HALO 4 LEVEL PROTOTYPE

HALO 4
LEVEL PROTOTYPE

SPECIFICATIONS

ROLE

Level Design

GAME ENGINE

Unreal Engine 5.5.1

TEAM SIZE

Solo project

TIME FRAME

4 Weeks

DESCRIPTION

Exploring how it would be to make a level for Halo 4

YEAR

2025

GENRE

FPS

PLAYER MODES

Single-player

PUBLISHED ON

-

CONCEPT

CONTRIBUTION

REFLECTION

CONCEPT

Making an original level fit for Halo 4

As an assignment for school I had to analyse a game, create 3 paper designs and then write a design rationale for the blockout that would meet the goals the best.

I had

2 days to analyse the game.

1 day to create the paper designs.

2 weeks to block it out in-engine.

Read Analysis

See Paper Designs

CONTRIBUTION

Biggest Contribution

Paper Design
Blockouts
implementation

Player path
Pacing

Set dressing

Goal

Create a combat sandbox that encourages fluid movement and strategic positioning. (Include vehicles, turrets, power weapons etc.)

Layered, semi-open spaces that allow players to engage enemies from multiple angles. (Flanking, vehicle combat, vertical play, etc. )

Keep players engaged in constant movement rather than relying on static cover.

Balance sightlines and cover placement to create opportunities for long-range engagements, mid-range firefights, and close-quarters battles.

Ensure variety in pacing and play style options.

The fun should come from the interplay between player movement, AI behavior, and environmental design.

Create a dynamic battlefield where strategy and execution constantly evolve.

Paper Design

Mid Game | Reclaim the space station

Context:

A space station has been invaded by covenants and we have been fighting to take it back. After clearing most of the station we arrive at a loading dock.

Mission:

Clear the area.

Paper Design & Rationale

Starting the player inside the building gives them leverage right from the beginning, leaning into a more lowkey and stealthy approach.
Despite the favourable position and the turret, this version does not come without risk as the player is constantly on higher ground with less coverage.
The player can go for the turret if they’d like to get more aggressive or they can continue their stealth approach by descending in the back of the building.
Because of the many enemies with ghosts on the lower level, the player is eventually encouraged to hijack one for themself, escalating the intensity of the battle
By leaving two Ghosts unmanned we’re further encouraging the player to join in on the vehicle combat.

Starting at the top of a pyramid

As I started blocking things out in the engine I found that the pyramid-like structure did not translate well into the engine. Enemies were always below the player resulting in both risk of getting shot and a disadvantage when shooting. The player could also not see the enemies below them very well.

Solution

I moved the entry point to the back of the room and put a pier in the middle of the room, combining the top and middle floor. The pier gives the player an easy first kill and a nice vantage point to get some more kills from above before the fight breaks out.

Even though the player starts higher than the enemies, they have a clear view of what is to come and so they can make an informed decision on what to do next.

Paper Design to Blockout: Challenges

Overwhelming view

One would think that seeing an entire battlefield at once would be beneficial but in actuality it’s quite overwhelming. The background becomes noisy, the player doesn’t know what to focus on and the objective becomes less clear and overwhelming.

Solution

Since the top floor and the middle floor were combined I decided to make that area into a room with windows. Taking inspiration from a level in Halo 4, the windows are covered until the player has cleared the area when they're given an objective to interact with a console that reveals the outer area. It gives a nice vista point to prepare the player for what's to come in a less overwhelming way.

Challenges

Having as many paths as this paper design would surely confuse the player and most importantly of all, it would go against Halo 4s simplistic and linear level design tendencies.

Challenges

With the new layout of starting the player further back, scrapping the majority of optional paths and having the player always move forward, the path behind the building lost its usefulness and was also scrapped.

REFELCTION

This was my first time making an FPS level and it was quite the challenge.

From my experience playing Halo 4 I had assumed that the cover and enemy placements were sort of random. However, as I started analysing the game I realised that every design choice had a purpose that contributed to a very specific gaming experience.

One of the main challenges I faced was translating the paper design into an in-engine blockout. I hadn't considered all the possible angles the enemy could attack from and what that would mean for the player.

Another significant challenge I faced was to mentally play through the different scenarios the player might encounter because of my design choices. This involved thinking through different player approaches and ensuring that the level provided the right type of cover and enemy placements to create engaging and balanced gameplay. It took me a few days to acquire the right mindset but once I started getting into it, the world of FPS level design started making more sense.

If I had had more time on this project I would have iterated on the coverage and enemy encounters a few more times, but overall, I am very happy with this new experience. I learned the importance of intentional design and I learned how a simple placement of a box can impact the entire player experience.