Dreamer
Engine: Creation Engin
Genre: Adventure
Design Goals: Expand my scripting capabilities and practice with setting and manipulating the mood of a space.
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Design Overview
“Dreamer” is a standalone quest for Fallout 4 with an emphasis on scripting and atmosphere. It begins with the Sole Survivor finding a doctor in Goodneighbor. He claims to have a treatment that will allow the player to see visions similar to Mama Murphy. If the treatment is accepted, the player is transported into a surreal dreamscape spanning three unique areas. These include: a broken-up museum, a warm household and finally an underground battle field. Upon finishing the vision, the Sole Survivor awakens in the doctor’s office and is allowed to leave.
My intention with this mod was to expand my scripting capabilities and experiment with mood and atmosphere. Unlike many Level Designers, my scripting background is extremely limited. In previous projects I chose to be conservative with scripting requirements so that I could focus instead on design. However, with Dream Seeker I decided to implement a number of custom elements including triggered events and effects. While the project does not focus heavily on gameplay design, it was a valuable exercise in self teaching.
Design Process
Doctor's Office
The first space the player encounters conforms with the game's larger aesthetic. It sets a baseline for the rest of the quest and creates a point of contrast. Like any other Fallout quest, the player begins by talking to an NPC. At the end of the conversation, the player is instructed to sit in an exam chair, beginning my first custom scripted sequence.
As soon as the player sits down, the Doctor walks across the room, plays an animation of prepping an needle and announces "This may sting a little." Once the dialogue has ended, the scene fades to black and the player is teleported to a completely different cell.
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The Museum
The library is a surreal area inspired by the dream sequence from the game's main quest. Rather than entering into the cell normally, players load in already seated in an exam chair identical to the one in the Doctor's Office. While the space feels relatively normal at first, it becomes more bizarre as the player progresses. The color pallet is largely purple with harsh shadows. Models intentionally intersect with one another or defy gravity to hang in the air.
The player leaves the starting room through an elevator which opens into a large entry room. Like a regular museum there are counters for tickets and coat check, fliers and a grand staircase leading to the exhibits. However, the player's attention is immediately drawn to a point of visual dissonance. The door to leave the level is a locked iron gate. A stream of floating flowers and tables directs the player's attention to the gate and their ultimate goal. In order to unlock it, players must find the "Museum Key." Exploring the galleries, they find an ominous sword floating in a display case. Picking up the sword unlocks the gate and allows players to progress to the next area.
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The Garden
Players walk through the museum exit and immediately find themselves in a bright outdoor area filled with pre-war vegetation. A narrow garden path leads past a lush garden, pond and children's playground. I wanted to make full use of exterior lighting, including god rays. The time of day and weather are forced through scripting, ensuring all players encounter the same conditions. The garden also features a pair of Rad-Stags who's AI has been altered to make them non- aggressive. Players are able to walk close to them before they bound away and resume grazing.
House
The house was meant to combine aesthetics from the pre-war prologue and post-apocalyptic campaign. When the player first enters the house, the walls, furniture and appliances are clean and new. Entering the kitchen, a pleasant woman greets the player as "sweety" and asks them to set the table. This begins a simple gameplay sequence that required heavy amounts of custom scripting. Once the correct quest stage has been activated, the stack of plates on the kitchen counter become interactive. Picking them up adds four dummy plates to the player's inventory. The dining room in the adjoining room has four trigger boxes activated. Mousing over them brings up a prompt allowing players to drop a plate at the correct place setting. Activating the trigger removes one of the dummy plates from their inventory until all four are gone and the table is fully ready.
Before Transition
After Transition
Once the table is set, players return to the NPC in the kitchen and are asked to perform another simple task: checking the house for missing plates. The following sequence was my favorite to cardiograph and implement. The player enters a small home office. This serves as a transitional space. When they pick up the missing plate, the level transforms from an idyllic home to a haunting ruin. The screen suddenly flashes white and the boom of thunder rings out. The weather changes from sunny to rainy and the lighting transitions, becoming darker and more eerie (see above).
Venturing through the now empty house, players find the nursery. Once bright and clean, the meshes have been swapped for burned out versions and a fiery hole has opened up in the wall. Climbing through the hole, players are transported to the final area of the quest.
Post Mortem
What Went Well
Improved scripting knowledge and confidence: I was able to accomplish many scripted events including controlling the weather, switching meshes mid game and crafted a new “enchantment.”
Expression of creativity:The project allowed me to express my creativity and push Fallout to its limits.
Thorough documentation: The LDD was complete enough to sustain the entire project without major revisions.
What Went Wrong
Difficulty with lighting engine: I struggled with the lighting in engine and was unable to reproduce the aesthetics I had planned for. With more time I would have been able to tweak the lighting to my own satisfaction.
Incomplete sound design: The sound design was incomplete. I had initially planned to include a custom radio station but was unable achieve functionality.
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What Would Be Better
Time for aesthetic polish: Plan for more time in aesthetics to improve overall visual and audio quality.
Scripting zoos: Prototype all scripted elements before including them in the LDD to avoid over-scoping.
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