Welcome back to another entry in the Core Decay development blog!
As briefly touched upon earlier, Core Decay follows a world-first design philosophy. Gameplay spaces and specific solutions are not planned out in the abstract - rather, levels are designed as real-world locations following real-world logic, and gameplay approaches simply follow the natural result of this.
It's important to mention here that obviously it is still necessary to do many level design passes following this for the best experience. Games are still abstractions and there has to be enough overlap in mechanics to make the game enjoyable, so sometimes concessions has to be made in the opposite direction. Nonetheless it matters how things are approached from the beginning, and relying on verisimilitude in this way gives us a reference to rely on as needed.
As a consequence of this approach to level design, it means that rather than see a level as a set of specific spaces with specific gameplay pillars connecting them (more prominent in the Deus Ex sequels), levels in Core Decay are better thought of as many tiny pieces that may or may not overlap, depending on their in-world practical design. Levels are never designed by first thinking "Let's allow for a combat route, a stealthy route, a hacking route..." and then fitting the level design to that - rather, levels are thought of as real-life locations, and the breadth of game mechanics follows this very naturally.
Which leads us to the main topic of today's dev blog post!
At this point we have just arrived in Brussels by helicopter, with a single objective in mind - make it to the large skyscraper seen in the far distance. A more immediate goal becomes obvious soon, however - since we have arrived in the city through unofficial means, the exit to the city streets is locked.
Today, let's look at a few different ways you can get out of this city lot and continue to explore Brussels! Keeping the above in mind and looking at this more as a large amount of tiny components that may or may not be connected, here's a number of approaches we might take in various places -
Reconnaissance
Walking up to the locked gate reveals that the mechanical lock could be picked with a lockpick - or alternatively, the electronic keypad next to it could be bypassed with a bypass tool. Less evident, but entirely plausible, would be to simply blow the gate up with heavy explosives - though we possess neither explosives, bypass tools or lockpicks at the moment, so let's continue exploring!
Heading back to the helipad, we spot an info kiosk - these public terminals won't contain any secretive information, but they are a great way to get your bearings of the city streets and public areas! Accessing the terminal, we can view and download a map of the local area, put out by the Brussels tourism department:
All maps in Core Decay are fully diegetic. Whether maps exist for any given place is a matter of narrative more so than gameplay design, and the clarity of maps also differ greatly. This tourist map, for instance, is designed to be easy to read. It is written in English and with clear directions. We'll run into an example of the opposite later!
Once a map has been downloaded, if presently at the location it covers, a convenient shortcut shows on the HUD to open it instantly at any time. This is a good example of keeping meaningful game mechanics from classic immersive sims (diegetic maps and no automatic directions) while still streamlining how they are engaged with to reduce unnecessary friction. Another good example of this can be seen in these screenshots in the lower-right, where the HUD keeps track of ammo, lockpicks, bypass tools and hacking shards, while still keeping these as actual items in your inventory.
Let's do some more early exploration! Getting your bearings is always a good idea, in particular in public spaces where you can do so at relative peace.
Around the helipad courtyard, we can find the kind of items we'd expect - tools, a few preserved food items, and some useful items such as a crowbar, some gasoline, lockpicks, and a flashlight:
Core Decay features a large variety of items to find, all building a sense of believably and also giving a wide array of tools at your disposal. For instance, there are several different kind of flashlights in the game, all with various benefits and drawbacks - which brings us to another design aspect of the game in action: realistic use of light and shadows. Spaces are lit exactly the way you would expect, and there is no artificial brightening of darker spaces. Rather, we give the player a large array of natural ways to approach light and darkness.
Dark areas are not necessarily a negative, as you too are harder to spot - and indeed a perfectly viable way to play is to fully embrace the shadows and move without a trace. Many fixed lights can be turned off remotely, or even destroyed - giving lots of ways to manage your visibility!
