Assassin's Creed Blockout
This level is a blockout of an Assassin's Creed level set during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at the gates of Quebec City.
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The prototype's goal was to isolate some key features of the assassin's creed saga and apply them in this level.
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Multiple paths (Fight - Stealth - Parkour)
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Historical Accuracy
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Sense of freedom in the approach
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Level blockout.
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1 week of research and production.
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Unreal Engine 5.
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Long researches for historical accuracy
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True Assassins' Creed level blockout
Pre-production
Historical Research
I began by learning about the history of the Seven Years' War and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham: how it unfolded, the main figures and the main battle areas.
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I started by choosing the most important places and characters for the mission, based on historical reality.
The mission will take place on the Plains of Abraham, in the nearby forest, in Quebec City and will end in the Redoute Dauphine.
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I've also chosen the mission's main and secondary characters based on their historical importance in the battle, or whether they're known to the general public but their involvement in the battle is a lesser-known moment.
Mission Planning
The next step was to plan the mission, its synopsis and the player's objectives along the way.
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Based on the mission synopsis, the player's objectives and the historical facts, I started sketching the map on Illustrator to plan the different game zones and their purpose for the player.
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For each zone, I described on the map what the player would find and how to cross the zone, to guide me later in creating the map on Unreal.
"La prise de Québec", oil on canvas by Hervey Smyth, 1797.
Multiple references from diverse sources.
Map planning with global informations on main zones of the map
Level Breakdown
Outside Space
Introduction
At the start of the mission, the player appears behind a line of British soldiers.
He can clearly see his objective, raised above the other enemies and in the center of the screen.
To reach it, the player has two paths: enter the forest or join the battle.
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This information is also provided by his allies (James Wolfe & George Washington).
On the battlefield
After the line of allied soldiers, the player discovers enemies fleeing, so he can use them to get to General de Montcalm by chaining together easy fights and assassinations in a satisfying epic choreography.
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The aim is to build the player's confidence with an easy, encouraging start to combat.
Entering the forest
Upon entering the forest, the player can still see his objective, but also discovers the fight between the British snipers and the French skirmishers.
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The player has two options to cross the forest:
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Discreetly through the bushes
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High up in the trees
On the treetops
By climbing up into the trees, players can view the battlefield and discover Quebec City as they watch the French flee and win.
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Furthermore, the trees and their branches offer numerous opportunities to assassinate enemies, as well as the chance to climb up into the trees unseen thanks to the numerous bushes.
Reaching Montcalm
Arriving where Montcalm should be, the player discovers him fleeing towards the city with the surviving French.
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The player has two choices:
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Run behind Montcalm as he retreats, or try to catch up with him. The player can also see the city gate, inviting him to enter the city.
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Climb the Quebec City wall and try to cut off Montcalm's route into the city.
End of the first section
The player's first objective has been missed, Montcalm has fled, and it's at this point that he learns that General Wolfe died during his meeting with George Washington.
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This meeting will stop the player in a cinematic sequence to give him new information to continue the mission: Montcalm is on the top floor of the Redoute Dauphine, in Quebec City.
Entering the city
Upon arriving in the city, if he has pursued the general, the level will guide the player to the Redoute Dauphine where Montcalm has taken refuge.
The player is guided by the direction of the street between the buildings and the Parkour grips, as well as the enemies.
The player can run down the street for a more combat-oriented approach, or climb the buildings to be more discreet.
Across the street to the Redoubt
To cross the street, the player has different possible paths all pointing in the same direction, and they allow the player to switch from one to another to be able to explore the whole city and collect as much information as possible.
Scaling the wall
If the player climbs the wall, he is presented with this situation.
After assassinating the enemy waiting for him at the top of the wall, two paths are possible.
Going along the wall is a more direct, combat-oriented route.
Climbing the building behind the wall takes longer, but allows the player to gain height and discover the city quickly.
Revealing the Redoubt Dauphine
Both the street and wall paths lead to the same place, ensuring designers that all players will discover the fortress from the same vantage point.
La Redoute Dauphine may seem intimidating, with many different routes to approach it, but the paths are still quite distinct:
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Along the fortress wall
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Straight through the courtyard
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Right of the building, which is open and free of enemies
Right of the Redoute Dauphine
Arriving here the player discovers several new entrances to the fortress and other rooms and entrances not accessible from his position to encourage the player to enter the fortress.
Behind the Redoute Dauphine
If the player goes all the way around the fortress, he'll discover a new access to the building's courtyard through two cracks in its wall and one on the wall arriving behind a guard protecting access to a window on the top floor.
What's more, an inaccessible window where his target is supposed to be creates a memory in the player's head.
Stealth approach
The player decides to pass to the right and, after a double assassination, is invited to kill an enemy from behind, taking him into the building.
Once inside, the player discovers that a door is blocked by a guard.
But he sees a ladder and a trapdoor opposite the guard, covered by a wall.
On the way down, the player is protected from the guard by an object and discovers a chest rewarding him for exploring.
After the reward, the player enters a room guarded by two enemy thugs, close to a pressure-sensitive alarm.
The exit is secured by a bush with an enemy facing away.
Once out, the player can navigate to the top floor, but the access window is blocked, forcing him to keep moving.
Once you've reached the building's framework, you'll have a global view of the new room, so you can start thinking about your plan.
Arriving at the door of the room where Montcalm is, he discovers it blocked, but a path through the room's framework allows him to infiltrate.
By crossing under the roof using the chandelier and other wooden beams, the player can easily reach his objective, and the open window just beside the general offers an escape route.
Combat approach
The player engages in combat in the courtyard, which is going to be difficult due to the large number of guards present, plus the player must defend an alarm bell to avoid facing more reinforcements.
After this intense battle, the player took out all the enemies who were in the Redoubt, close to the courtyard, leaving him to rest and follow the only staircase.
At the top of the staircase, the player can hide behind a blanket and climb the same frame as in the stealth approach to learn more about his surroundings.
The room where Montcalm is is an open space, but constricted, and relatively empty so as not to hinder the player in his fight.
An enemy is initially hidden from the player to add a disruptive element, but as no one prevents the player from exiting, he can retreat into the corridor to fight enemies one by one.
Conclusion
I wanted to create an open-ended experience for the player, giving him different choices for tackling each situation, whether through infiltration or combat.
I made this choice to be closer to the latest releases in the franchise, despite the more linear aspect of Assassin's Creed Rogue, where Shay is played. I also drew a lot of inspiration from Assassin's Creed Unity, as it's the game that makes the most use of building interiors, in my opinion.