Helldivers 2

Level Designer

Released: Feb 2024

Game Engine : Stingray

Date : 2022 - Present

Development: Ongoing

Game Description: HELLDIVERS 2 is a 3rd person squad-based shooter that sees the elite forces of the Helldivers battling to win an intergalactic struggle to rid the galaxy of the rising alien threats.

Arrowhead Game Studios

Tasks and responsibilities

Level Design
- When creating levels, I take the level through the entire process—from making a blockout to developing a fully polished level. This includes tasks such as:
  - Sculpting and painting terrain
  - Placing meshes
  - Setting up objective logic
  - Placing enemy spawn markers
  - Adding decals and VFX
  - Setting up random groups
  - Adding lights
- Before a level is enabled in the game I need to test the following:
  - Navigation for all enemies
  - See if the terrain paint holds up across different planets
  - Lighting during nighttime
- Taking part in feedback sessions with other members of the level design team
Mission design
- I collaborate with level designers to create and design new missions based on narrative and director's briefs.
- Improve existing objectives
Scripting
- Implementing mission logic and prototype new mission mechanics using our in-house scripting language
- Taught scripting to other members of the level design team
Responsible for providing learning material for the level design team

What is a level in Helldivers 2?

A level in Helldivers 2 is essentially a confined area that will be added into the procedural generation of the game world each time you drop down. Since the prepared spaces are blended into the environment, I must work within constraints such as the maximum diameter of the level. I also need to consider factors like the shape of the layout as making all the levels just one circle would become notable in the world generation.

The Importance of Player Guidance

Given the chaotic nature of this game, important elements in the level need to be easy to find and readable in the environment. This means using level design concepts such as framing, silhouette, leading lines, and verticality to make key objects stand out.

Layout and Spatial composition

When I make a level I often start with the layout. One concept that stuck with me is the term “Spatial Composition”, which in practice means taking the whole level and breaking it down to different clearly defined areas. For example in a Super Earth level you can have one area for storage, one area where they live and one area where they work.

Once I have established the areas, I try to use height variation, colors, gameplay etc. to make each area stand out in the level, making it easy for the player to digest the overall space. Depending on the objective, I focus on adding more weight to that area by for example, putting it on the highest point in the level.

Notable Features

CR 10 Outpost: Fortresses

Released: 6th august 2024

In the new update, a harder difficulty has been introduced. A fortress is a larger and more challenging type of outpost that only spawn in the new difficulty.

What I did:

I developed four levels on my own, two levels for the Terminid (bugs) enemy Faction and two levels for the Automaton (bots) faction, taking each from blockout to final version.

Trailer for the new update