Desperados 3
After almost having to close Mimimi Games a first time by aquiring no follow up project before the release of Shadow Tactics, THQ Nordic gave us the incredible chance of creating a project for the Desperados IP, which was one of our major inspirations for Shadow Tactics.
During the projects preproduction I was still the only Level Designer of the team. However, soon after, the Mimimi team grew quite rapidly and I got support from a new Level Designer to match the projects larger scope.
I was in charge for major 7 missions and some smaller ones. The games story was divided into 3 major acts. Each act takes places in a biome of america (taiga, the bayou and desert respectively). A special challenge of this project was to figure out distinct settings where each mission would feel unique while also not losing sight of the given biome.
My Contributions:
- Level layout and blocking of half of levels
- Planning and implementation of missions, including scripting, pacing and presentation
- Enemy encounter design
- Cutscene design
- Set dressing
- Cutscene Design
- Designging narration for in-world dialogs
- Designing unique gameplay mechanics for the "Baron's Challenges"
- Mentoring new a new Level Designer
Some levels I have worked on:
Project Info
Development: 2016 - 2020
Engine: Unity
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Developer: Mimimi Games GmbH
Metascore
Project Overview
Designing New Orleans City
New Orleans was a special challenge for our project. We wanted to create a big and dense urban level with large houses, big streets and intricate backyards.
Each came with their own challenge.
The backyards and markets should be large enough for them to fit an entire enemy puzzle, but remain small enough to reduce the overall space of the level, and for them to retain their feel of a small backyard. This meant that the houses surrounding the backyard would already obscure large areas of the backyards. I had to design the backyards in such a way that there would always be atleast one or two angles that showed as much of the area to provide a perspective for the player that feels natural.
As a rule of thumb in our design philosophy for all of our games, we tried to keep area sizes between one and one and half screen sizes (at default camera distance). This way spaces would not feel cramped and not too big to grasp.
Higgin's Estate
For Desperados, we introduced indoor gameplay. The largest of those spaces is the mansion found in the "Higgin's Estate" level.
Creating engaging gameplay spaces and enemy encounters within such tight spaces quickly proved to be a special challenge for Level Design.
Navigating narrow corridors with different input devices would feel clunky at first. I spent a lot of time figuring out which dimension feel "just right".
Having such tight spaces would also mean that Skills that whistle enemies towards the player would become very powerful. This also part of the reason such a charcter is not present in the campaign mission.
Prototyping levels
During preproduction, I blocked and designed multiple prototypes, blockouts and rough ideas. After pitching them to the rest of the team, we evaluated which of them would best fit our project. Here are some of the earliest blockouts I have done. Some feature full level ideas and some just a visual pitch for the level.
After deciding for setting and rough layout, paper concepts and additional blockouts were made.
Reviews
“Mimimi Games delivers a stellar benchmark for the titles to come both in terms of gameplay cohesion and storytelling in the Far West. Brilliant map design, character synergies and a long-term support plan promise to keep you engaged for more than the initial 25 hours to completion. Make sure to check it out. Probably the RTS of 2020.”
96 % – Ragequit
"If you are craving a game like the original Commandos, this is the one to get: Great level design, likable characters, sleek mechanics and challenging missions make Desperados 3 every bit as good as Shadow Tactics, which is quite a compliment on its own."
9/10 – PC Gamer
“Incredibly well put-together and intricately crafted by a developer at the top of their field, Desperados III is a genuine masterpiece of stealth, Stetsons, and steely-eyed heroics.”
9.5/10 – God is a Geek