Case Study 2:
EXAMPLE POI - THE BOAT RENTAL
This location is one of more than 10 POIs I directed and designed for GZW. Boat rental transforms a former tourist boat rental service into a fortified bandit hideout situated on an isolated island. The core design goal was to offer a progressive approach that rewards reconnaissance and supports both stealth and full-frontal assault playstyles.
Design Pillars
- Multi-Path Infiltration: Designed three distinct entry vectors (Main Bridge, Beach, and Catwalk), allowing squads to choose between high-risk frontal assaults or flanking via the water.
- Progressive Difficulty: Structured the location flow into three phases: Outer Recon → The Fortified Landmark (Restaurant) → The Deep Objective (Workshop).
- Environmental Storytelling: Visualized a "Paradise Lost" theme by trashing holiday architecture with improvised gang living space, creating a disturbing yet grounded atmosphere.
- Easy to read: Designed the main Landmark to be visible from every direction and recon/vantage point allowing player to navigate easilly.
The Design Process
- Concept & Requirements: Collaborated with narrative and design leads to define the location's purpose ("Why we need this?"), gameplay duration, and supported quests.
- Defining Pillars: Determined the target difficulty and location archetype based on world placement. Established the narrative mood to ensure the environment conveyed the right emotions and story.
- Prototyping (Blockout): Transitioned from reference gathering and sketches to a playable blockout. Iterated extensively based on internal playtests and peer reviews to finalize the layout.
- Art Collaboration: Guided the Environment Art team during the aesthetic pass, consulting on ideas and ensuring that visuals maintained strict gameplay readability.
- Final Implementation: Polished all gameplay data, including AI patrol paths, loot distribution, and interactables
