My inspiration for this level came from titles like Metal Gear, Deus Ex, Hitman, Tom Clancy's The Division, etc. The player would be given free reign to approach this level however they'd choose. Given that the level has a smaller scale and only one optional objective, it would fit best early in the game to familiarize the player with the controls, goals and tools that may be at their disposal.
Their primary objective is to eliminate the High Value Target (HVT) in the Penthouse Office and exfil via helicopter on the roof. Their secondary objective is to remain unseen and eliminate any evidence they were there by making their way to the server room and removing the security footage so that they leave no trace.
The player begins in the elevator as it arrives on the top floor of the office building. Two - three enemies would patrol this floor. Two around the bullpen area where the cubicles are found and another would be stationed in the executives office just before the skyway bridge to the HVT's office. The optimal way to maneuver through the level would be for the player to use the nearby stair tower to reach the roof.
One or two guards would patrol the roof area. The player can make their objective easier by taking both out so they aren't spotted by them through the skylights when they're working their way through the floor below toward the HVT. Additionally, the player can see their exfil location across the bridge where the helicopter is waiting for them. The player now also has the ability to do some recon of the floor below through the skylights, giving them an advantage over the enemies and studying their movement patterns.
To complete the secondary objective, the player should next continue back down the stair tower to the floor below the one they started on. This is security. The player would be challenged to slip into the security booth while avoiding the single guard on duty and snag his key off the desk to get into the server room nearby. With the key in hand they can continue into the server room and avoid the circling guard in there to disconnect the security camera footage and remove any evidence they were ever there. With that said and done, they player would have one last objective to complete, take out the HVT and exfil.
After returning to the top floor, the player can now safely eliminate or avoid the patrolling guards on the floor. My vision for this level is a modern high rise with advanced technology including adjustable privacy glass at the cubicles and conference rooms. This would allow the player to dynamically use these glass partitions as cover from the patrolling guards by tinting the glass and making it go from translucent to opaque. I worked up a blueprint prototype of this functionality.
As the player comes in range of the interaction event a prompt appears above the cubicle set. Currently I have this set as a simple text render, however I plan to change this to a widget so that it faces the player correctly no matter the direction that they approach from.
With the guards avoided or taken out, the player can now approach their final objective and take down the HVT in his office. My next steps in this work in progress is to set up the HVT elevator so that the player can only use it once the HVT is eliminated. It will then take them to the roof where they can use the helicopter to exfil and return to base for their next mission.
