less of a circular flow on the second floor, I have decided to push the Ring Master’s room back and create an extra walkway that allows the player to flow through multiple times.

Basement with a Z-shaped critical path, and a circular flow that leads the Player back to the circular path.

Large recognizable landmark both on the exterior and in the interior for the Player to use as a compass to navigate through the level. I used a water tower in the exterior and an iconic UFC-like fighting ring in the interior that the Player can see around every corner of the level.

LEVEL SHOWCASE

LEVEL PLAYTHROUGH

PROJECT POST-MORTEM

What Went Well

Well-scoped project
- The project is scoped well to achieve the most polished level
- Balance the size and content between the Exterior and Interior with well-planned reuse of space - the Player revisits the same space from different angles multiple times
Pivoted early and stuck to the plan
- Focused on the central idea of the design – follow with a detailed LDD that explains my plan
- Revisiting a well-thought-out Level Design Documents and quest plan to execute the level in the editor
Strategic cutting features
Utilized multiple-level design principles to guide the player
- Sightlines; Lighting contrast; Color Contrast; Leading Lines; Intrusive objects

What Went Wrong

Scripting limitations
- The design called for the scripts to have access to the Player's inventory, which is not available to Creation Kit without Special Edition, making part of the quest flow a little studded
- If I had researched that well before going into this project, I might have had the time to design around it.
Narrative ambiguity
- I found it difficult to present my story idea through a quest in this project. A lot of the ideas are lost throughout gameplay.
- A lot of the story beat moments are not delivered through words
Lacking in Combat Design
- Combat design is one of the least polished elements in this project, while a lot of effort is being put into other elements in this level.

What I've Learned

I learned how to use the Creation Kit!
Take calculated risks
- Being innovative is very important, but it is also important to create a shippable product!
- Calculate and mitigate the risks of innovations, while finding the feasibility of creative gameplay
Find the fun early
- It is important to put in a lot of work early in milestones
Planning and organization are key
Expand my horizons by exploring the functionalities of the editor