If you prefer a less stealthy approach, however, there are many ways to light dark spaces. Flashlights are generally easy to find, do not take up a lot of space, and run indefinitely. However, for obvious reasons, they are not an option if you want to stay hidden, and most flashlights do not function underwater.
Most.
As an option to using flashlights, or simply taking more well-lit routes in general, certain cybernetic implants can be hugely helpful. In particular, the Low Light Amplifier cranial implant grants you effective night vision, letting you see in the dark without being seen yourself. Once upgraded, it can even let you see enemies through walls!
Moving on, we have our first way out - the lockpicks found in the courtyard could be used to open the gate. However, these kind of resources are rare, so it might be in our best interest to look for a way out that does not involve using a lockpick or bypass tool.
Cybersecurity
Walking around the courtyard a bit further reveals a maintenance terminal - possibly containing useful information! Unfortunately it is password protected, and while we do have a hacking implant installed, we have no hacking shards to perform the actual operation.
Sometimes you might be able to find usernames and passwords in your vicinity, but not always. Likewise, nearby computers might be entirely unrelated to what you are trying to accomplish - from a design standpoint, it is important to reinforce the idea that the world was not made for you to solve puzzles, and things might exist just to make sense.
Hacking a computer is a permanent unlock, but which systems to hack and which to try to access otherwise (or ignore entirely) is always an important choice since hacking shards are rare.
Rhetoric
Perhaps you would rather have others resolve things for you!
While talking is never guaranteed to work - it could even backfire terribly if not careful with what you say - it can often be the most powerful tool in your arsenal. Be cautious though - others will try to deceive you.
There are specific cases where possessing a certain item or augmentation may give you an leverage in conversation, but by and large dialogue is purely narrative in nature. There are no cybernetic implants to specifically boost your "dialogue skills" - you have to treat people like people and make your own deductions. Some choices are ill advised.
Athletics
Maybe all this thinking is a bit overrated. We could consider a more forceful approach out - surely that mechanic over there would have a key to the front gate? However, there are also many physical approaches to obstacles that do not involve violence at all. Guards can be distracted or sneaked past, aggressive people sometimes talked out of violent confrontations, and sometimes the simplest solutions are the easiest:
A big stack of boxes might be harder to pull off where there are patrolling, hostile guards, but here? As good of a solution as any! Stacking a few barrels and crates and climbing up any of the reachable rooftops is a very valid path ahead, and can present unique opportunities.
Sometimes willingly trading your own health is an option, if you consider your legs somewhat more expendable.
In less peaceful areas, movement combined with an awareness of your surroundings can be your greatest asset. Core Decay can be played through with no detection (by hostile NPCs) throughout - not easy, but certainly possible!
Lethal Force
While a more directly violent approach is less relevant in public spaces - and far less viable due to armed law enforcement - it is an option, and sometimes a surgical strike leaving no witnesses can achieve desired results.
In cities, law enforcement generally rely on sonic sensors to detect gunfire and heavily armored bots to enforce peace, so direct force on the streets is an exceedingly bad idea, but an underground lab in the sewers or a military factory? Don't be surprised to be met by lethal force just for trespassing.
In the case of leaving this courtyard, the adjacent bank office offers a less conventional way out to the streets. We could make our way through the offices, applying stealth, lethal and non-lethal force as needed to pass the night guards.
On the topic of lethal and non-lethal force - there is no mechanical distinction.
Down below
There are many more ways to move forward than the ones shown above, including getting the gate keycode from an NPC in dialogue, entering the maintenance basement, or navigating the rooftops. To conclude this post however, we're going to take a look at the opposite.
Levels in Core Decay are not precise models of their environments, but we do strive to capture the broader strokes of infrastructure - that is to say, in the middle of a city there is most certainly sewers to navigate. It felt important here to make navigating sewers feel like a different kind of experience the walking the city streets. As such, these main challenge traversing the Brussels sewers is navigational.
Without a source of light and sense of spatial awareness, we won't get far down here. But it's tempting to progress this way - might lead to great advantages later on.
And really - what's the worst that could happen?
