Surprise 7 is a map made for the Level Design Jam 7, organized by Steve Lee on his Discord server.
The theme for this jam was "A Surprise" (such original naming right?)
After the jam was over, playtesting happened, and I iterated and expanded on a few aspects, drawing from that feedback.
Short runtime for easier portfolio showcase.
Curated pacing and intensity.
Player guiding and breadcrumbing.
Self-contained layout.
Achieve the classic "Half-Life 2 feel" while adhering to the theme.
-Planning:
Quick layout of the level, sketched in Photoshop, with very little explanations.
Since Surprise 7 was part of a level design jam, I didn't stay too long on the planning phase. At the time, I was highly motivated, and wanted to get into the editor ASAP!
I had previously finished a bigger project (Eiqui Puebla) on which my focus was learning the Hammer editor and applying some basic ingredients of level design, but I wasn't happy with the end result...
The planning phase on this project was merely limited to brainstorming a sequence for the level, estimating a run time, and sketching an overview of the map, with its distinctive areas.
I had previously recieved some feedback from Steve on my previous level, and the two main takeaways were, firstly, to reduce the length of the level, and secondly, to improve the pacing.
Having those two things in mind, I decided my level had to feature a constant level of anticipation, and possibly, a sustained uphill in pacing. I also decided it had to be shorter than 6 minutes in length, for easier viewing.
Here's a breakdown of the more distinct beats featured in this short level (After iterations post-jam). Following their awakening, and after exiting the silo, players meet up with Alyx, look around for resources, and come across a combine door. Alyx opens the way forward, but stays behind, while players progress towards a clearly abandoned section:
-Players enter the visibly decayed building, and can see a door, at the other end of the room, framed perfectly.
-Just as they come in, headcrabs break the ceiling and attack them, setting a precedent for the rest of the level (Old wood can break), and putting players on combat mode.
-Walking along the concrete corridor, players are confronted with a room split in two.
On one side, a toxic water flood, with obvious platforms for platforming; at the other, a red valve, illuminated by a colder light, next to a striking sign, and surrounded by headcrabs.
I made player guidance and breadcrumbing pretty obvious during the whole level.
-After crossing the toxic water and dealing with the headcrabs, players will open the valve, releasing the flood, and unlocking progress.
-While the water comes down, they might take a look through the opening on the ceiling, showing them their next target, the two tall buildings they started the level staring at.
-Players will jump down to cross the metal pipe, preventing backtracking, and giving them the long-awaited pistol, after a funnel.
-After going through the funnel and dealing with a poisonous headcrab that can easily kill them if ignored, players will progress towards a neutral room, giving them a rest, allowing them to gather resources, and adding anticipation towards the big final fight.
-Players will push a red ominous button, that will, firstly, close the way behind them, and then, unlock the path forward.
-Coming to the final room, players can choose to either sneak attack the guards, initiating the combat directly, or try to sneak past them, climbing up a ladder, and walking along several wooden beams.
Of course, if they payed attention to previous encounters and some sound cues, they would know the wooden beams will break when stepped on, and guards will go full-alert.
-Once the combat starts, a third combine comes from off-screen and kicks a table to use as cover, indicating the presence of more Combine, and the depth of the following room.
-After finishing the combat section, players are deceived into believing that there are more combine alive, by a voiceline played off-screen, and via combat music still playing.
Can you guess what will happen when they walk across that unassuming wooden corridor?
-Iterations:
Once the jam was finished, my level was played by a fellow participant of said jam, and he submitted some very helpful feedback, which I took into account for an update.
I also realised that the curving stairway was actually pretty boring, so I added a little room inbetween the sewage and the sawmill sections, that added to the anticipation, broke down the pace, and served as a small physics puzzle / skill check.
Most changes were reflected on this LinkedIn post. →
-Release on the Steam Workshop and Conclusion:
Some months after end of development, Valve added workshop support for the original Half-Life 2 and its episodes, so I went ahead, and posted the latest version of the map during the first week.
Thanks to this, the map actually gained some traction, and here are some of the comments people left after playing it.
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Overall, I am very happy with the final result. I consider I achieved my main objectives regarding pacing, anticipation and level structure, and learned a ton from it, both in the form of general level design principals, and also on the philosophy behind Half-Life 2's level and combat design.
You can download and play this map here. (Also on my itch.io)
