Quest Design on PREY: MOONCRASH
I took on the level designer role shortly into Mooncrash's development cycle. So that meant that when I volunteered to take on the critical path quest "A Little Bird Told Me," certain elements were already in place. The quest had to center around Joan Winslow, chief engineer for the Pytheas Moon base and one of the player characters. Supporting characters included Brian Chung, Joan's close friend who's been injured in an accident, and Dr. Ken Mizuki, the doctor who was supposed to be caring for Brian. We wanted the quest to provide a window into Joan's character, but aside from that, I was free to craft the experience.
Characters
Joan Winslow
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Brian Chung
Director of Moonworks
Brian is a relatively new arrival to Pytheas, and as he says in his emails, he's excited to be "working here ON THE MOON!!!" But more than that, he's excited to have met Joan, who, although she hasn't figured out yet, he's developed feelings for. A skilled sculptor, Brian has been working on a massive moon rock carving that he's hoping to present to Joan for her birthday.
Unfortunately, there's been an accident. During a work shift, faulty machinery leads to Brian being crushed by a large slab of moon rock and gravely wounded. Joan, as the lead engineer in charge of all the equipment, blames herself.
Brian, or at least his fate, is the macguffin of the quest. When players start the quest, they know little about him, but it was our hope that mystery would be a driving factor in wanting to know more.
Unfortunately, there's been an accident. During a work shift, faulty machinery leads to Brian being crushed by a large slab of moon rock and gravely wounded. Joan, as the lead engineer in charge of all the equipment, blames herself.
Brian, or at least his fate, is the macguffin of the quest. When players start the quest, they know little about him, but it was our hope that mystery would be a driving factor in wanting to know more.
Dr. Ken Mizuki
Crew Physician
When Dr. Mizuki swore to "do no harm" many years ago, he meant it. But recently, greed's gotten the better of him, and he's fallen in with the wrong crowd aboard Pytheas. Now he owes a number of people favors, and he can't say no.
After his accident, Brian is entrusted to Dr. Mizuki in the hopes that the latter might be able to save his life. But as the moonbase falls under alien control, it becomes clear to Joan that Brian has gone missing. Mizuki was initially a difficult character to write. I wanted him to be sympathetic, and as a result, first iterations of the quest had a lot more information on his background and motivations. But in the end, we determined that we wanted the focus to be on Joan, her relationship to Brian, and the mystery of his disappearance. |
The Quest
Click on the thumbnails below each image to move through the quest. Captions are located above the thumbnail gallery.
Find the memory marker
Search Dr. Mizuki's office for what happened to Brian Chung
Find Brian Chung
Destroy Brian Chung's Phantom
Search Brian Chung's room for any personal effects or final words
Search Brian Chung's room for any personal effects or final words
Playthrough
You can watch a complete playthrough of the quest below: