Police Stories: Zombie Case · published
It's been a while!
A lot of time has passed since our last devlog, but we're here to catch you up. Let's start with the levels.
Have you ever seen a level before it actually looked like itself?
Most players only ever see the finished version complete with detailed environments, enemies, and intense firefights.
Every developer has their own approach to level design. It all depends on the game's genre, its mechanics, and the experience they want players to have. Today, we'd like to show you where a Police Stories 2 level begins and the journey it takes before you step into it for the first time.
Brightly colored walls. Doors that don't necessarily lead anywhere. That's what a level looks like in the early stages of development. It's still far from becoming a complete mission, but before long, everything starts falling into place.
At this stage, our entire focus is on gameplay. We test how players move through the level, where they'll encounter enemies for the first time, whether there are enough options for breaching and clearing, and whether the layout itself supports the intended experience. Only once we're happy with that do we move on to the art pass.
Everything looks extremely simple for now, but that's exactly what allows us to experiment quickly-adjusting layouts, changing routes, and testing new ideas without spending time on visuals.
This is also when we place interactive objects and reserve space for them. Fire extinguishers, steam pipes, and tripwire traps are all introduced at this stage. Just like in the original Police Stories, though, you won't need to memorize trap locations - they're randomized each time you play.
By the way, tripwire traps can now have different effects.
It all depends on who's looking at the level.
This is where the blockout evolves into a level that truly starts to come alive. We experiment with pathways, door placement, cover, and room sizes until every encounter delivers the pacing and feel we're aiming for.
What about the enemies?
Spawn points, enemy count limits, and patrol routes are all placed and adjusted over and over again to avoid empty areas or overcrowded rooms.
Here's an interesting detail: many enemy spawners cover multiple rooms at once. This allows enemies to spread throughout the level more naturally, preventing situations where players encounter exactly one enemy in every room.
By this point, the overall layout of the level is usually finalized. The art pass, environmental details, and countless small refinements are still ahead, but the foundation of the mission is already complete.
Once the blockout is finished, work on the environment begins. Gray boxes gradually give way to detailed models, materials, lighting, and decals.
But the level is far from finished. Even after the art pass, individual elements may still be changed if doing so improves the gameplay. A beautiful environment is important, but great gameplay always comes first.
For example, during our Closed Alpha test (which we previously talked about on our Discord server), players discovered that beds placed in the middle of hotel rooms made movement difficult for both players, AI teammates, and enemies. After a small redesign, we cleared the central pathways, making the hotel rooms much more comfortable to navigate and fight in.
Once the art pass is complete, it's time for a series of playtests.
Now we evaluate the level as a whole. Does the furniture block the player's view? Does the lighting serve its purpose? Are decorative objects hiding enemies in ways they shouldn't?
At this stage, only the smallest details remain. Rotate something slightly. Add a little here. Remove a little there. How long does that take? Probably right up until release.
New props, vehicles, lamps, road signs, and floor textures are constantly being added. Even our earliest levels continue to receive small improvements so they stay consistent with the game's overall visual style.
And only when a level finally stops surprising us do we hope it'll be ready to surprise you.
Stay tuned, officers!
Don't forget to join our Discord server, where you can:
Discuss previous builds of the game
Share your feedback and ideas
Find teammates for cooperative operations
If you have any suggestions, we'd love to hear them in the comments or on our social media channels.
We're also now on Instagram and YouTube - come say hello!