Project Contingency
TIME
06/2024 -- 08/2025
3 Mo
ROLES
Personal Project
TOOLS
Maya, Figma, Unreal Engine 5
TAGS
Action
Survival
Puzzle
Single Player
Third Person Shooter
Introduction
Project Contingency is a level design demo, built in Unreal Engine 5, online market assets were used to create the game environment. The blueprint scripting and design are personal work.
Overview
Background
Contingency is a level design demo that takes place in a recently abandoned research facility that was quickly evacuated after intruders broke in. Papers, boxes, and equipment are left scattered, and some passages are blocked or locked down.
The player takes the role of a cleanup agent, sent in to investigate the facility and eliminate the remaining threat. Moving through the complex, they must unlock secured doors, navigate blocked paths, and engage in short combat encounters while piecing together what happened inside.
Gameplay
The player begins in the central control room and must navigate through the facility with locked doors to find the 2 vital items to unlock the main exit. Along the way, they will face light combat encounters, keycard puzzles, and environmental obstacles that demand both exploration and decision-making.
Design Layout
Blockout
Gameplay Flow
Level Sequence
1. At the center room, player will start here and explore the area. In this room, some props are placed in the middle to draw player's attention and lead them to find their first Security Card.
2. The main exit door with focus lighting highlights its importance, when interacted, system hints at player that 2 essential items are required to open it.
The door with a controlling device can be unlocked using the security card picked up earlier.
Level Sequence
4. The first encounter, involving only one enemy to help player familiarizing with the combat. Additionally, after the encounter, player will discover a security key card.
3. A short hallway that act as a transition with an ammo pickup, hinting at the incoming encounter.
Level Sequence
4. The first encounter, involving only one enemy to help player familiarizing with the combat. Additionally, after the encounter, player will discover a security key card.
3. A short hallway that act as a transition with an ammo pickup, hinting at the incoming encounter.
Level Sequence
5. A break space after the first encounter, slow down the pace and change the vibe by adding multiple 'exits' for exploration. This room serves as a smooth transition point to whatever next encounter to be based on player's choice.
Exit A: Here, player can use the security key card from the previous room to open exit A, which will lead to the second encounter to fetch the key item (Blue Dot) for the main door. There are 2 enemies in the room with narrow spaces, ramping up the combat difficulty.
Exit B: This is not really a viable exit as the door is broken. The main purpose is to give player a glance at the next room (which contains the second key item to the main door), hinting at players to find an alternate route to the room.
Exit C: The secrete passage to the basement. Player needs to find an appropriate item to maintain the weight the pressure plate to keep the trap door open.
Exit B
Exit A
B
A
C
Exit C
Level Sequence
Subtle Guides
The game flow is carefully designed. In order to solve the puzzle in the upcoming section, player need to utilize both grabbing action and learn the mechanic that the security key card can be withdrawn from a door control console (the door will close).
Pressure plate is a classic mechanic, this courage player to search for items to place on the pressure plate and hence learn the input action of Grabbing Item.
Once descend to the basement level, player will learn that the door is locked with no security key card remaining at possession.
Therefore, to progress from room 5, player needs to climb back up to room 5 and withdraw the key card to the Exit A.
After the whole sequence, player learns these two essential mechanics naturally.
Exit C
Exit A
Exit B
Level Sequence
6. Storage Basement: This is a puzzle room where players need to find a way to pass through the lock doors.
However, the two doors behave strangely, as the control device can only operate the door on the other side which close slowly on its own after fully opened. (1 to 1, 2 to 2).
Player only has one key card and needs to figure out a way to stop the second door from closing.
Moving Platforms
Level Sequence
7. Following a relatively long session of puzzle solving, player reaches room 7, where the second and final piece of the key items to the main door can be found. However, the third and most intense battle will take place.
8. With both of the key items (Battery and Passcode) for the main door obtained, player can exit from Door A to the main center room.
A
9. The final confrontation and end of the demo in the center control room.
Key Design Feature
Pacing & Flow
The level is structured to balance exploration, puzzle-solving, and light combat encounters. Players move through quiet and peaceful sections of exploring and puzzle solving before reaching moments of tension.
In Contingency, the design focuses on three core areas: pacing and flow, visual guidance, and environmental storytelling.
Subtle Visual Guidance
To support navigation, lighting plays a central role in guiding the player’s attention. Subtle spotlights emphasize important exits and objectives, while brighter highlights draw the eye toward clues or interactive elements.
Through contrast and framing, the level directs movement without relying on HUD markers, allowing the environment itself to communicate direction.
Environmental Story Telling
The facility tells its story through environmental details. Broken doors sparking with electricity, scattered props left behind in haste. These elements hint at the chaos caused by intruders and thematically create player’s role as a cleanup agent investigating the aftermath.
Highlight on the main exit
The portable light as a visual guidance to draw attention to the interactable item.
