Half-Life 2 Level

Level Design
Project Overview
A custom Half-Life 2 level made using the Hammer editor. The level starts the player at the back of a train. As the player fights their way to the front, they will acquire a variety of weapons and enemies. It features mostly narrow flow with some sections opening up more.
My Contributions
For this project, I first researched the mechanics and level design of Half-Life 2. Using what I learned I outlined the story beats, made a level sketch, built the level, and received playtester feedback.

Initial Level Sketch & Outline

Act One

1st Beat

  • Player starts the level at the very back of a moving train
    • They spawn with no weapons or crowbar
  • If the player jumps off of the train, they will die
  • The only thing to do is to open the door in front of them

2nd Beat

  • The player enters a room that teaches them about crouching, jumping, and sprinting
  • Immediately the player has to duck under a box to get through
  • Next up is a box that is a little to high to directly jump on
    • The player then notices a box that they can jump on, which will allow them to sprint jump onto the box that they previously couldn't jump on
  • The player is then rewarded with a pistol, ammo, and some suit energy
  • The door to the next area is locked, meaning that the player can't open it until they shoot the lock off
    • This mechanic is only utilized once more in the level, but if the player remembers it, they will be rewarded

Act Two

3rd Beat

  • The player then enters a car that mimics a subway train car
  • There are three enemies: two with batons and one with a pistol
  • The first baton enemy is placed far enough away to allow the player to react, while still be close enough to feel like a threat
  • The second baton enemy is placed further away, but will reach the player around the time that they finish the first one off
  • Halfway through the train car there is a shotgun
  • The pistol enemy is placed at the far end of the car
    • This is so that they player is not overwhelmed when dealing with the first two enemies
    • This also encourages the use of cover and the shotgun if the player wants to

4th Beat

  • The player faces a tanker car with a ladder on it
  • Upon climbing up the ladder, the player encounters close quarter combat with two enemies: one with a pistol and one with an SMG
    • The close quarter combat rewards the use of the shotgun, which the player just received, as the enemies should die to one shotgun blast
  • The pistol enemy is placed in front of the player
    • There isn't much cover the player has between them and the pistol enemy, besides using the ladder
  • The SMG enemy is placed to the left of the player, standing behind a block that can be used for cover while crouching
    • This allows the player to crouch while dealing with the pistol enemy and then kill the SMG enemy
    • Ideally makes the combat feel more engaging without being too overwhelming
  • In the center of the tanker car, there is a crossbow
    • Upon picking up the crossbow, an enemy from the next section should come immediately into view, encouraging the player to use the crossbow

5th Beat

  • After the tanker car, there are two flatbed cars
    • This encourages the use of the crossbow
  • On the first car, there are a bunch of boxes with enemies around them
    • The enemies are positioned in a way that they will come into view one by one as the player walks forward
    • The boxes allow for the player to take cover and also give the player a safe way to jump down
  • After the boxes, there is a stack of logs on a platform with a lock and four really powerful enemies next to it
    • While approaching the lock is always within view, while the player is still able to take cover from the enemies
    • If the player shoots the lock, the logs will fall down and crush the enemies
    • The player can still kill the enemies without using the logs
  • The second car has health and ammo
  • The player then has a choice between going inside the next train car or outside the next train car
    • The indoor path focuses more on close range and cover, while the outdoor path focuses more on long range and attack vectors

6th Beat (indoors)

  • The next train car contains a seating arrangement with tables and a few enemies
  • On a side table close to the player, there is an SMG that the player can pick up and use
    • The SMG is exclusive to the indoor path

7th Beat (indoors)

  • The next train car contains a long narrow hallway containing enemies and capillary rooms to the side
    • The narrow hallway of enemies encourages the use the SMG as it can help mow down the enemies
    • The player can also duck into and out of the rooms for cover

8th Beat (indoors)

  • The next train car has a glass roof and contains a large table, some lockers, and three enemies surrounding the table
    • The glass roof covers a portion of the roof in the center, not the whole roof
    • The lockers and table can be used for cover
  • As the player walks up to the table, the glass roof shatters
    • One of the enemies from above will fall through the roof onto the table, while the other enemy from above will stay up there and shoot downwards
  • This is where the two paths merge back together

6th Beat (outdoors)

  • The player can climb a ladder to reach the outdoor path
  • Pulse Rifle
    • The pulse rifle is exclusive to the outdoor path
  • There are two enemies that are placed further back on top of the car, encouraging the use of the pulse rifle
  • There are also two manhacks that start further back

7th Beat (Outdoors)

  • The next car has no enemies on top
  • As the player gets on the car, three buggies will drive up beside the train and shoot at the player
    • This helps spice up the combat so that the player isn't just shooting forward
  • There is also a manhack that will pressure the player out from cover

8th Beat (Outdoors)

  • The next train car has two enemies on top
    • These enemies will likely have been killed by the player from the previous train car
  • As the player approaches the center of the train car, a glass portion of the roof will shatter, allowing the enemies from below to shoot up at the player
    • The player shoot at them from above or jump down to shoot them
  • This is where the two paths merge together

Paths Merge

  • Player starts the level at the very back of a moving train
  • The room is quite long and features a laser that pierces through the center all the way to the end hitting a laser catcher that deactivates all of the fizzlers
    • Blocking the laser in any way will activate the fizzlers
  • Next to the laser is a button that spawns reflective cubes
  • Across from the cube is a laser catcher
  • Activating the laser catcher will activate the glass panels, allowing the player to progress
    • This will also activate the fizzlers as it redirects the laser

9th Beat

  • The next two train cars look similar to dining cars, with a long window on the side
  • Right as the player approaches the train cars, a helicopter flies down and shoots at the player through the windows on the train
    • Blocking the laser in any way will activate the fizzlers
  • In the first of the train cars there is an RPG Launcher
    • This is the only weapon that can damage the helicopter
  • Next to the windows are train car seats, which the player can use for cover
    • The seats don't fully protect the player so they might get hit by stray bullets (this isn't meant to kill them, just adds excitement)
    • Within the seats are rockets and health, encouraging the player to come out from cover
  • Activating the laser catcher will activate the glass panels, allowing the player to progress

Act Three

10th Beat

  • The last train car has a lever that the player can pull
    • Pulling the lever will end the level
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