Jon Mata Mogollón
- Genre: Third person shooter
- Type: Blockout
- Engine: Unreal Engine 5
- Tools: Blueprints, UE5's modeling tool, ALS, PureRef
- Iterations # 2
- Playtests # 1
- Role: Level designer
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Project summary
Imagine a video game that captures the heart-pounding action of John Wick. This project showcases my level design approach to bringing this iconic franchise to life, infused with my personal touch of parody and comedy to create a fresh and entertaining game.
So, what is Jon Mata Mogollón?
Jon Mata Mogollón is a third person shooter made in Unreal Engine 5. I used ALS as a base for the movement and camera system, but everything else is made by me. I was inspired by the movie John Wick 4 to make this project.
As for the art, I used lighting assets from the Modular Concert Stage. I also used some 3D models from the Safe House Package. All these packages can be found in Fab.
I only used art assets when I considered them essential to achieve the desired experience (the main purpose was to build some environmental narrative), otherwise I used Unreal’s default shapes to create all the structures.
The purpose of this project was to make my own version of the nightclub fight scene from John Wick 4 in video game format.
Main reference: John Wick 4 club shootout scene
Overview
Setting:
Constraints:
- Linear level.
- Single – player PvE.
- 5-10 minutes playtime.
- Third person shooter.
- Unreal Engine 5.
Level highlights
1. Back entrance of the club
- This short area introduces the narrative context via an optional interaction with an NPC who shares key details about Sebastian’s operation.
- To enhance immersion, the bustling main entrance of the nightclub, crowded with people waiting to get in, is visible in the distance, creating a contrast with the deserted, dimly lit alley of the back entrance.
2. Drug warehouse
- These environmental details deepen the level’s narrative, immersing players in the criminal underworld.
3. First encounter with enemies
- Three-Tiered Layout: The room is divided into three height levels, with Jon starting on the middle level for a tactical advantage over enemies below.
- Advantage over most enemies: Most enemies occupy the lower level, where limited cover and tight nav mesh paths restrict their movement, making them vulnerable.
- Upper Level Constraints: Few enemies are positioned on the upper level, but nav mesh limitations prevent them from approaching access points, ensuring player safety.
4. The airlock
Transition area from the club’s private area to its public area. The airlock is a small bar room where the player has to get rid of an enemy, but behind the scenes the game is running a very important operation.
- Visual transition: The bar’s aesthetic, with pulsating music and neon decor, signals the transition into the nightclub’s lively public zone, enhancing immersion.
- Seamless Loading: The airlock unloads the introductory section of the level while loading the final section at the same time without the player noticing it.
5. Final fight
- Upper Level – Central Corridor: Jon enters on a high central corridor with balconies on both sides
- Lower Level – Bar Area: The lower level features a bar zone where enemies use counters as cover. Players must switch between covers to eliminate enemies.
- Lower Level – Concert Area: This area includes elevated balconies and mid-tier corridors.
- Final room: Clearing the arena unlocks access to the room where Sebastian hides, letting the player kill his main target at last.
Level breakdown
1. Back entrance of the club
The first task was to create an introductory section in which the player would get some context about what is going on. Since the level takes place in a nightclub where Jon infiltrates, I thought of making a parking lot with 2 separate areas:
Club's back entrance
- Playable part of the introduction.
- An NPC will introduce the player to the narrative context of the level.
- The player can observe the main entrance of the club from here.
- Linear section in which each key element is highlighted for the player with lights.
Club's main entrance
- Crowded with people waiting to get into the club.
- Makes the space feel more immersive.
- Lets the player get a grasp of the type of place he’s in.
- The player can’t navigate this space.
2. Drug warehouse
I created a room full of druck packages that the mafia stored there for distribution. This place contributed greatly to the immersion and the narrative aspect of the level.
This room has 3 key elements that I used to support the environmental narrative of the level:
Drug packages
- The room is full of tables where boxes are being filled with drugs.
- There are also shelves with more boxes in the sides and corners of the room.
Distribution route maps
- One of the walls has a few maps where the mafia noted their distribution routes.
- A short monologue where Jon talks about the maps is played if the player gets close to them, helping him understand what they are.
Mafia workers
If the player peeks at one of the windows, he will see a couple workers loading one of the trucks the mafia uses to distribute the drugs.
A dialogue between the workers will be played where the name of Sebastian is heard once again.
3. First encounter with enemies
After introducing the player to the narrative context of the level and letting him explore a bit, it was time to introduce him to the gunplay.
