Level Design

We were tasked with creating a new level for an existing game. I couldn't choose a recent game I've played as London 2012 and The Sims aren't adventure games, Skyrim would've been impossible to think of a good quest and Lego LotR is not out yet, nor could I think of any levels it is missing. So I reverted back to LA Noire even though it was quite a while since I had played it. I did research some aspects of it and played a few cases to get my head up to speed with it though. Before that though I planned out the basic level idea and areas.

I remembered that while playing cases from the Homicide desk, all the cases focus on the murder of one person so I thought a mass murder would be interesting. I thought about the idea of it being in a theatre, inspired  by the tragic massacre at a cinema in Colorado during the first showing of The Dark Knight Rises.
Thinking about it more and more, it seemed to fit as a good, interesting case in a 1940's theatre, showing Superman (1948) which was released a few months after the games time (set in 1947) but this was the closest match I could get and film was unrelevant anyway.

The case starts in the cinema, you need to find evidence here which includes a bullet, a smoke grenade and a piece of torn clothing. You can then progress to the gun shop. Including the gun shop in the case seemed like the only way of identifying the suspect as no-one knows who he is or what he looks like and he was in and out very quickly so he hasn't left much evidence to go off. Collecting a bullet to try and identify him seems the only way. When you're at the gun shop, you need to speak to the shopkeeper to find out he was using a Sturmgewehr 44 and that he sold one recently. Checking the log book and finding this gun will tell you the possible suspects name and address. Now you need to drive to his apartment. Your partner Galloway will keep the man sat on the sofa while you check the apartment for evidence. After finding the gun, a ripped coat and a gas mask, you have enough evidence to interrogate the man and arrest him.

I used Google SketchUp to make the levels and then added a key of where the evidence will be in the scene, including misc items that are there to add realism and do not help the case.

Theatre

 
Gun Shop

 
Apartment

After finding all the evidence you can interrogate the man and arrest him.

Interrogation Questions

1.

Phelps: “Why do you own an assault rifle Mr Brown?”
Brown: “For protection, in case someone tries to break in.” (Lie- 7.9mm Kurz Bullets)
Phelps: “We found bullets for your gun at the scene of a crime, a gun like this is not used for protection.”
Brown: “I wanted something powerful. It wasn’t my bullets at the scene, plenty of people have this gun.”

2.
Phelps: “What’s with the gas mask?”
Brown: “I kept it from the war” (Lie – No 77 Grenade)
Phelps: “We found a No 77 Grenade at the scene, a gas mask would be suitable equipment to use      with that don’t you think?”
Brown: “Probably but doesn’t mean I was there, I just have this as a keepsake.”

3.

Phelps: “How did you get that tear in your coat?”
Brown: “It got caught on a rail when I was walking to work the other day” (Lie – Ripped piece of clothing)
Phelps: “You’re lying, we found the ripped piece at the theatre and there is gun residue on the sleeve. Mr Brown, I am arresting you on suspicion of manslaughter. Cuff him Galloway.”
Galloway: “Don’t worry, we’ll fetch your comics for ya ‘cause you’ll be stuck in the cell for a long time pal!”