Maxix Robotics is a Single Player First Person Survival Horror game developed in Unreal Engine 5. I worked as Level Designer and Lighting Artist to bring the Maxix Factory to life by creating immersive and engaging environments. The game consists of four total levels, of which I worked on three, including the areas that connect them.
Design Problem:
When I first joined the team, the Creative Director expressed to me that he was unsatisfied with where the current Level Design was at, and that was why the team was looking to add a dedicated Level Designer. The first level named, Maintenance, featured a Simon Says-like puzzle where the player was expected to avoid the patrolling enemies while inputting the sequences by pressing the corresponding colored buttons on the ground. Initially, the design featured a linear hallway from the level's entryway, an elevator, to a large dark room with a maonitor on the wall and the buttons scattered around the room.
Solution:
I proposed reworking the environment by adding variation to the experience to build suspense and overall challenge. To create that variation, I added elevation transitions to help orient the player in the begining of the puzzle. This gave them an overview of the room allowing them to peak at the labrynth they were about to navigate while solving the puzzle. Additionally, tightening the space by breaking up the sightlines and varying the widths of the spaces added a navigational challenge while building tension when approaching corners. This added depth, challenge a variability the playthroughs and encounters because the puzzle's randomization would alter how they had to navigate the maze each time, combined with the roaming enemy Ai that was trying to capture them.
Iteration & Playtesting:
Playtesting showed that while this did increase difficulty, it also did so arbitrarily because players weren't truly getting an opportunity to orient themselves with the space during the overlook. To adjust for this I used lighting and the addition of extra monitors that would display the puzzle sequence to the player. Those extra monitors were placed above the locations of buttons, to act as signposts toward a destination. While they didn't reveal the color of the button they accompanied, they helped the player consistently orient themselves enough to solve the puzzle in a fair way, balancing challenge with guidance.
Going Forward:
The success of this implementation earned the trust of the Creative Director and the opportunity to rework two of the remaining three environments Security and Processing, as well as the hub space, named Operations and the connecting corridors throughout the facility.
Environmental Storytelling:
Prop placement and lighting played a huge role in setting the scene for Maxix Robotics. The pacing of the narrative also needed to match the themes of each environment to naturally progress the player and teach them the history behind the facility that they were exploring and tasked with restoring. The player begins in foyer presenting the pristine and proud history of Maxix Robotics the company. This progresses into the mechanical facility where the robots are mass produced, and they as an engineer with the company need to repair to resotre order. Lighting and asset placement in each of these areas revolves around the area's purpose within the facility. Natural placement along with misplaced and disturbed or broken items help to further the narrative that something has gone very wrong in the facility to cause it to be seemingly abandoned and overrun by the robots.