Sebastian's first appearance
The player will reach a hallway where he will interact with Sebastian for the first time.
- Sebastian will appear on a TV screen and he will start talking to Jon, letting him know he was expecting him to infiltrate that night and that he had fallen into a trap.
- This is a cliché situation I created to contribute to the parodic part of the level.
After hearing Sebastian’s monologue, the access to the next room will be unlocked, where enemies are awaiting to begin the first fight of the level.
The room is divided into 3 different floors:
Lower floor
- Most enemies are in this floor.
- enemies have bad covers and movement restrictions due to small nav meshes.
- The player can easily kill all the enemies in this floor shooting from the middle floor.
Middle floor
- Player’s starting floor.
- No enemies and no nav meshes in this floor, which turns it into a safe zone.
- Gives advantageous position to kill the enemies in the lower floor.
- Multiple accesses to the upper floor.
Upper floor
- A couple enemies are positioned in this floor.
- Due to nav meshes restrictions, enemies can’t abandon this floor.
- They can’t get too close to the access points of this floor, letting the player transition between floors smoothly.
This layout allows the player to easily overcome the first fight since most of the enemies are in vulnerable positions and they won’t put much pressure on him, turning this encounter into a good introduction to the combat.
4. The airlock
In level design, an airlock is a transition space where the game is loading the next section of the level while the player can still play (hidden loading screens). I learned about this technique in the CGMA Level Design Course.
I knew I needed to make one since I had lots of NPCs placed around the level. Additionally, the final part of the level had a lot of lights that put a lot of pressure on the system.
Airlock entrance
- The airlock consist of a bar room that belongs to the club’s public zone.
- The entrance is located in the upper floor of the first encounter room, and is unlocked once the player has killed all the enemies in the room.
Whole level loaded VS. only final section loaded
How does the airlock works?
- When the player walks into the airlock, the door behind him gets locked.
- The introductory part is completely unloaded.
- The final section starts to get loaded immediately.
Enemy in the airlock
I placed an enemy to make sure the player has to stop running forward for a few seconds to kill him. This way, the player is distracted so he doesn’t realize what’s really happening in this room.
Neon lights and furniture
To signal that the player is getting in a new section of the level, I added neon lights (they are just long cubes with an emissive material) so he realizes that he is getting in the public area of the club.
the room also has typical elements of a nightclub: bar counters, sofas, cocktail tables, loudspeakers…
The player will hear Sebastian talking to his employees through the speakers of the room, revealing his location as the microphone has been left open. Now it’s time for the player to get him.
5. The final fight
The final fight has a brief introduction.
Building up the hype
- The only way to get to the final room is by walking down a long hallway.
- As the player is walking, he starts hearing shouting from the distance.
- As soon as he leaves the hallway, the player encounters a group of people fleeing from the club, which has been taken over by the mafia.
- This event builds up the hype for the final fight and it also contributes to the immersion.
As the player progresses through this section, the song Blood Code by Castlevania (same song that was used in the movie scene) begins to play in the background and slowly increases in volume, breaking up as the shooting begins.
the final hall is also divided into several floors with distinct sections:
John Wick 4 vs Jon Mata Mogollón
Although not an exact replica, the final room mimics the structure of the room in the original film.
Upper floor
The upper floor has 2 areas:
- Central corridor that runs along the entire length of the room.
- Side balconies occupied by enemies are located at a higher height than the corridor. The player can reach them and occupy them to have a tactical advantage over the rest of the enemies.
Lower floor - Bar area
- This area has a lot of enemies taking cover behind some bar counters.
- A few enemies will be walking around, unprotected.
- The player can use the flight cases as covers to move around while killing all the enemies.
- Having flight cases in an area like this may sound unrealistic, but the actual club that John Wick 4 was inspired by for the scene has a similar area.
Lower floor - Concert area
The concert area is divided into 2 floors:
- Lower floor: Space where the DJ set and dance floor are located.
- People in this floor are vulnerable to the shooters in higher floors.
- Upper floor: Can be accessed through the stairs located in the sides of the room, both in the concert and bar areas.
- This places offers advantageous positions over enemies in the lower floor and DJ set area.
- It’s easier to deal with enemies in this floor and the balconies next to the DJ set if the player uses the stairs in the bar area to get here fast.
Sebastian's hidden room
Once the player has cleared the final fight, he can access Sebastian’s hidden room, which is located behind the DJ set of the concert area.
all he has todo is get close to the door and Jon will kick the door open.
All the player has to do here is kill Sebastian to clear the level.