Indie Dev - #1 - Alone And Unafraid (Titanfall 2 Prototype)

“Alone and Unafraid” is a first-person shooter level that draws inspiration from the mechanics and designs of Titanfall 2. Players will utilize double jumping and wall running to navigate the level while combating enemies along the way.

Executive Summary:

“Alone and Unafraid” is a Titanfall 2-inspired level developed within Unreal Engine 5. Players assume the role of a Militia Pilot, sent on a reconnaissance mission on Typhon during the events of Titanfall 2. The player is alone and isn’t sent in with Titan support due to scoping issues.

The level takes inspiration from the engaging movement systems Titanfall 2 features, including wall-running, ledge jumping, and double jumping. It will play out like a typical Titanfall 2 level, relying on the player’s skills and adaptability in terms of movement and positioning. The level is small to medium-sized, with several combat arenas for the player to encounter and some light exploration to help break up the gameplay between encounters.

The gunplay will work similarly to that of Titanfall 2, where the player can shoot while moving at high speeds and making tight turns while wall running. The enemy AI will be very basic, with only the ability to shoot and move towards the player. The focus is more on the level layout and the flow of the movement, with a lot of verticality in terms of level design to make the gameplay flow much more interesting.

Objective:

The objective is to create a 10-minute fully playable demo level. This level will be fully complete with a player controller, where the player can perform wall runs, double jumps, and going up ledges. Enemies will also be able to target and attack the player, and the player will be able to shoot back at the enemies. The aim is to build a fun and engaging level which offers several paths of approach towards the end goal. Although this level does offer multiple approaches, the level is mostly linear.

This development process will also outline the level of design decisions and thought processes, highlighting key skills within level design as well as showing off other skills within game development such as audio design and implementation.

The project also aims to adhere to conventional game development methods such as agile methodology and make use of version control systems. This project should also allow for further growth and development of game development skills since this is a solo project.

Furthermore, another objective is to grow the LinkedIn network through this project. The development process of the project will be shown off and LinkedIn will be used as a platform to further expand the brand and engage with others from the community.

Scope Outline:

This project will take approximately 5 weeks to complete one fully developed level. This level will have several mechanics, enemies, and a player controller. The project is very small in scope, and it will likely be completed within the given timeframe.

The project will be undertaken within Unreal Engine 5, due to the personal skill set being aimed more towards creating a highly polished and engaging experience within UE5.

The workflow timeline outlines what will be worked on during each week in more detail. There is extreme confidence that the project’s brief criteria will be met and, hopefully, even surpass expectations of what can be accomplished.

In addition to level design, the developer brings a wealth of skills in other areas of game development, such as audio design. This will allow for the implementation of polished audio pieces, including sound effects and possibly some short soundtracks. The audio development and implementation process will be shared further down the line of development.

The project will be managed using agile methodologies via Trello and version control via GitHub. This will help track all ideas and different versions of the game, ensuring effective project management.

Risks

Despite the confidence in the project’s success, several factors must be considered. The main risk lies in the project. As a solo project, there is no external help apart from play testing and general feedback.

This means a limit on the amount of asset packs and 3rd party art to avoid overwhelming the project. Also, since the developer is programming the project, more time than usual will be spent learning UE5, reducing the time for actual development. However, every project is a learning experience, so there’s no real loss.

Stretch Goals

Towards the end of the project, if time permits, additional improvements and implementations are planned. This includes adding additional mechanical features to the basic features, such as having multiple weapons to use or even an expansion on the movement mechanics. Additional enemy types could also be included, offering some enemies to be faster than others and having some enemies to be much harder to kill.

Scope Conclusion

I'm extremely confident in producing a polished and engaging experience for players with some replay value. There’s also confidence in having time left over to get in some additional features and mechanical changes. The risks posed are very limited and are more personal than any other external factors.

Research:

Target Demographic

The target audience for this game will mainly consist of teen to young adult males, who make up 66% of players who play FPS games. The project will be targeting the same demographic that Titanfall 2 did.

