Tim Davies - Level Design
DESIGN ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENT
The location used is based on farmland, along the Rasht Valley, Tajikistan. Due to this area being used in multiple missions the flat flood plains were chosen as they allow good visibility in both directions.
Each front has at least one compound with a two-storey building. The walled structure gives a safe space to resupply, heal and defend if overrun. The two-story building gives good visibility to fight from.
Strong frontlines were created perpendicular to the direction of the mission to give the player a clear sense of progression and a reference to defend. Parallel lines were used to help guide the player and give cover for both friendly and enemy units.
ROLLING ASSAULT MECHANIC
The player successfully holds back the PLA troops and so gets a warning to vacate the area due to incoming artillery.
The player fails and their position is overrun. They must fall back while covered by the other fireteams.
The PLA troops push forward protected by the T92’s. The player is unable to overpower the T92’s so they stay just out of range, acting as a blocker and to push the player back when the assault rolls forward. The player must prevent any more than 10 PLA “soft targets” from crossing their defensive line for 2 minutes.
click button to advance mechanic:
MISSION 06 - CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
After suffering heavy casualties, the USMC are now on the back foot and have begun using tactics similar to the "hit and run" methods previously employed by the insurgents. In this mission, the player is tasked with sneaking behind enemy lines to destroy a convoy heading toward the nearby FOB. It provides a great change of pace following the intensity of the previous mission, beginning quietly, where remaining undetected offers a clear advantage until the player kicks the hornets' nest.
MISSION FLOW
MISSION DETAILS
A. Pick up Special Weapons (Opt)
At the start of deployment the player may choose to swap one of their weapons for a rocket launcher. The SMAW is highly effective against vehicles but has limited rounds and there is a high number of enemy infantry.
1. Break the First Defensive Line
Bravo fireteam must eliminate enemy forces at the bridge. If the player takes too long, Charlie, who are equipped with sniper rifles, will engage targets on their own.
B. Reach Vantage point (Opt)
Alpha and Charlie move down the dry river bed to remain undetected while heading to the Regroup point (2). There is a limited air strike window for the player to reach the vantage point and call it in. To get there in time they must cross the heavily fortified hills.
C. Destroy
If the air strike is called in successfully, it will destroy PLA vehicles stationed at a former US FOB. These vehicles would be problematic if detected during Objective 3.
2. Regroup
All fireteams regroup at the clifftops
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3. Clear compounds with Alpha
Charlie remain on the clifftops in overwatch as Alpha and Bravo move down into the valley. The farms below are heavily occupied by PLA forces, with each compound held by enemy troops. Between the compounds, the valley has been fortified with multiple machine gun emplacements. Soldiers patrol the area, moving between positions. Additionally, a small number of Type 08 armoured vehicles are stationed at key locations.
Alpha and Bravo use bounding to clear each compound and emplacement, advancing through the orchards as they work to pick a hole in the defences and push towards the village.
4. Regroup
Alpha and Bravo regroup at the clifftops at some empty ruins on the outskirts of the village
5. Destroy Convoy
As they approach the village, Bravo are presented with two options for ideal ambush points for the convoy. The closest position offers plenty of cover, allowing Bravo to let the convoy pass before Alpha triggers the attack. Bravo can then strike from behind, surrounding the convoy. The alternative ambush site is on the east side of the village. This option requires clearing a guard station but leaves the convoy with no cover once the attack begins.
In addition to the guard station, the village has three PLA patrols. If Bravo are detected, a countdown begins for the arrival of a attack helicopter, which would make destroying the convoy significantly more difficult. When engaging the convoy, a smart player may choose not to destroy the escort vehicles, creating an opportunity for a fast escape before the helicopter arrives.​
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6. Evade Helicopter
Once the convoy is destroyed, an attack helicopter is called in. Alpha and Bravo must flee the village, using the surrounding compounds for cover as the helicopter alternates between two flight patterns. Any remaining infantry fall back to assault the compounds, increasing pressure on the player.
Because a realistic helicopter would be overwhelmingly deadly, I scripted a suppression behaviour to keep the moment tense without making it unfair. The helicopter targets a point offset from the player's position, with the amount of offset determined by their stance and whether they are inside a building or not.
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7. Defend Cliffs
As the two teams near the cliffs, Charlie provides cover while the Type 08s close in. Multiple waves of transport helicopters begin to arrive, dropping off infantry who begin to assault the fireteams' position. During this phase, artillery support comes online, allowing the player to call in strikes against vehicles and large clusters of infantry.
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8. Defend Ruins
After a set amount of time attacking the clifftop, PLA forces begin landing transport helicopters behind the fireteams, forcing a fallback to the ruins using structured bounding. To increase the pressure, one helicopter drops PLA special forces at a distance behind them. This is the player’s first encounter with this challenging archetype. A smart player can use the high calibre machine gun emplacements cleared in Objective B to bypass their armour if armour-piercing rounds are not yet equipped.
9. Extraction
After the extraction site is cleared of the special forces, three Humvees pull up nearby. With PLA infantry still assaulting the ruins, the fireteams fall back, covering each other as they move to the vehicles. Once the ruins are empty of friendly troops, mortar fire rains down to clear the area of the remaining PLA threat and provide an explosive finish to the mission.
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MISSION 05 - THE WRONG WAY
This is the first time that the player meets the PLA, for this reason I wanted to show their power. Typically in an FPS the player is predominantly going forward but for this mission I designed a mechanic to push the player back. The longer the player could hold out on the front lines then the less time the player would have to defend injured troops in a near-by village while their vehicle is repaired.
ABOUT
Operation Flashpoint Red River is an FPS which aims to find a balance between simulation and accessibility. The game portrays a potentially real situation where insurgents have been pushed north out of Afghanistan into Tajikistan.
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) are tasked with clearing the region before the insurgents can dig in. However, Tajikistan’s neighbours, China are also wary of the threat. They mobilise their forces, The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The two major powers begin to step on each other’s toes and a conflict arises between the USMC and the PLA.
MY WORK
I was involved on this project for the duration of its development. As part of a team of three my work began by refining over 100 small concepts to form the 10 mission campaign. I developed missions 5 and 6 but once in full production and the team size increased mission 5 was handed over to another designer.