Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Released: 4th February, 2022

Studio: Techland

Skill focus: System Design, Economy Design, Combat Design, Progression, Encounters, Game Modes.

Duration: From October 2022 – Present

Engine and tools: Proprietary engine and scripting system.

Summary of Contributions

Feature Owner and designer for multiple big features during the post-launch improvements phase of the game. Successful features include: Tower Raid, Bows and Ranged Weapons, Nightmare Mode, Weapon Repair, Weapon Crafting and Upgrading, Nocturnal Weapons. I was responsible for designing and implementing these features and they resonated well with our player base. I also revised and improved the global economy of the game to make sure that the above systems do not disrupt the global economy of the game. I contributed and helped improve the combat and the night system of the game. I created the initial prototypes for the night changes and also designed and created new weapon types.

Detailed Overview

Tower Raid

Official Launch Trailer:

Gameplay video:

Description: The Tower Raid game mode presents an exciting new challenge, drawing inspiration from the VNC Tower mission of Dying Light 2 Stay Human. Players must demonstrate their resilience as they confront numerous hordes within the tower in order to secure a vital package situated on the rooftop.

Design Intention:

New Rouge Lite game mode that is separate from the main game.
Kick off the Dying Light Online platform by encouraging players to play in co-op.
Unique characters – every character has a separate progression.
New meta-progression systems, such as the Raid Perks, that will encourage players to spend time in the game mode to improve their characters.
The floors visited during the ascension of the tower vary with each run.
Gameplay modifiers that are enabled at the beginning of each floor – these modifiers have an affect on the player, enemies, or both for the duration of that floor.
Unique challenges in every floor.
High level of rewards for players for completing the tower.
Visual storytelling elements within the tower.

Nightmare Mode

Official Launch Trailer:

Description: Nightmare Mode in Dying Light 2 presents the ultimate challenge for players, introducing a host of main changes designed to push their skills to the limit. The main changes include:

Enemies deal increased damage output and elevated health levels.
Flashlight flickers and turns off after constant use.
The game does not pause when players are in a crafting or inventory menu forcing players to find a safe spot before accessing menus.
Survivor Sense has been intentionally adjusted to no longer display enemy outlines, encouraging players to rely on auditory cues and stay attentive to avoid infected.
Inhibitors offer less immunity.
Player’s armor and resistance are reduced.
Chases at night are promptly triggered but Volatiles that trigger the chases feature shorter sightlines.
Increased chase difficulty, with an additional chase level, faster level scaling, and Volatile Tyrants replacing normal Volatiles.
Stamina regeneration takes longer to activate and is generally slower.
Health no longer regenerates automatically.
More Legend XP points are awarded, but any Legend XP gained in between ranks is lost upon death after level 50.

Bows and Ranged Weapons

Description: With the introduction of firearms in Dying Light 2, I was tasked with the challenge of repositioning and rebalancing bows and crossbows. Maintaining the relevance and usefulness of these tools for players amidst the introduction of a more powerful toolset was tricky. However, the implemented changes resulted in a remarkable 120% increase in the usage of these weapons.

Changes to Bows: Bows have been repositioned to be the ultimate tools for long-distance scenarios. This adjustment empowers players to effectively eliminate infected from afar, essentially giving bows the functionality of snipers. The main changes include:

Designed and implemented a minigame for the Power Shot skill, transforming it from a passive to an active skill.
- Players have the ability to trigger the perfect shot skill by charging their bow.
- When players start charging their shot with a bow they are presented with a shrinking circle.
- The Perfect Shot window is short, but if players release their shot at the right time they are rewarded with a damage multiplier that deals higher damage.
- Clear visual, audio and haptic feedback of the window of opportunity was implemented to clearly show the Perfect Shot window.
- This minigame was adapted to work seamlessly with other ranged skills, such as Serial Shot and Parkour Shot, enhancing the gameplay options for players using bows.
The damage inflicted by bows was changed to scales with the charging process, allowing players to increase their effectiveness as they charge their bows.
Tweaked the Fire Point ranges for all bows to compel players into longer distances for heightened effectiveness and a more pronounced sniper experience.
Rebalanced the Fire Point damages to make bows as the ideal tools for long range situations.
Increased the Bullet Speed for bows.

Changes to Crossbows: Crossbows have been transformed into powerful silent pistols. Although they hold fewer bolts in their magazine, they match the effectiveness of a pistol while providing the additional advantage of being a stealth weapon.

Tweaked the Fire Point ranges for all crossbows to compel players into a range that brings them closer to the combat action.
The Fire Point damages have been rebalanced to enhance the effectiveness of crossbows at close to mid-range. This adjustment encourages players to utilize crossbows similar to pistols, with the advantage that they are silent.
Decreased ammo magazine to 4.
Increased the Headshot multiplier for all crossbows.

Craftmaster System

Description: The Craftmaster System encompasses a range of interconnected systems dedicated to Weapons and Tools. It empowers players with the capability to create, enhance, and restore their own weapons and tools by using in-game resources and cash.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human uses a gameplay loop which requires players to acquire blueprints for tools and weapons that they are able to use within the game. These blueprints can be obtained from quests, the open world, participating in gaas events and activities, or through the online store. Players can then bring their blueprints to Craft and Upgrade their weapons and tools at the Craftmaster. Additionally, players are able to repair their weapons through this system.

When players interact with the Craftmaster, the system identifies weapons that are not at 100% durability. With the simple press of a button, players can efficiently repair their favorite weapons and restore them to 100% durability. This system serves as the primary resource sink within the game. The cost for crafting and upgrading increases in relation to the rarity of the weapon, while the repair cost is determined by a formula that considers both the rarity and the amount of durability lost from the weapon. The implementation of this system involved a comprehensive economy rebalance for the entire game to seamlessly integrate it with the global economy of Dying Light 2. The introduction of a resource sink in a game that previously lacked one posed certain economy risks, but the rebalance effectively mitigated these potential issues.

Nocturnal Weapons

Description: Nocturnal Weapons are a new weapon type to Dying Light 2, designed to elevate the gameplay experience during nighttime. With 15 years of post-apocalyptic survival, the survivors of Villedor have unearthed the secrets to enhancing their weaponry specifically for the night. These weapons encourage players to engage in nighttime activities due to their unique stats that are unparalleled in the game, presenting a high-risk, high-reward dynamic. While they come with detrimental effects that accelerate the player’s immunity reduction, they also feature beneficial attributes that significantly amplify damage output. Consequently, these weapons stand as the essential assets for confronting the formidable Apex Predators of the game, challenging players to meticulously manage their immunity while braving the perils of the night.