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Intro- Level

Retouch

Setting (Retouched):

In the year 4055 the last mega city Helios has come under attack from an unknown alien pathogen. The pinnacle of human engineering has fallen far from what it once was and has been plunged into chaos. The infection has been slowly spreading into the southern sectors originating from the Dhalia research facility. All joining sectors have been evacuated and have strict lock-down containment protocols in place.

After receiving a distress call from the research facility, Gias (earth government) send in a small group of highly trained military personnel to extract any living staff members if possible or information about the infection.

Back-story(Retouched):

October 27th 2099, A deep-space research vessel "Xylas" goes missing after successfully jumping past the kuiper belt, launched.

November 30th 4054, The Tomosis Colony frigate encounters Xylas a drift in deep space, the ships log states the ship has major damage to the hull, probable cause debris.  None of the Xylas's crew are aboard but clothing and personal effects are untouched.

January 28th 4055, Tomosis Docks with Dhalia research facility. Tomosis civilian crew suffering from undisclosed sickness. Xylas's return not yet disclosed to public.

Characters:

Avil Hasmik:

Age:    98

Sex:    M
Origin: Earth born, Enhancile. 

Occupation: Agent 1st Class Gias special forces ( Survival Expert / Light Arms )

Bio: 

Izali Bautez:

Age:    180

Sex:    M
Origin: Mars born, Augmented. 

Occupation: Agent 1st Class Helios special forces (Tactical expert / Science officer 2nd Class)

Bio: 

Die Quamour:

Age:    170

Sex:    M
Origin: Earth born, Augmented. 

Occupation: Agent 1st Class Helios special forces (Weapons expert / Heavy Arms)

Bio: 

Tileus Syx:

Age:    250

Sex:    M
Origin: Earth born, Augmented. 

Occupation: Agent 1st Class Helios special forces (Pathological science expert)

Bio: 

( more information soon )

Need sleep

Setting:

Heliopolis is a vast futuristic mega city, it stretches from shore to shore covering the entire continent but the pinnacle of human engineering has fallen far from what it once was. The recent surge in crime has made it unsafe for unmodified humans to venture outside, even other cyborgs begun to be targeted for their healthy organs. Now the once great city has begun to inch its way into Chaos. Can Hasmik put an end to the major black market and neo mafia syndicates before its too late?

Back-story:

In the future the technology that gifted human’s prolonged life has had adverse effects on society. Many people became cyborgs when the technology became available to the masses. All cyborgs have a longer lifespan but cancers and the deterioration of vital organs that cannot be replicated with technology (Brain Tissue, Spine etc.)  has made organs a valuable commodity on the black market. The neo-mafia syndicates in conjunction with some political parties have caused a crime wave that the once proud Heliopolis has been unable to recover from.

Characters:

Avil Hasmik:

Age:    45

Sex:    M

Occupation: Agent 1st Class (Vice/Homicide)

Bio: 

Born in Heliopolis lowers, quadrant 118. Orphaned at seven years old parents killed in Magtrain bombing. Raised with by lower district gangs, at 18 he joined the Heliopolis law enforcement agency.

 

( more information soon )

Q2, Q3

Q2.Play three games—one from the 1980s, one from the 1990s, and one 

released after 2004. Compare and contrast how levels and environments are 

designed in all three games.

Q3.How does a game’s genre affect the way its levels and environments are 

designed? Choose one level from three different games—each from a distinct 

primary genre—and compare how these levels are designed with regard to 

setting, goals, puzzles, and risk–reward system.

Golden Axe, released on the Sega Mega Drive in 1989. 

Golden Axes level design draws strongly from the fantasy genre and its story. The story is conveyed with short cut-scenes in between levels and via the level design itself.  Level progression is very linear, moving from left to right to complete levels.

(opening story cut-scene)

(Flying across the ocean on the back of an eagle,

 this is a part of the story that is designed into an entire level)

Silent Hill, released on the PSX in 1999.

Silent Hill is from the survival horror genre, it's levels are a mix of spacial design and hub-and-spoke design. Silent hill offers town to explore but each of the stories key plot points take place in a specific land mark (the elementary school, the Hospital etc.).  So we can see the hub is the town and the spokes are the lesser landmarks which make up entire levels. 

Spacial design and fog used to emphasize the unknown.

The Silent Hill Hub

Town Map (Left)

Town Map (Right)

Silent Hill did not allow the player to control the camera instead using stationary
 camera angles that limit vision. This accompanied with sound and foreshadowing on
 the level make for some very interesting game play.

Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, released on PC in 2007. 

Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl is a first person shooter survival game its level design is a mix of spatial and hub-and-spoke design. Stalker takes place in the Chernobyl Exclusion zone after another fictitious explosion at the reactor. Because Chernobyl is a real place real landmarks have been added from Chernobyl to add to the games consistency.

Real reactor. 

In game reactor.

Chernobyl Ferris wheel, (Real life, In game)

Comparison:

The level design and environments in each of these games draw their inspiration from the same key points: Narrative, Setting and Genre. These key points are different in each of the games so we have a lot of diversity between the three.

Golden Axes is a hack-and-slash its puzzles come in the form of understanding how to deal with different groups of enemies. Silent Hills puzzles where fractured all over the map, the player had to navigate with poor vision through the streets and dark corridors finding clues and referring to notes in order to solve puzzles. You could always use your gun to kill enemies but if you didn't have enough ammunition when the boss came around, sucks to be you. Stalkers puzzles come from navigating anomalies and finding stashes scattered throughout the zone.

The goal in each of the games are simple:

Kill the warlord, Find your daughter, Find and kill the Strelok (Name of another person in the Zone).

Q1

Games are so amazing and have come so far over the years. Most of the games I remember from my childhood are from the late 80's. Game developers had no audience to cater toward. The industries genres where being built for the first time ever! I was to young to think about all of that though, I just enjoyed it. 

(Battle City, released in 1985)

This was one of the games I remember playing to death as a child. It was brilliant, getting power ups changed the look of your tank, you could shoot through walls and it supported two players which was a big thing since my grandfather and I could play together. 

(Excite Bike, released in 1984)

(included for my own nostalgic purpose)

Developing a game back then would be a hard job but if I had the funding and skill I would make a 2d side-scrolling game like the first Castlevania.  I've always loved 2d side-scrolling games and if I had the means I would make one right now!