Level – Dead Prospector Mission

A letter has arrived from the caretaker of a wealthy prospector.  Your estranged father, filled with guilt on his deathbed, has left all his worldly possessions to you and your mother: the ranch estate, and the secrets in the caves beneath.  However, the prospector’s hired gun and leader of the “Castigo” gang is already on his way.  Find the caretaker, and stop the gang from taking your birthright.

Tools

  • Unity

    • Probuilder / Pro Grids

      • Buildings

      • Props

  • Maya

    • Boat

    • Covered Wagon / Wheeled Cart

    • Ladders

    • Safe

  • Figma (Illustrator)

Roles

  • Level Design

  • Block Out

  • Modeling

  • Event Scripting

  • Encounter Design

  • Scenario Design

  • Prop Behavior Script

Assets Acquired

Mission Design

Backstory

Grace Young and Richter Grey were successful prospectors in the old west in pursuit of a fabled vein of precious metals so large it would grant unfathomable wealth.  However, life took a turn when they had a child together, Walter Young.  Walter was still a baby when Richter deserted them, taking with him the lion’s share of their wealth.  Throughout their lives, Walter and Grace sought to uncover where Richter had fled.  That is, until they received the letter.

On his deathbed he was overcome with remorse and regret.  He had been living on a ranch he built states away, a monument to his riches, having found the fabled vein.  When Walter was born, Richter thought that tending to a family would have distracted him too much from the pursuit of the fabled vein.  He had always intended to send back for Grace when he found it, and thought taking their collective wealth would help him find it faster, the end justifying the means.  However he became intoxicated by the elitism in wealth, the lavish lifestyle, and the dangerous associates he picked up along the way.  Grace and Walter became but a distant memory until the end.

Of those dangerous associates, the most infamous of all was Victor De La Cruz of the Castigo gang, bought and paid for as Richter’s personal hired gun.  The caretaker succeeded in sending Richter’s last wishes to Walter and Grace, but Victor has other plans.  Get to the caretaker before Victor, or risk losing your birthright forever.

Sequence FLow

Reference Photos / mood Board

Level Planning

The goal was to make a level that was varied and exciting with narrative driven storytelling.  The wide, well tended grounds and massive house establishes life on the ranch, and a symbol of the grandeur for Richter’s lifestyle.  It extends as far as the eye can see.  However, the death of Richter also marks the potential end of a legacy.  The player, his son, sees this “legacy” crumbling through the imagery of the burning mansion house, literally collapsing around them.  My entering the underground caves through an unexpected collapse, it helps to emphasize landing into his birthright through destiny.

Maps

Playthrough / Screens

Region Descriptions

River Shore

By starting the player in a small obscured area, the reveal of the expansive vineyard and cattle pasture helps to emphasize its scope and scale.  The player can see signs of how the space was used, leisure areas to watch the river and the grapes in the vineyard grow.  But as soon as the player turns from the landscape, they see the grim reality of the situation, the mansion on fire, smoke billowing through the trees.

Blocked Path

Beyond the locked gate, the player sees the mansion engulfed in flames.  Is the caretaker inside?  Alive?  The player needs to find a way around and into the mansion.

Main Road

After navigating the terrain, the player finds the main path, canopied with trees.  Scattered carts, supplies, and gunpowder barrels line the path to the main gates.  Once the player climbs over the barricade, they find members of the Castigo gang watching the flames consume the house.

Mansion

After eliminating the gang members, the player enters the mansion, finding their way through the flames.  By the time they reach the caretaker’s office, the reality sets in, the caretaker is dead, and his safe unlocked.  Any information that the player could have obtained is gone.  But, there is a glint of hope.  The player can see Victor in the back yard, making his way through the rocky terrain into a cave.  As the player heads for the door the house starts collapsing.  Jumping across flames into the central hallway destroys what was left of the floor, dropping the player under the mansion foundation.

Underground

Working their way through the underground, the player finds the mine under the mansion, the fortune they are heir to.  The Castigo gang surveys the area, trying to figure out how to carry the riches abound.  More enemies mean the player needs to be more careful, using flanking paths and cover to their advantage.  While the player is able to clear out low level gang members, Victor is nowhere to be seen.  It’s hard to see anything past the glitter of gold, and the corruption that it can arise.