For this project, I have chosen to target the killers and explorers player demographics. Killers will enjoy the core gameplay loop and combat of the level, where players must make good use of the movement systems to effectively combat the enemies throughout the level.

Explorers will enjoy the open nature of the level and light non-linear layout. They are encouraged to use different and alternate routes to gain different advantages over their enemies.

Inspiration:

The main source of inspiration for this project is Titanfall 2. The level is set during the game’s campaign and features several mechanics from the game. The parkour mechanics from the game, apart from the Titans, are one of the most refined and influential aspects and will be heavily featured within the project.

Titanfall 2’s movement system is well-designed and refined, with excellent use of feedback both with visuals and audio. This will be replicated within the project. The Titans will not be replicated in the project due to scope limitations, so the focus will be on the grounded pilot gameplay.

The aesthetic of Titanfall 2 is bright and vibrant, a colour palette that will also be replicated for this level. Furthermore, the gunplay is very smooth, which complements the smooth movement systems of the game. Players will be able to wall run, double jump, and slide all while being able to shoot their gun.

The aim is to incorporate as much as possible from Titanfall 2’s mechanics, allowing for the level to be as authentic as possible and to be a completely original level within Titanfall 2.

Workflow Timetable:

Here is the project overview for when things are planned to be implemented and completed within the project:

• Week 1: Initial concept ideas

• Week 2: The initial development process begins with an emphasis on creating the player movement controller first, alongside animations. Creation of a rough prototype.

• Week 3: Playtesting sessions begin, bug-fixing and rough grey boxing of the level.

• Week 4: Audio implementation for gameplay (possibly with a soundtrack, depending on scope) Asset pack implementation.

• Week 5: Bug fixing and final play testing begins, polishing of main gameplay and final deadline.

Narrative:

Set a few hours before “The Beacon” level, the player takes the role of Militia pilot Jack Cooper, who has been sent on a reconnaissance mission to find any friendly force in the area. Due to the terrain being difficult for Titans to traverse, Cooper has to leave BT behind temporarily as he scouts ahead. Cooper encounters a small IMC scouting force as they’re still looking for any Militia survivors as rumours of Cooper and BT’s exploits are circling local IMC forces.

Once Cooper has successfully traversed the local area, he picks up a distress call coming from some local Militia focus that is currently under assault from a large IMC force. This would then lead Cooper and BT to the mission “The Beacon” where they link up with Militia survivors and send a distress call to the fleet in orbit.

Cooper quickly finds himself traversing a hidden IMC forward operating base, with little support and lacking firepower, his only choice is to use this base as a shortcut while avoiding the battles raging above. IMC forces are crawling all over this facility, so the new pilot must find himself a quick exit.

Design Concept:

The rough concept for this level is to make good use of wall running to allow players to gain access to higher elevations and different areas for the level. The movement system should be used in conjunction with the combat mechanics, encouraging players to stay on the move and outmanoeuvre enemies.

The level is divided into different combat arenas, each holding a varying number of enemies and possibly even different enemy types (if scoping permits it). For the first few combat areas, the aim is for the player to quickly learn and understand the controls and how the combat flow will work. This will then allow for the level to get progressively harder with each combat area.

The design concept was created before any real work had begun on the project, allowing for openness to many ideas. The idea of having all the combat contained in mini arenas is appealing, as once completed, players would have the option to explore and traverse around the area to find ammo pickups. There may also be other pickups that the player can collect (although no additional pickups have been planned yet).

Several other design concepts were created, as it was soon realised that the original layout and level planned was too big in terms of scope and would leave several areas lacking in terms of polish. With this new design, a much smaller and self-contained level has been created. This is the first area of the level, which teaches players basic mechanics such as movement, wall running and basic combat with basic enemy types.

The combat flow of the game has been changed to be much more linear as after replaying Titanfall 2, it was found that the game was not as open in terms of pathing as initially thought. This was then reflected in the new concept design. The area then goes on to be slightly more complex with the turret gauntlet. This would prove to be a fun challenge for players, requiring them to stay constantly on the move and make good use of their wall running skills.