PAYDAY 3: Blog Update #44 – Delivery Charge Design Interview
Hey heisters!
Summer is winding down, devs are back in their chairs where they belong. We’re in full swing planning, plotting and producing to give the heisting community all the good things they deserve.
The next heist is almost upon us! Delivery Charge will be released early September, and things are looking good. The price is aimed at $7.99 (recommended sales price, so pricing may vary per region), well worth it from our perspective – but let’s see what makes it so special.
Delivery Charge takes place in a dockside armored transport depot owned and operated by our old frenemies at GenSec — having recently received a major investment by the mob to protect their money from the relentless assault of the Payday Gang.
That right there is reason enough to get excited. But the heist also has a ton of options for how to play it, there are multiple points of entry, great randomization and a brand new take on favors.
The new favors change the heist in a major way, giving you a new avenue for ill-gotten gains through new objectives. Coupled with the randomization, plentiful entries and clever use of space, we hope that favors will help make Delivery Charge one of the most replayable heists yet.
Trying something new, all of these favors are purchaseable from the weapons vendor in-game. So give them a try, let us know how you like them!
Favor Preview
Max Capacity
We will coordinate to rob the depot when it’s at full capacity. You are guaranteed to find extra loot, but the guards are on high alert and have deployed security drones.
Refrigerated Tech
The Palatuccis are hiding a stolen shipment of Wixia processors. This loot must be kept at a low temperature, or else it will degrade in the heat.
Boat Arrival
You will take a dinghy to approach the depot from the waterfront. This is where the heist begins, and the boat will also serve as your extraction point.
Road Rage Redux
There is a fully loaded armored transport parked inside the depot. We stashed a remote steering device on-site; use it to guide the transport off the compound.
This is a new approach for heists in PAYDAY 3 – one that will make a huge difference in how the heist is played and, importantly, replayed.
If playing in stealth and without any favors, there’s also the chance of getting a random event; a late night delivery might randomly show up to the depot. It brings with it more valuables and an extra challenge if you happen to be sneaking around as it arrives.
We’ve asked a few questions for our level designer Andy who was the lead designer for Delivery Charge, take it away Andy!
Design Process & Creative Vision
Did you have a core fantasy or theme you wanted players to feel when playing this level?
The main goal for this heist was to provide higher replayability value than previous heists, to make it feel more open ended to the player and less on the rails. I wanted the main objective itself to be less complex and base the randomization and player choice around it.
What came first: the setting, the gameplay ideas or something else?
For this heist I had a more holistic approach, I had a good look at everything that we had in the game so far and tried to make the best use of it. I looked at previous Payday heists and looked at the best aspects of them and mashed it together in a way that I thought would fit well.
Any movie, heist story, or real-world location that influenced the level’s design?
This heist has taken inspiration from all over the place. Both other heists and movies, but mainly it was cobbled together with things that we have in the game that works well.
Challenges & Iteration
What part of this level gave you the most trouble during development?
We’re trying to be efficient with our resources, so one of the things I wanted to do in this heist was to be clever with what was reused and what we made new. You are going to recognize a lot of gameplay from previous heists but hopefully it will feel fresh in this setting.
Was there something you had to cut that you wish had made it in?
Yes, originally I wanted there to be a proper roof access for the players but it had to be cut due to time constraints.
Did you bring any learnings from creating this heist into the next? How does it make the next heist better?
Yes, I think we’re moving in a good direction. Working to expand replayability through randomization and player choice is something we want to build on in future heists as well. In the end it is a question of resources and time.
Did the level change significantly from the original concept to the final version?
The basic layout of the level was set fairly early in the process, the biggest changes were removing the accessible roof and some changes to the basement and waterfront.
How do you balance the level for stealth vs. loud playstyles?
Because of the simplicity of this heist’s main objective, more effort could be put in the layout and obstacles. I think this makes the heist work very well being played in a hybrid style where a part of it is played in stealth and the rest of it loud, but it might shine a little bit more in stealth at first glance. The randomized escape is something to make up for it in loud and if that feels plain you can always add on the favors for more complexity.
Behind-the-Scenes & Trivia
Any funny bugs or unintended behaviors you remember from testing?
There were a lot of bugs with the favors. Like having the escape van drive over and through the trailer for the Road Rage Redux favor, it looked pretty funny. Also landsharks.
Are there any Easter eggs or little design details players should look out for?
Yes, look and you shall find. Don’t forget to pet the animals.
Is there one spot in the level that you’re particularly proud of?
I really like the heist for the sum of its parts, it is all the different parts together that makes it work well in my opinion.
You have a 360 approach and depending on where you come from a particular spot might feel great depending on that playthrough. The abandoned alleyway through the fence looks amazing and the vault looks great, the artists really did an amazing job. The waterfront has a fantastic atmosphere when you spawn with the boat favor, shoutout to the audioteam.
Was there a “nobody will notice this, but I’ll know it’s there” moment you snuck in?
Yes, and the artist added a lot of these things. I still find things that I have never seen before.
Personal Touch & Teamwork
How does it feel seeing players experience your work for the first time—especially the chaos they bring?
There is no better feeling than actually seeing players enjoy themselves and have a good time with something that you have been working on for a good time. Watching RandomKenny solve the White House secret at 04:00 am CET was one of the highpoints and it is a driving factor of why I still do this to this day.
What’s one piece of feedback you’re secretly hoping players don’t give?
All honest feedback is valuable, I cannot make everyone happy but I will try my best with the resources that I have to provide an experience that will make as many fans of the Payday franchise as happy as possible.
For Fun & Looking Ahead
If you could make a heist anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I would love to do the Louvre or a Natural History Museum where you can load up a civil war cannon and fire it to punch through a wall.
What’s your dream gadget or mechanic you’d love to build a level around someday?
When I started many years ago as a fledgling level designer I was in one of my first brainstorming sessions for a heist. I suggested that we should open the wall with a wrecking ball, I still dream of this to this day.
I do also believe there is a value in good coop mechanics. Like having a wagon for the loot that needs to be pushed with 2 hands, encouraging teamwork.
Any differences depending on difficulty level?
- There are fewer waypoints on very hard and overkill.
- Some voicelines won’t play on harder difficulties.
- The sewer lids are more kindly randomized on lower difficulties.
- Some gates and doors are open on easier difficulties but not on harder, or they might be randomized instead.
- Some extra steps for objectives only exist on harder difficulties.
- Some doors require drilling in loud on higher difficulties.
- Some doors are locked on harder difficulties but not on easier ones.
- Some traversal points might be randomly inaccessible on harder difficulties.
- There are more randomized key items on easier difficulties,
If players only take away one thing from this level, what should it be?
I hope that players feel like they are in the drivers seat on this one. It might not feel very complex at first but I hope that they feel that they have a choice and options on how to approach the heist and to customize it to their own liking.
News with Elisabeth - Delivery Charge Edition
Our dear community manager Elisabeth streamed live earlier today, and discussed Delivery Charge with the community as well as show off some live gameplay!
