Bandit Rush
Role: Encounter Designer | Project Type: Academic Solo | Duration: 4 Weeks | Tools: UEFN | Created: Fall 2024
Overview
Project Introduction
Bandit Rush is a single-player linear level built in UEFN for my Level Design II course. The primary goal was to design a balanced and well-paced level that focuses on combat encounters. To achieve this, I used previously learned concepts of player guidance and environmental design to create dynamic combat spaces.
Objectives
Build a UEFN level with five significant encounters, including one with three waves of enemies, ensuring each offers a fresh experience.
Design balanced and engaging combat encounters within strict constraints, using only pre-defined enemies, weapons, and items from an encounter spreadsheet.
Create, playtest, and refine the environment and combat encounters within four weeks to deliver a polished level within the tight deadline.
Project Highlights
Balanced level pacing by alternating high-intensity combat with safe zones, giving players a chance to recover and resupply.
Scaled the difficulty curve through evolving enemy composition and intentional resource scarcity.
Reinforced player progression by recycling weaker enemies throughout the level, creating a sense of empowerment as the player equips stronger weapons.
Planning
Encounter Design Spreadsheet
Pistol Enemy
Creating a Combat Gym
To determine enemy difficulty and spatial metrics, I created a separate UEFN project that acted as a combat testing gym.
Established player size and movement metrics by placing an Unreal mannequin in the space to figure out cover and mantle height.
Tested different enemy groupings against various weapons from the allowed list to establish a baseline difficulty.
Helped me identify what resources need to be available to the player, depending on the enemy composition.
Defining the Enemy Palette
The weakest of the bunch and does minimal damage. Used to help populate an encounter’s enemy palette as a low-level grunt/fodder.
Click on the link below to see a full view of the spreadsheet in Google Sheets:
Is strong and has high health. Deals high damage at close range, but its effectiveness decreases at medium to long ranges.
SMG Enemy
Has medium health and strength. This enemy’s high accuracy and weapon DPS rate deal a lot of medium damage within a short time frame.
Is very strong and has high health. This enemy deals very high damage at all ranges. Used as the final boss enemy at the end of the level.
Shotgun Enemy
2D Map Layout
AR Enemy
Level Intensity Graph
Encounter Design
Difficulty Curve: Introduce, Reinforce, Evolve
To build a meaningful difficulty curve, I gradually layer different enemy types to increase complexity without overwhelming the player. By spacing out when new threats appear, I give players time to learn enemy behavior and develop a mental model for how to deal with them effectively.
Encounter 3 - Container Depot: Increasing Complexity
Encounter 1 - Bandit’s Camp: Introducing the Challenge
This encounter serves as an initial learning space for the player, teaching them about different enemy threat levels and resource scarcity. This knowledge becomes the foundation for navigating more complex fights later on.
With a limited amount of ammo and only a pistol, players are encouraged to aim carefully and strategically move throughout the space.
By moving behind low cover, players gain an advantage over unaware Pistol Enemies, allowing them to take them out quickly.
The Shotgun Enemy's patrol path intersects with two explosive barrels. Players can shoot these props to help eliminate the high-threat Shotgun Enemy without losing as much ammo.
This encounter pairs the Shotgun Enemies with the SMG Enemies. While the SMG enemy first appears in Encounter 2, this is the first time the player must handle both the Shotgun and SMG threats simultaneously.
The Shotgun Enemy is no longer a standalone threat; here, they function as a support, drawing attention to the flanks, while the SMG enemy applies pressure from the center.
Building on previous knowledge of enemy types, the player must move quickly to dodge suppressive fire from the SMG Enemy and avoid damage from the Shotgun Enemies at close range.
Encounter Pacing: Crafting Combat Stories
Each encounter is structured to follow a combat story arc based on a three-act narrative structure. With a Beginning (setup and anticipation), Middle (active combat), and End (feedback and resolution), this structure helps keep encounters readable and creates engaging pacing through variation in emotional intensity.
Player sees the layout and enemies from above, which allows the player to digest information and builds anticipation for the upcoming fight.
The player begins to plan which route they will take, whether they will opt for the high ground or engage from below.
Middle: Suprise Attack
Encounter 2 - Stockpile: Combat Structure
Beginning: Setup
A shift in tempo, the enemies' surprise attack the player. This encounter doesn’t start on the player’s terms, like before.
Risk vs. Reward Dynamic: The ammo and health pickups are placed to draw the player into combat.
The health pickup sits at the high ground, exposed to enemy fire, but claiming the flanking position provides the player with a strong advantage in the fight.
End: Resolution
Safezones: To build consistency after each encounter, the player enters a safe area where they can resupply and take a break.
This provides a mental reset, ensuring the player doesn’t become fatigued after a hard fight.
Limited Inventory Space: Even in non-combat areas, the player still has to make strategic decisions regarding which items to swap out.
This way, engagement never falls to absolute zero.
Player Guidance
To reduce cognitive load during combat and ensure cover behavior is instantly recognizable, I created a visual rule:
Cartoon Textured Crates -> Breakable
These crates provide temporary solid cover, encouraging forward movement through the space.
Realistic Textured Crates/Barrels -> Permanent
Solid cover that provides a reliable refuge from gunfire, allowing the player to maneuver around the space.
Cover Readability: Creating a Visual Language
Retrospective
What Needs Improvement
Final Learning Outcomes
What Went Well