Under Deadly Skies
Factory Floor
Perspective view of the factory floor. Players begin on the right hand side of the room and must navigate the rows of cover while trying to stay in the light, by moving quickly and destroying propane tanks. Watch the video.
Environmental Weapons
Under Deadly Skies revolves around the mechanic of darkness being a weapon the player can use. Many areas of the level start out well-lit. The player can shoot out the lights in order to cover the area in darkness.
Architecture
Street view outside the factory. The factory itself takes cues from a temple, while spidery networks of pipes and girders connect all the buildings together.
Branching Paths
Players may either follow the street, or duck into a side alleyway, which is illuminated by burning barrels.
Destructible Environments
At the end of the alleyway, a destructible fence blocks the player's way. Destroying this fence allows players to get into the fight at ground level, and take the Locust hordes on directly.
Multi-purpose Design
The archways not only create bottlenecks, but also allow the player to climb up and rain gunfire down at the Locust. This advantage comes at the price of mobility and protection.
Optional Weapons and Tactics
A Troika overlooks the battleground and offers excellent line of sight, but can only be used for a limited amount of time. Once the time is up, the lights near the troika are shot out, and the player is forced to relocate and get back into the light.
Game
- Gears of War
Description
“Under Deadly Skies” is the culmination of 6-8 months experience in the Unreal Editor for Gears of War. This project focuses on creating a grungy, industrial environment, with a few creative liberties taken to create visual interest and to showcase a slightly different take on an industrial setting.
My focus for the level was to change the Kryll from a hazard to a weapon at the player’s disposal.
Development Time
- 16 weeks
Tasks
- Created a single-player level, complete with documentation
- BSP layout, texturing, lighting, static mesh placement
- Used Matinee and Kismet to create a dynamic sunrise that moves according to the player’s progress through the level.
- Created seveal hunderd Kismet sequences that control everything from combat sequences to destructible elements in the level (lights, fences, bridges