Antlion Rescue | Half-Life 2

Trailer

Introduction

“Antlion Rescue” is a single-player Half-Life 2 level created as a standalone scenario set between the "Sandtraps" and "Nova Prospekt" chapters in the game, when Antlions has become an ally of Resistance. Gordon Freeman and a trained Antlion are sent by the Resistance to the coast to eliminate enemies in a Combine facility. The level consists of four main sections, including two outdoor scenes and two indoor scenes. The designed playtime is approximately 12 minutes.

Tool: Hammer (Source Engine)
Development Time: 4 weeks
Average Playtime: 20 minutes
My Role: Level Design (Layout, Quest, Combat, Narrative), Programmer, Artist

GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW

In the original Half-Life 2, Antlion could only help players eliminate enemies. In this level, I introduced more mechanics, making Antlion designed as a more powerful assistant.

In this level, the players need to use the Pheropod to control a trained Antlion, which can help the player defeat enemies, clear rock obstacles in the way, and reach areas that the player cannot access by flying. As the player, you can use the gravity gun to pick up objects to create pathways, operate buttons on panels to disable Thumpers or Combine Fence to allow yourself and the Antlion to infiltrate the facility successfully.

GOALS

Background

The Antlion, as a very fragile creature in Half-Life 2, has a very limited function in the original work. In most scenes, they appear in swarms and can only assist players in defeating enemies.

Development Pipeline

Level Design Document

Level development follows a strict development process to ensure levels are delivered on time.

The pre-production phase includes brainstorming, LDD, and gameplay fragments.

The production phase includes milestones such as Whitebox, Initial Gameplay, Gameplay Complete, Aesthetic, and Launch.

Download to view my LDD

PUZZLE-SOLVING

“Antlion Rescue” combines puzzle-solving and combat for players, it introduces some unique mechanics like obstacles that require combined use of the Gravity Gun, Antlion’s destructive abilities, and in-world interactive elements (like disabling fences and thumpers) to promote creative problem-solving.

DIVERSE BATTLE SCENES

"Antlion Rescue" consists of a total of four combat scenes, two of which are outdoors and two indoors. Among them, the indoor scenes are further divided into a more vertical building and a relatively low building, smoothly transitioning the player from open coastlines into tight industrial interiors, balancing combat encounters with quieter puzzle moments to maintain a dynamic gameplay rhythm.

The beach

The first sturcture

The building

DESIGN

Conveyance Design

Lighting and Texture

The level uses lighting and color contrast to differentiate the importance of objectives and guide players

Color Contrast

Different materials are used in the scene to highlight the importance of space.
For example, this white building is one of the player's objectives, using white to contrast with the surrounding environment and stand out.

Light-dark Contrast

Setting lights at some key objectives to attract players' attention.

As shown in the image, players cannot enter this door because it is blocked by a Combine Fence, but they can see another entrance through the Combine Fence.

Leading Lines

Leading Lines are used in the level to guide the player's visual endpoint, such as fences, branches, and cables.

The drawn path, along with the surrounding fence and numerical indicators, guides players towards its endpoint, which is the Tunnel, the goal for players.

Cables are also used in some puzzles to connect the Diesel Generator, Interface, and Combine Fence, indicating the control relationship between them.

Additionally, signal lights are referenced in the Puzzle to assist in communication. The red signal represents the off state, while a green signal light represents the on state, thus displaying the operational status of the equipment.