Detective Carson

Level Design Document

By
Joseph Waring, Andy Cooper, Malek Benelhag, Tom
Kielski & Jake Wallwork

Level Design Document

Contents
Level Structure

Opening Debrief Letter

End Level Cut Scene Script

Storyboard

Level States

Asset Table

Gameplay

Embedded Narrative

Emergent Narrative

Lighting and Weather Narrative

Map Layout

Metrics

Mechanics

Camera Perspective

10

User Interface

10

Image References

11

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Level Design Document

Level Structure
Opening Cut Scene
Environment: Outside Bolton One.
Characters:

Detective Frank Carson.

Triggered by:

Start of Level.

A paper letter is shown on the interface with a debrief for the detective that lets the player know what
is happening and what he has to do.
After the player closes the letter an opening cut scene starts showing the surrounding area as if the
detective is looking around. Along the ground there are red marks and stains which alert the player that
something bad has recently happened.

Gameplay Segment
The clues around the area will lead to the swimming pool, the player must find a key to enter the
swimming pool. Once the key is found and the player enters, the lights are turned off. When the player
turns the lights on they find a dead body floating in the swimming pool, after the player spots the body
the lights will go out again, forcing the player to leave and search for more clues.

Pre-change Cut Scene

Environment:Mecca Bingo Carpark.
Characters:

Detective Frank Carson, Antagonist.

Triggered by:

Finding the correct clues.

The player gets killed, by the murderer, in the casino parking lot.

Post-change Cut Scene

Environment: Outside Bolton One.
Characters:

Detective Jimmy Carson, Antagonist.

Triggered by:

After Pre-change cut scene.

The player switches to Frank Carsons Grandson, 40 years later, Jimmy Carson who has become a
detective, hoping to find his grandfathers killer.

Gameplay Segment
The player will realise that the killer has not been found in all this time, they must pick up where they
left off by searching for clues to find the killer who has caused havoc in the area all this time.

End Level Cut Scene

Environment:

Bolton One Swimming Pool.

Characters:

Detective Jimmy Carson, Antagonist.

Triggered by:

Finding all necessary clues.

The player enters the swimming pool after finding the clues, he enters the room to see a mysterious man
staring at you from across the pool, as you enter the doors close and lock behind you. The murderer
answers all the questions the detective asks, once the talking is over they begin to shoot at each other.
The murderer receives a fatal shot and his body falls in the pool.
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Level Design Document

Opening Debrief Letter

Detective Carson,
As you know, theres a killer on the loose in the Bolton area. It would appear that most of the murders
have happened around the Bolton One building. I need you to search for clues in the area relating to
the murders. So far we have found 6 bodies, 4 males and 2 female all aged between 18-23 years old.
All the victims are suspected to be targets of the same person with an unknown motive. The evidence
shown by the autopsies indicates the suspect in question is a male, around 6 feet tall and strong build.
This is a serious set of crimes which must be stopped by all means as soon as possible. You must take
care when engaging with the suspect as they are very dangerous and obviously armed. If you can find
any witnesses in the area take care when questioning them, we dont want to upset the civilians more
than they already are, also you could end up questioning the suspect themselves.
I trust you will execute this mission with complete professionalism and efficiency. I have sent you alone
so we can remain discrete incase the suspect is watching for police. If you must engage the suspect try
to take them in alive and for questioning, should you need to use force you have permission to do so,
but only through means of self-defense.
Stay safe and good luck,
Chief Mallory

End Level Cut Scene

Player enters swimming pool area and finds the murderer standing at the other end of the pool. The
murderer turns to look at the player.
Murderer: So, you finally tracked me down
Carson pulls out his gun and points it at the murderer;
Carson: Enough! Get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head, youre coming with
me.
Murderer pulls out his gun and points it at Carson
Murderer: Thats not going to happen, either you die now or I do.
Carson: Thats not the way it has to be, you can give up now and Ill take you in for questioning, no harm
needs to be done. Your time killing is done.
Murderer: Do you want to know what drives me to kill?
Carson: All I want is for you to surrender and come to the station with me.
Murderer: I started out doing it because I was bored. After my first kill I realised the thrill it created
Carson slowly makes his way around the pool towards the killer, guns still pointing at each other.
Murderer: I wanted to do it more, the adrenaline I felt each time, it even became fun! I enjoyed killing!
But the more I did it, the more it felt like I wasnt being challenged. It felt as if I needed to do it, like a
job.

