Historical infiltration-combat level based on the real Pinsk Prison Raid, built around believable spatial logic, stealth entry, guard pressure, and multi-floor planning.
Zemsty Nadszedł is a level design case study based on the Pinsk Prison Raid, a historical military operation from 1943. The project uses the event as a design frame: the player must approach a guarded prison district, identify entry opportunities, manage enemy presence, and understand the space as a believable occupied city rather than a purely fictional arena.
This section focuses first on the historical event itself. Before any layout decision, I reconstructed the January 1943 Pinsk Prison Raid through a short research dossier using Polish-language sources, testimonies, period documents, maps, and photographs. Please read the PDF to learn more about my research.
Short summary of the historical event
On 18 January 1943, in occupied Pinsk, a sixteen-man Polish Home Army unit led by Jan Piwnik, codename Ponury, stormed the local prison. Their objective was to extract captured intelligence operatives before the Gestapo could obtain more information from them.
The main target was Captain Alfred Paczkowski, codename Wania, one of the Cichociemni: Polish special forces trained in Britain and parachuted back into occupied Poland. He was imprisoned with Marian Czarnecki, Piotr Downar, and Mieczysław Eckardt after operating behind German lines.
The rescue relied on deception, speed, and coordination rather than force. This was essential because Pinsk contained an estimated 3,000 German military police, Ukrainian auxiliary forces, Don Cossack units, and Wehrmacht soldiers in and around the town. The team used disguise, cut communication lines, opened cells, extracted the surviving prisoners, and escaped before the garrison could react.
The raid became one of the notable Home Army rescue actions of the period. It also carried consequences: once German authorities understood that the action had been carried out by the Polish resistance, reprisals followed against Polish hostages in the city.
This document defines the production rules for the level: what must stay close to the historical record, where adaptation is allowed, and why each major deviation needs a design reason. The real city, the prison, the raid sequence, and the available sources act as hard requirements that guide the blockout instead of simple inspiration.
The goal is to make the player experience the Pinsk Prison Raid as a playable third-person shooter infiltration-combat level while staying grounded in the real event. The raid phase is reconstructed as closely as possible, especially the prison gate, telephone line, cell block, prisoner extraction, and escape sequence. The approach and infiltration phases are more designed because the historical sources do not preserve their exact spatial experience.
The project treats historical reality as a production brief. These are the hard requirements taken from the document: they define what the level must respect before gameplay adaptation begins.
These are not constraints: they are deliberate deviations from strict historical reconstruction, documented because they solve readability or gameplay problems while staying period-plausible.
This LDD explains how I planned the player experience before building the level: what the player needs to understand, how the space supports stealth and action, where the historical reconstruction should stay precise, and where the design needs clearer gameplay readability.
The document defines the level as a linear narrative experience, but not as a simple corridor. The player still needs to read the city, understand why the prison matters, identify safe and dangerous spaces, and feel the transition from preparation to execution.
The main design challenge was to translate a historical raid into playable decisions without losing credibility. I planned the level around stealth readability, traversal options, observation points, objective clarity, enemy pressure, and a final escape rhythm that stays connected to the real event.
The layout switcher separates production versions from floors. Each version contains Floor 0 for the city and prison approach, and Floor 1 for the upper-floor interior planning.
Final Production Layout - Floor 0Floor 0 finalizes the route logic, objective flow, resistance NPCs, escape vehicle, guard placement, wall ledges, crack passages, and the explanatory note for the prison raid sequence.
Iteration note: The final ground-floor layout documents the complete playable route from approach and observation to the raid, prisoner objective, and escape.
This breakdown follows the same production logic as TomoTomo, but adapted to a historical raid: research constraints, layout iterations, infiltration readability, floor planning, feedback, polish, and final lessons.
Before producing a clean production-readable layout, I first needed a quick working version inside the engine. The goal was to recreate the key topography of Pinsk from the real map, place the important buildings and landmarks, and use that rough structure to test scale, metrics, and gameplay intentions as early as possible.
I started by using the real map as a base and extracting the most important urban elements: the river shape, bridge position, railway, prison area, church, main streets, and major building masses. This was not meant to be a polished document yet. It was a practical blockout foundation for testing whether the level could work spatially.
Because the project is based on a real city, I could not begin from an abstract gameplay arena. Recreating the topography early let me check if the playable area had the right scale, if traversal distances felt believable, and if the main intentions were strong enough before spending time on a cleaner layout.
Once the early tests confirmed that the metrics, scale, and core intentions were usable, I rebuilt the layout more cleanly. Version 02 was made as a production-readable document, as if someone else had to understand the routes, icons, gameplay systems, and historical logic without needing my personal notes.
After the first topography pass, I focused on the golden path as quickly as possible. The priority was not to detail every street, but to confirm that the infiltration phase had a readable flow: approach the prison district, understand the main objective, move through believable cover, enter key buildings, and keep the historical landmark visible enough to guide the player.
