Quest Designer & Level Designer
Bird Trap
Single-player | Creation Kit | 10 working days
Summary
‘Bird Trap’ is a single player horror level designed for the game Fallout 4, in which the player is asked by a detective to find a missing girl in the Goldhall school. The player needs to search for clues in the school, digging out the truth behind and making the final choice in the end. The gameplay of the level is basically a walking simulator, where in certain parts the player needs to run to avoid enemy’s chasing. The estimated play time is around 20 minutes.
Level Design Document
Gallery
Design Goals
TENSION GRADUALLY BUILT
Using patterns and phobic object to build tension
REUSE SPACE
Reuse the space and save work
ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING
Using dynamic visual elements to tell the story
Design Process
How do I gradually build tension
o Use the Teddy Bear as a phobic object to build tension
In this level's narrative, the Teddy Bear serves as a key tool the door keeper used to lure girls into his trap. This is not told directly but hinted by several recurring of the Teddy Bear. Each time it shows up with slight differences, from normal size to huge size which blocks the way to a large amount which might cause trypophobia, which builds the tension gradually giving the player an unease feeling of something is wrong.
o Repeated yet varied experience in a limited space structure
The overall layout of the level consists of an 'L-shaped corridor', which is inspired by the P.T. demo. The level prompts the player to repeatedly traverse through the two hallways, establishing a pattern and allowing the player to become familiar with the structure. When the player backtrack, room nodes on the sides will unlock at different times, expanding the area the player can explore and introducing freshness and unknown elements to the experience. This setting effectively places the player at the crossroads of the known and unknown, resulting in a tension curve that rises and falls.
o Seize the right moment for a Jump Scare
The most effective moment to scare a player is when they think they know the answer and try to apply it; this will catch them unexpectedly. In my level, the player will notice a strange moose painting at the very beginning. Later, after they obtain the hammer, they make the connection and realize that the solution is to use the hammer to break the painting. As they rush towards the painting, the restroom door swings open and a giant pink monster emerges, effectively startling the player.
How do I tell the story through the environment
o Show not tell
In the front part of the level, the player takes on the role of a detective investigating the school. There are several environmental storytelling hints, such as a secret room behind the doorkeeper's room, where the player will find a girl's dress, a camera, and a strange painting related to a cult. The final room in the basement contains a cage, presumably where the antagonist keeps the girls. The presence of body parts and blood everywhere serves as a grim indication of what has transpired.
o Law of closure
I scattered various clues and hints throughout different places, allowing the player the freedom to interpret the story themselves. There is a chain of letters from one of the NPCs detailing the love story between her and the missing girl, and the diary on the door keeper's computer explains why he committed these heinous acts. Missing certain parts will not prevent the player from completing the level; it only affects the final reward they receive from the quest giver. However, if the player manages to connect all the fragmented narratives together, they can form a larger, coherent framework.
How do I come up with the story
o Theme
I love Tim Burton's film and how he makes a warm story out of a dark vibe, and I also want my story to have some twists. So I start to brainstorm and decide to create a monster girl who the player would first thought she is the bad one but actually she tries to help. Then I want to add another layer of twist, so I added a girl as the friend of the monster girl who would mislead the player to think her as a ghost wandering in this school. The core of the story is these two girls supporting each other out of the horrified situation where a cult member tries to harm girls to fulfill his own wish.
o Vibe
The first decision I made was to create a horror level, aiming to use light and sound to enhance a spooky atmosphere. Although Fallout primarily falls under the science fiction genre rather than pure horror (and is not as scary compared to Dying Light), I initially made a mistake. I created my monster girl to be a robotic one, thinking it would be reasonable and easy to understand that a mad scientist controls a robot to do his bidding. However, this did not align with the theme I had established earlier. The level began with a psychological horror vibe. Thanks to my professor's suggestion, I changed the robot to be a Frankenstein-type monster, aligning it better with the intended atmosphere.