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Fishstore Frenzy

A Bounty Hunt map for Far Cry 5

Tools

Far Cry 5, Far Cry Arcade

Role

Level Concept, AI type, patrolling paths, and Prop Placement

Duration(Length)

3 Month

Completion

October, 2021

Overview

“A civilian asked you to go and check up on one of their friends who owns a Fish, Bait, and Tackle store up north the whitetail mountains of hope county.”

 

This a custom bounty hunt map I made to get familiar with the far cry 5’s level editor. I decided to create a small map where player had to kill the VIP chemist that has taken over the store and its surrounding. Once the objective is completed, player can exfiltrate the area using any one of the exit points.

Level Features

  1. Single objective to allow the player the freedom of approach and to engage the enemy at their own pace.
     

  2. Systemic Elements placed throughout the map to support fun strategies.

3. Interconnected area with multiple routes around the map.

4. Varied Terrain ranging from hills, rivers, and islands.

5. Unique player loadouts that support distinct playstyle.
 

​6. Story told through the environments and player exploration.

Detailed Info

Pre-Production

  • Constraints:
     

  1. The Map must be non-linear and it has to have more than one path to move around the map.
     

  2. The map must support multiple playstyles.
     

  3. The map has to stay under the budget.

  • Goals:
     

  1. Try to tell a story of what happened before player got there, through the environment.
     

  2. Allow the player the time and space to plan their approach.
     

  3. Reward player exploration.
     

  4. The map has to be small.
     

  5. The map has to feel believable.

  • I chose Bounty hunt mode because its objective is quite simple; just kill the designated NPC and escape the area. This allows the player to use any means necessary to complete the objective.
     

  • The environment of the hope county is quite varied both in terms of purpose and verticality. This gave me a lot of options about the setting of the map.
     

  • After referring to some of the areas within the game, I decided to make the level around a fishing store located deep within the remote areas of the hope county, because I felt It had the most variety in terrain and purpose of a space.

  • I sketched out a rough top down layout that included the area around the store, the cabin of the owner on top of a hill, and a water body with islands.

  • I created a test map that I used to find player metrics such as crouch height, max jump, and slide distance, etc.
     

  • Not only that, but I used the test map to sort out the structures, weapons, and mechanics that I wanted to use in my map.

  • I also chose the “No Health Regen” modifier to emphasis planning before execution. Although, the player can choose to run and gun to finish the objective, it is slightly more difficult since the player only starts with just one health kit.

Production And Iterations

  • Using the top down map and selected structures, I quickly blocked out the map.

  • The level changed a lot based on the feedback I received.

Store Area Transformation
Play Video

  • I also removed the Archer's Nest zone, which would've given the player a very high vantage point to snipe from, because I felt like it was too disconnected from the main map.
     

  • I used animation points with control zones to make enemies petrol the area.

  • I cleaned up the terrain for smoother navigation and used even more objects to assist combat and stealth.
     

  • I had another playtest of the level and feedback I received was pretty positive.
     

  • I further cleaned up the terrain, did a cover pass and added clarity of some of the routes.

Final Thoughts

  • The level feels quite alright and has mostly everything I originally wanted, which satisfies me.
     

  • I really enjoyed messing around with existing objects and thinking about how to systemically utilize them to create emergent fun, such as making a bear follow you around and take out all the enemies in the process.
     

  • However, when I look at all the existing mechanics in the game, I do feel like if the editor had deeper scripting tools and customizability of the existing assets, I could have been able to add more interesting interactive sequences.
     

  • The lack of data such as level metrics and information on NPCs and their behaviour was a bit disappointing, since I believe if I had that data I could have used enemy NPC and player movement in a much better, probably even in a more interesting way.

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