Sunfall
This project is a Game Design and Level Design document for a hypothetical activity for Bungie's Destiny 2. Sunfall is a Dungeon, where 3 players enter a PvE activity for rewards and a story experience. Using the Fallen enemy archetype, Sunfall has players chase down a new faction with a deadly technological advantage. For this project, I took on the Game Designer and Level Designer rolls to create the encounter designs, maps for each zone, and reward systems for this activity.
Below I will go into the overview of the project, including mechanics and level layouts. You can also go ahead and view the full Design Document here, which will go over these details in greater depth.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Sunfall was a project meant to express love for the Destiny 2 franchise by designing one of my favorite activities the game has to offer: dungeons. Starting from a small idea, I crafted the story of the dungeon along with the mechanics that would drive gameplay. There are also improved upon reward systems for the dungeon to increase replayability, as well as maps to illustrate the layout and feel of the encounter as players traversed it.
MECHANICS
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1st Encounter: Environmental hazards that change up the available space in the arena
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2nd Encounter: Unique enemies that can only be damaged by enemy weapon types
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Use of constant movement from arena to arena to keep combat fast-paced
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Arena orders are randomized for different experiences each time
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1st Puzzle: Maze with a large set of dangerous environmental hazards; use of enemy vehicles for transport
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2nd Puzzle: Map room with symbols to interpret by the players to navigate with unique feeling rooms
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Environmental hazards and the presence of previously encountered uniquely immune enemies tie activity together
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Hidden treasures in both puzzles give players extra loot as a reward for exploring
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Utilizes environmental hazards to limit space and special enemies that only take damage from special weapons to tie from precious encounters
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Boss has short damage cycles and constantly changes rooms, making players move often
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Boss also interacts with the player more, moving around the room while not in a damage cycle with its unique movesets
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Each room is unique in layout, enemy type, and boss abilities
ENEMIES TYPES AND ABILITIES
There are a few uniquely designed enemies and new enemy abilities for each encounter to make the activity feel unique and memorable as its own. Every room is themed with a unique type of enemy or group to make every room have a different atmosphere.
- Room environments should give a hint as to the enemies that will be fought, giving a more memorable feel and allowing players to prepare their load-outs and playstyle approach according
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As an example: One room is filled with Captains leading hoards of smaller Dreg enemies in a closer range room, while another room is long-range, open, and filled with sniper Vandals and Shanks.
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Bosses and enemies have new abilities that allow players to be familiar enough with an enemy type, but allow the dungeon version to be more unique and throw players a new mechanic to learn.
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As an example: The Eye Blast attack from the 2nd boss now slows movement speed and can drain the ability energy of players, making the taking of cover a priority. If the player is hit multiple times, their Light is drained and the Servitor boss is buffed: increasing attack damage and will use of the teleport ability will occur more often.
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The damage cycle window can be extended to give players who understand the mechanics the chance to finish the fight faster and feel accomplished for their mastery.
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The final encounter features a unique Vandal enemy that grants a Truesight type of ability: allowing them to see the correct symbols needed to progress. This Vandal can blind targets with its weapon and split into multiple projected copies of itself, forcing players to explore the area and track it down to defeat it.
To reflect the uniqueness of each area, every room also gives the Final Boss a new weapon or AI type, allowing them to best use their weapon. This changes the boss's playstyle and acts as a way to change how the player interacts with the boss and its dangers. These unique weapon mechanics include:
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A Scorch Cannon that can be overcharged to leave pools of fire on the ground that burn over time. Standard behavior of other Captains, keeping a medium distance and teleporting around the arena.
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A fast-firing Shocking Rifle whose shots can build up for a sudden burst of damage. Behavior is more agile and aggressive.
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A Void Cannon that can suppress the player's abilities from being used. Behavior is more sluggish and slow, and will stomp at players more often.
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A Queenbreaker Sniper Rifle that blinds players on hit. Behavior is more passive as the boss will keep distance in order to snipe more effectively.
REWARDS
The main focus of all activities is the rewards earned at the end, and this dungeon is not short of any of those. While end-game armor and weapons can be earned, I wanted to focus on two things: replayability and rewards. In-activity currency can be earned to gain extra loot at the end, which gives players the desire to continuously play. There are also achievements and hidden collectibles for players to hunt for, ensuring people will come back often.
The main focus of all activities is the rewards earned at the end, and this dungeon is not short of any of those. While end-game armor and weapons can be earned, I wanted to focus on two things: replayability and rewards.
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In-activity currency can be earned to gain extra loot at the end, which gives players the desire to continuously play.
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There are also achievements and hidden collectibles for players to hunt for, ensuring people will come back often.
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Weapons and armor rewards lists can be found in the game design document, with their perks and weapon archetypes.
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They are Fallen-themed, with archetypes that have not been present for some time or do not currently exist in-game.
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GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT
The full game design document can be viewed below, which includes a dungeon overview, mechanics, encounter flow and progression, maps, moodboards, and reward systems for the activity.