“METRO STATION”
(CYBERPUNK LOCATION / OUTPOST)
Level Design Exercise (Personal Project)
I set out to design an open-world mission location that would work in Cyberpunk 2077 (as the central location for a story mission outpost that would need to be cleared out, comparable to Wraiths Outpost Compound / Grand Imperial Mall / Arasaka Compound)
It needed to support a 360° approach by players (multiple entry and exit points, including vantage points, and pathways to engage and disengage)
Outpost Goals / Pillars
Vantage Points
360° approach
Supports all playstyles
Unique Opportunities based on Perks
Security Cameras
Hackable Objects
Zones, areas to conquer as a player
Interior / Exterior
Verticality
Locked areas/doors/pathways to unlock
Varied Entry points
Loot & Rewards
AI Patrol paths/positions
Cover spots for Gunfights
It needed to support multiple playstyles & player strategy preferences, as featured in the game design of Cyberpunk 2077
Melee; Weapons - Short, Mid, Long Range
Gadgets, Explosives
Brute, Tanky
Netwrunner, Quickhacking
Fast, Mobility
Stealth, Guns Blazing, Balanced
Theme Description (based in Cyberpunk 2077):
The fanatical Maelstrom gang acquired/took over and fortified an NCART subway station. They seek to utilize the base and its NCARTS for their next high-stakes heists, sending them into the city’s metro system and tunnels.
The player can come across this outpost as part of a Regina Jones Job, to clear out the Maelstrom threat. It is given by this NPC, who wants to stop what Maelstrom is up to and prevent their machinations.
Gameplay Ingredients which are supported/taken into account
Player Mechanics
Movement (crouch, sprint, slide, plus other traversal options such as ladders)
Gunplay / Weapons (all ranges)
Traversal & perk interactions (force open, hack open pathways with actions like dash, super jump)
Scanner, Vehicles, Hacking
Destructible windows, security doors, security cameras, ammo vending machines
Player Perks
Body, Cool, Intelligence, Reflexes, Technical (specific perks open up new gameplay opportunities)
Enemy Types & Archetypes
Ranged, Melee, Fast Melee, Heavy Melee, Shotgun, Fast Gunner, Heavy Gunner, Netrunner, Sniper, Android
Behaviors: Reckless, Aggressive, Balanced, Defensive, Cautious
Layout & Blockout Notes
Lots of verticality & three zones
Outside of the compound, city streets
Metro station exterior (compound exterior)
Metro station interior (main building)
Lots of climbing, and vaulting pathways across the compounds, varied traversal
Vantage point(s) for previous “scan” / observation of compound (where you spawn, e.g.)
Looped pathways, no dead-ends, chosen paths lead to other loops/opportunities (top-down layout)
Varied sightlines (long-range sniper, mid-range assault, short-range shotgun/melee/pistols, ranged hacking/net running)
Time: ~10 Days, a 1-3h a day
Theme: Metro Station
Assets: Placeholder & Blockout Meshes
Engine: Unreal Engine 5.3
