Evil Moo
02-18-2011, 05:49 AM
I think it would be interesting to design the levels with visibly dynamic environments, that could also be used to implement dynamic paths.
By this I mean setting areas of the map to be able to change in an almost cinematic way, in front of the survivors. For example, you could be walking along a corridor or a bridge where parts of the floor could collapse just before you reach them (or even after to block off retreat), making you have to either go around the hole or drop down to an alternative path. Also there could be things like buildings collapsing into the street, forcing the survivors through an alley way around the back of the building or some other path.
The fires that can spread out the doors in the hotel in Dead Center are the only existing example I can think of. I feel there should be more of this sort of thing and on a bigger scale, though the bigger ones should probably more influenced by the AI Director than whether a door gets opened or broken.
This could add a new dimension to gameplay, forcing the survivors to keep track of their environment so they don't fall to their deaths or get crushed by falling rubble and allowing the infected to exploit the environment to their advantage, opening up interesting death charges and more opportunities for survivor separation.
There are probably some flaws to this and it might be quite difficult to properly implement, but for the added immersion of actually seeing the world collapse around you and the new gameplay twists, I think it would be worth looking into.
So, thoughts, criticism?
By this I mean setting areas of the map to be able to change in an almost cinematic way, in front of the survivors. For example, you could be walking along a corridor or a bridge where parts of the floor could collapse just before you reach them (or even after to block off retreat), making you have to either go around the hole or drop down to an alternative path. Also there could be things like buildings collapsing into the street, forcing the survivors through an alley way around the back of the building or some other path.
The fires that can spread out the doors in the hotel in Dead Center are the only existing example I can think of. I feel there should be more of this sort of thing and on a bigger scale, though the bigger ones should probably more influenced by the AI Director than whether a door gets opened or broken.
This could add a new dimension to gameplay, forcing the survivors to keep track of their environment so they don't fall to their deaths or get crushed by falling rubble and allowing the infected to exploit the environment to their advantage, opening up interesting death charges and more opportunities for survivor separation.
There are probably some flaws to this and it might be quite difficult to properly implement, but for the added immersion of actually seeing the world collapse around you and the new gameplay twists, I think it would be worth looking into.
So, thoughts, criticism?