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Carson arrives only a few steps from the murderer, both guns still raised.
Murderer: Eventually I tired of it, I actually hated it for a while, there was no thrill or excitement, and I
thought to myself Why even carry on? So I left obvious clues for the police to find me, and when the
detective finally showed up to find me I led him right to me and killed him. I rediscovered my excitement
for killing, I got that thrill again and continued to do it until now. When I found out the son of the first
detective I killed was trying to find me, I knew you had to be next on my list, so Ive led you here and all
my clues have led up to this moment, I can feel the adrenaline pumping again!
Carson tries to grab the murderer and gets shot in the arm, he reacts and shoots the murderer in the
chest and again in the head. The murderers body fall in the pool and blood begins to spill out.
Camera fades out.

Storyboard

Scene Opens to player

reading debrief, explaining
events of game.

After clues are found player

finds murderer at swimming
pool.

Player sees blood on floor

and follows clues to
swimming pool.

Player finds all clues, finds

murderer on carpark nut
gets killed.

Player and murderer have

conversation at gunpoint
explaining killings.

Cut scene shows players

grandson,
Det.
Jimmy
Carson 40 years later.

Final shootout, player kills murderer

and the killers body falls in pool.

Level States
The Level will begin in a Pre-change state showing a modern day look of the Bolton One building and
its surrounding areas. The post-change will happen as the player progresses through the level and
completes the necessary objectives. The post-change of the level will be set 40 years in the future
where the world has advanced technologically, taking inspiration from sci-fi games and TV shows e.g.
Mass Effect, Star Trek, Halo. Also in addition to the newer look parts of the area will also be run down
and look like they have been abandoned over time but in the distance the player will see the
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Level Design Document

advancements in technology. Having separate states will give a whole new feel to the level and even
though the player is restricted to one small area the change will affect the gameplay and make sure the
player doesnt feel like theyre stuck in the same place.
ASSETS

PRE CHANGE

POST CHANGE

BOLTON ONE

Yes

Yes

MECCA BINGO

Yes

Yes

CAR

Yes

Yes

LAMPOST

Yes

Yes

BIN

Yes

No

CAMERA

Yes

Yes

KEYS

Yes

No

SWIMMING POOL

Yes

Yes

CLUES

Yes

Yes

RAIN

Yes

No

DUST PARTICLES

No

Yes

NIGHT VISION

Yes

Yes

UV

Yes

Yes

Gameplay
The player will control Frank Carson, a detective who has been sent to Bolton to uncover the mysteries
of a series of murder cases which have happened there. The game will be a detective puzzle game in
which the player must find clues to uncover who the murderer is. There will also be minor puzzles to
complete throughout the level which will help the player achieve their objective e.g. boxes must be
moved around to get to higher locations and find more clues. Some clues can only be found using the
players UV goggles, these can be activated at any time and will show white marks where clues can be
found e.g. blood stains, fingerprints. Once certain clues have been found cut scenes will be triggered
which create transitions from the pre-change world state to the post-change state.

Narrative
Embedded Narrative
The narrative which is embedded into the playable game is fairly simple, this gives the player some
story and motive to do what they need to, but it also gives the player freedom to play and explore the
level without being stuck watching too many cut scenes. The player has the opportunity to explore the
environment completely at their own free will so they can create their own ideas of what has happened.

Pre Change Embedded Narrative

The player is first given a message explaining there has been a murder and you are the detective sent
to solve the case (See Pg. 3 Opening Cut Scene for more detail). Straight away the mood is set, the level
is set at nighttime which creates a dark and gloomy feeling to the game. The fact that a killer is out
there and the player needs to look for them immediately sets the mood.
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Level Design Document

Post Change Embedded Narrative

The player is shown they are now controlling a new detective whose last name is the same as the
previous one. This hints towards the fact that the new detective is related in some way to the previous
character. The world is also going to stay with a dark feel but the new futuristic aesthetic gives a new
feel to the world. The same killer is on the loose which gives an extra motive to the player as they are
hunting the person who killed the last detective. The final cut scene (See pg. 3) will give the player a
sense of accomplishment and should make them feel good about the fact they finally managed to take
down the murderer.

