About The Level
"Reviving Mire" is a standalone level for Fallout 4 that takes place in a fully custom world-space. The quest takes the player through a desolate settlement in a swamp where all of the inhabitants seem to have killed each other. Through environmental storytelling and clues in the form of notes, the player pieces together what happened and fixes the problem so Mire can rise back up to its former glory.
Design Goals
Level Flow
The primary design goal I had for this level was Level Flow. I wanted the player to be able to move through the space easily and in a fun way. I dedicated a lot of time and energy to make the conveyance throughout the level guide the player effectively.
Engaging Gameplay
I wanted to create a level that tells an interesting story and is fun to play. With no NPCs, I relied on the environment for both. The player must move through the town fighting the remnants of the town's defenses as well as the pests that have since moved in to uncover the truth behind the townspeople's early demise.
Maps and Planning
Postmortem
Went Well
Went Wrong
What I Learned
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Planning. I spent a lot of time in pre-production planning and iterating on my design. Because of this, I was able to begin production with a solid plan and a clear understanding of what goals I needed to accomplish.
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Scoping Well. I scoped this project very well from the beginning. I was able to create a lot of gameplay by eliminating the necessity of dialogue. Because there are no NPCs to talk to, I was able to focus on my design goals.
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Playtesting. I was able to secure play-testers regularly and got a ton of feedback from various types of players. Because of this, I was able to adjust the conveyance to be very successful.
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​Time Management. This project was a lot for 5 weeks. I managed to end in a place I am happy with, but the last few days were crunch. Ideally I would have had more work front loaded so I could refine without crunching.​
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Professional Quality. I was lucky enough to have an industry professional offer guidance on my level. through this, I was able to gauge what my level needs to be of professional quality and what sort of things to think about to get it there.
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Strengths. I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses during this project, and I learned how to play to them. For instance, I learned that I have a talent for world building and environmental storytelling. In the future, I will be able to play to these strengths and work on improving my skill in areas I am weaker in.
Playthrough Video