Timed Gates Sequence

In the level there are two sets of timed gates with levers that both must be activated within a certain amount of time in order to open them. The basic system for this was already set up within the Kismet as default but there was little player feedback on what was actually to be done apart from matching numbers on the wall.

One set of levers are situated almost next to each other which from the players perspective is quite easy to see what needs to be done. The second set as shown in the image above are much further apart and needed a better system in place to guide the player on what was required of them.

From a sound point of view a ticking timer sound was created for when the player activated one of these levers, this sound was attached to the lever itself and could be heard spatially within the level. To increase the sense of urgency a music cue was also created to support the fact that there was a time limit on getting to the other lever. This sound can be heard by the player for the entire duration of the set time as opposed to the ticking sound which will fade out as the player moves away from the lever. By having the ticking sound attached to both levers the player can then use this as a guide to locating the next lever as they get closer to it.

As a last touch there was also a camera cut scene used to jump to the location of the next lever that needed to be used. This was created using a movement track within the Matinee and linked to the trigger which is set up for the levers interaction.

Above can be seen what was done in the kismet to make the sequence work. When either of the levers are triggered it calls the Matinee cut scene which then shows the player the next target, also the ticking and music sounds are played whilst a timer is set  using a 'Delay' node. After the delay runs out it closes a 'Gate' which then stops the music and ticking sound as well as the player form being able to open the door. The system is then reset but with cut scenes now disabled. If the player manages to get to the second lever before the delay reaches 32 second they are able to open the door way which then fades out the ticking and music cues.