Project

"Lost Granddaughter" is a single-player level and side mission for the FPS/RPG Dying Light. Centered around a retrieval objective, the player must navigate through a city district, underground sewers, and a cavern to locate a missing person and secure medicine for the quest giver. The level features a looping layout and fully utilizes the game’s core mechanics: parkour, close combat, and gunfights.

Design Goals

• Design a level for intermediate Dying Light players equipped with a beginner skill tree.

• Implement a 3-act structure (Setup, Confrontation, Resolution).

• Provide players with the necessary tools to progress through the level.

• Use motion, lighting, composition, and SFX to naturally guide the player.

• Divide the level into distinct outdoor and indoor sections.

• Craft an immersive, coherent, and suspenseful experience.

Design Overview

Maps - Level's distribution and critical path

Walkthrough & Pacing

1. Talk to Yonka

• Spawning into the level, the player must locate the NPC, Yonka. He asks the player to find his missing granddaughter, who left for the sewers' survivor camp to gather medicine and has not returned.

2. Reactivate the city's generators

• The player must find and activate two generators to restore power to the district, which unlocks the gate to the sewers.

3. Find a way to the old survivor's camp in the sewers

• Entering the sewers, the player confronts zombie hordes, navigates an initial parkour puzzle room, and fights a Goon.

4. Find the granddaughter

• Upon reaching the abandoned survivor camp, the player must locate the granddaughter and examine her deceased body.

5. Take the Antazin

• By turning the body over, the player discovers and collects the Antizin (Quest Item).

6. Find a way out

• The player must find an exit from the sewers. They navigate a vertical parkour room before emerging into a rocky cavern that offers an elevated view of the city.

7. Survive

• Progressing through a large pipe, the structure collapses, dropping the player into an eerie pool. This leads into a larger arena for a confrontation with a Volatile. 

8. Return to Yonka

• Following a final sewer pipe back to Yonka's location, the player must speak with him to deliver the tragic news about his granddaughter.

Pacing curve and gameplay beats

Green: Roaming sections, where the player explores the environment and engages in standard zombie encounters.

Blue: Parkour rooms, focusing primarily on jumping and climbing mechanics.

Red: Intense encounters, where the player confronts a boss or mini-boss.

Yellow Hexagon: Mission objectives, which are also marked on the player's map.