Link to download UDK file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz4rB3R-cMdddjVfajZtdkJrZHM/edit?usp=sharing

 

                The first sequence is designed to introduce the player to the story and allow them to prep for the arena style death match.  The level starts with a quick cinematic that is intended to show the player the vertical layout of the level along with the action that is about to be unleashed on them as they play through the game.  This shot is taken from a camera on the second floor of the arena and shows the bots battling in the level’s environment.  

 

 

                Once the cinematic is over; the level will start with the player in the cell being moved to align with a docking bay door that is on an opposing wall.  Since the player is a prisoner the cell is very mundane and only has one major feature; a bed.  There are several messages that prompt the player and inform them of the arena they are about to enter.  During this process the cell moves across a void and swings and sways as it moves into position.  Once the cell aligns with the bay door both, the bay door and the cell door open and allow the player into the first section of the arena. This sequence is designed to increase the anticipation to the entry of the arena and to help establish the story being told within the level.    

From there; once the player enters the prepping room they will trip a trigger that will open three doors and close the door they just entered from.  They will then be prompted with a message to choose a weapon.  Once the player chooses their weapon they will then be given armor and entrance to the arena.  There is a trigger system that was built to prevent the player from being able to get more than one weapon.  Once the player enters a weapon room the other doors close barring the player from the other weapon options.  The player must also enter the armor room before the exit door opens.  This makes sure to prevent the player from missing the armor before leaving the prepping area of the level.  Once the player enters the lift to the arena they are prompted with a message to make it to the top of the arena to proceed to the next level.

Once in the arena the player will have to defend themselves as they platform to the top of the arena.  This also triggers several events to take place throughout the level.  Bots will enter the arena through a seemingly the same process you went through.  This helps add to the story that other combatants are entering the area after you did.  Two bots will spawn every 20 seconds and enter through two doors at the bottom of the arena.  Every 45 seconds there are a handful of bots that spawn into the arena on all floors of the level.  This instigates a large scale battle and creates a very hostile environment that stays unpredictable for the player to navigate.  Every bot that spawns in will be randomly given a weapon and a small chance to get a power up.  

There are several paths that the player can take as they platform up the central column of the arena.  There are two main gears at the base of the column and three at the very top to produce the illusion that this area is part of a much larger machine.  To enhance this effect there are also several large pipes and steam vents that enter the arena.  The player can use these objects to navigate the platforming aspect of the level demands.  The player can use these gears to climb up the base of the column as well as the ledges on the walls and the piping throughout the level as they seem fit to achieve the goal of ascending to the top of the arena.

 

                The player is also given the gift of jump boots throughout the entire level.  This separates the player from the rest of the bots and gives them an advantage in battle over the other NPCs.  The main goal of the boots was to increase the fun factor of the platforming section of the level.  Since it was a main component and I did not want the player to feel it was stale, I gifted them the jump boots to add to the excitement and open up different possibilities with navigating the level.  

                Once the player starts to climb the column they will hit a total of three floors as they move upward on the column.  This area is dedicated to action platforming until the player reaches the top of the level where they will be challenged with a puzzle of observation.

Once the player reaches the top of the column they will activate a new spawn point and be prompted to choose wisely in a vague message.  The prompt refers to the doors the player must choose from at the top of the arena.  Out of four doors the player can open three of them; two of the doors are trapped and will push the player off the top of the arena.  The player will then have to climb back up to the top if they survived to the fall.  These traps are marked with environmental features to clue the player into making the correct decision.  One of the main indicators is the tile on the floor in front of the trapped doors is broken, along with the railing in front of the door is absent.  The door that is not trapped has tile that is unbroken and a railing in front of the door to contrast the trapped doors and strengthen the environmental clues.  If the player opens a trapped door it will instigate a quick cinematic of the player being pushed off the ledge as the trap springs.  Controls will be given back to the player as they are fall back down the column.  

 

                Once the player opens the right door at the top of the level, they will need to travel to the back of the exposed room.  There is a lever that will open the door to the level’s exit lift and activate the smasher trap.  The smasher trap is where columns will come down from the ceiling and smash anything underneath them, killing the player or any bot caught in their path.  The player will have to be wise on how they approach the lever and their exit from this room.  The environment indicates to the player where the columns will hit by the broken tile pattern on the floor.  This should connect with the player because of the previous door puzzle that needed to be solved.  As long as the player stays off the broken tile areas they will be able to exit the room safely.

The player will have to battle as they cross the arena one last time to exit to level two.  When they enter the lift area they will hit a trigger that will place them in a third person camera, close the door, and activate the lift.  The player will rise and see three vehicles as they are prompted to choose their next weapon for level two.  This also ends the current level demo and the project’s planned scope and concludes with thanking the player for playing the demo.