08 - Lighting for Design by Chris Lomax

We're given a task to choose between three different locations and use light to guide the player through the level. I went ahead with a "Military Base" (with Theme Park & Mansion being the other options). I did this as I feel it gave me more freedom and creativity when creating my level.

The level is based round a zombie outbreak with the player being injured and trying to find medical supplies. He has been told that there's a military base close by that would be able to help him. However, when he gets there, he finds out that the military base has been abandoned... As he is in so much pain, he takes actions into his own hands and breaks in...

My main mechanic in my game was giving the player the ability to use night vision, by equipping the player with night vision goggles. The night vision mode lasts fifteen seconds and the player can pick up batteries for his goggles that are scattered round the map.

The player soon finds out that all the troops have been killed by zombies and that there are a lot of zombies in the military base, the player must sneak round to make it to the medical centre.

I had a lot of fun creating this level, I included night vision, light sources to guide the player round, to show safety or danger, a locked door that requires to be unlocked with a key card and a locked door to be unlocked with a password that the player must access via a touch screen.

If I had further time and experience, I would have definitely add a noise system (so the player has to make sure they don't create too much noise) otherwise zombies would come after them. And to also use the darkness to be able to hide if they made too much noise. Lastly, I would add simple animations with a dagger as a weapon, just in-case the player came one-to-one with a zombie.

With commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw5s1LVctLA

Without commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWD8tlpHVNY

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/chrislomaxuclan/xb2001-military-base-lighting-for-design/