Emergent Narrative
Each player will get their own narrative experiences from the game but we want to make sure that in
each instance of the level, the player will get a completely different feel for the game, this will be
achieved by changing the look of the level to a point where it feels like a completely new area for the
player to explore, but you will be able to see that it is set in the future. The area will have an extra
gloomy dark feel to it as the area will be made to look as if the building has been run down and unused
over 40 years. This will give the player more of a scared feel than before as they are hunting a killer in
a derelict part of town.

Pre Change Emergent Narrative

The pre change state is based upon a real life location so it has to feel real like a town centre so extra
emphasis has been given to the traffic lights and bins and street lamps etc. the extra detail in these,
making them look more realistic, will give the player more immersion and they will feel like theyre
there. Also the scene will have added decals to make it look a little dirtier as if a lot of people have been
in that area.

Post Change Emergent Narrative

As soon as the player sees the post change state they will instantly feel as if they shouldnt be there,
the level will look run down and as if its been abandoned for years, possibly due to the murders. The
level will be dark and the player should get the sense they may be attacked at any minute. The level will
have a different feel than the post change state but parts of it may feel familiar to the player as they
will see the areas they have visited previously which have now been abandoned.

Lighting and Weather Narrative Effects

The scenes in both instances of the level will be set at night time, this gives an immediate feel that
something has gone wrong and things are a murky and dark. The light in the level will be given by lights
from buildings but mostly from street lamps around the level. The pre change state will be set on a
rainy night so the sky will be cloudy and the rain will give a real gloomy feel to our level. The post change
state of our level will again be set at night time but the area will be filled with dust particles. Streetlamps
will give most light to our level but there will be a natural moonlight.

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Level Design Document

Map Layout
Pre-Change Map Layout

Post-Change Map Layout

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Metrics
This game will have a few metrics to show whether the player has enough battery power to use the UV
light and also the number of clues they find.

Clues Found
In our level we will have discoverable objects, known as clues, each clue found by the player will be
displayed on screen. In total we will have 10 clues to be found in our pre change level, only 4 of them
will have any significance the other 6 will be red herrings which might look like clues but actually lead
to nothing. In our post change level there will be 8 clues, 5 will be important and 3 will be unimportant.
UV Battery Life
The UV light will have a certain amount of battery life which indicates how many times the player can
use it, if the batter runs out the player must find batteries around the map to recharge it. The player
will be able to use the UV light 5 times before the battery runs out, there will be a total of 5 extra
batteries in each instance of the level.
Night Vision recharge time
The night vision will be able to be used for 30 seconds. Once the charge runs out the player will have
to wait for 10 seconds before they can use it again.

Mechanics
Clues
Clues can be found throughout the level, there will be a select few which the player may think is a
clue but they will discover that it really means nothing. This means the player will have to explore the
area thoroughly before they find the necessary clues to find the murderer. Key clues, when found, will
give the player slight audio feedback so they know what they just found was important.

UV Scanner
The UV Scanner is a tool which the player can use to uncover hidden clues. If the player is stuck and
cannot find the necessary clues to progress they will be able to use the scanner, which will then change
the UI to show it is equipped. It will show where there used to be blood stains or fingerprints which
couldnt be seen otherwise.

Night vision
Night vision will work similar to the UV scanner, this will help the player navigate through dark areas
when activated but they wont be able to use it all the time, a short recharge time will be needed before
the player can use it again.

Object interaction
Some objects will be moveable, this will give the player chance to interact with the environment which
adds immersion and means they will have to search various different areas for clues on where to find
the murderer.
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Camera Perspective
The player will see the level from a first person perspective. The main character will be seen through
cut scenes which will give the player an idea of what the character looks like but whilst playing, the first
person camera will allow more immersion in the level. Also this gives an opportunity to completely
change the UI when using the UV scanner and night vision.

User Interface

In game UI - Shows UV and Night Vision

battery life and number of clues found.

Pause Menu - gives player ability to

check controls and change settings.

Inventory - Shows player clues they have

found.

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Image References
Title page image: http://www.cresskillboro.com/images/detective_hat.jpg
Battery Image: http://screenshots.en.sftcdn.net/en/scrn/3340000/3340116/image-05-535x535.png
Magnifying Glass: image: http://pixabay.com/p-152085/?no_redirect

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