I deliberately prioritized the main route before secondary content. This let me test if the level worked at its core: distance, pacing, enemy pressure, entry points, and the relationship between the city approach and the prison objective.
The earliest in-engine iterations focused on the infiltration phase because it carries the player's first understanding of the level. I tested exterior streets, prison-facing buildings, guard placements, interior passages, and windows or openings that could support stealth, observation, and alternate movement.
Choosing the roof of the Orthodox Church of St. Barbara in Pinsk was not random. It was one of the recognizable buildings of the city at the time, so using it immediately helped confirm that the level was taking place in Pinsk. Because the church was also one of the tallest buildings in the area, its distinctive central roof shape made it a strong visual landmark and a believable observation point over the prison. This design intention also influenced where I placed the prison in the blockout: since I could not find a confirmed source for its exact location, I positioned it so the church-to-prison relationship supported the flow, reconnaissance objective, and readability of the first phase.
The colors let the layout stay readable during the first playable tests: inaccessible buildings, climbable buildings, enterable buildings, and vegetation.
The warehouse / German camp interior had a clear design intention from the beginning: it is the highest-tension infiltration zone of the route, with several possible approaches, layered cover, enemy presence, and a planned exit through the zipline. These views show how the space supports discreet entry, interior pressure, alternate angles, and the final release toward the zipline.
The prison was the central objective of the raid, so I treated its reconstruction as a specific Level Design task. I compared the historical plan with my in-engine blockout to preserve the courtyard logic, cell block, access points, and surrounding walls while adapting proportions for player navigation, enemy placement, and objective readability.
The historical plan gave me the spatial relationship between the courtyard, prison buildings, cells, guard-related spaces, and street access. I used it as a blueprint, then simplified and reshaped parts of the complex so the player can read the objective quickly during the raid.
The goal was not to copy the document blindly. The layout still needed room for guards, patrol routes, cover, doors, and readable movement. Every adaptation had to keep the prison recognizable as the real target of the operation.
Before - Real Prison PlanAfter - Early Prison Blockout
During internal playtest review, I realized the beginning of the level did not guide the player strongly enough. The opening could become confusing because the player entered a large space without enough readable direction toward the first infiltration beat. I therefore accentuated the start of the path with stronger composition, clearer props, and a more intentional route leading into the rooftop sequence.
Before - Weak opening guidanceAfter - Stronger path accentThe revised version adds a clearer visual lead at the start so the player understands where to go before reaching the first rooftop opportunity.
Before - Route less readableAfter - Route and pacing clarifiedThis pass reinforces the transition between the infiltration setup, the rooftop path, the warehouse, and the later route toward the church/prison objective.
Before - Version 02 route planAfter - In-engine route passThis comparison shows how the annotated Version 02 route plan was translated into a playable in-engine blockout, where scale, cover, rooftop access, and landmark readability had to be checked through play.
This section shows the first large in-engine iteration after the main city and prison masses were in place. I used the aerial view to verify the relationship between the prison, church landmark, river, bridge, approach routes, and surrounding blocks before building the prison gameplay systems.
The aerial views helped me check if the big composition was working: the player could understand the prison district, read the church landmark, and perceive the approach from the city and river side. This was the bridge between rough blockout and actual objective implementation.
After the prison recreation was usable, I started implementing the gameplay logic inside it. Enemy respawns were not placed randomly: they create pressure in specific areas so the player naturally moves toward the space where the key and the radio are located. The objective logic also translates the historical event into gameplay: the key is needed to release the imprisoned resistance fighters, while destroying the radio prevents the prison from calling for help during the raid.
This blockout video shows how the player observes key prison locations before the raid objective begins. Use the chapters to jump directly to each gameplay beat.
This blockout video focuses on the interior prison objective chain: disable communication, recover the key, open the gate, and escort the resistance NPCs toward the final escape.
This map version represents the first full blockout route that I want to send into external playtest. It documents the intended flow before broader feedback: cinematic context, guarded entry, rooftop infiltration, warehouse tension, zipline release, church reconnaissance, prison action, and extraction.
The level begins after an introduction cinematic that explains the historical context and frames the objective.
The player passes near guards, establishing stealth pressure and the idea that the level is built around infiltration.
The first roof teaches the player that vertical movement and discreet traversal are core parts of the route.
Multiple rooftop paths lead toward the warehouse, a compressed infiltration beat occupied by German soldiers.
After crossing the warehouse discreetly, the player uses a zipline to reach an empty house and lower the tension.
The player moves toward the church facade, climbs it, and reaches the roof for reconnaissance objectives.
A roof slide creates a deliberate transition from stealth/reconnaissance into action before entering the prison objectives.
Once the prisoners are saved, the player reaches the truck at the prison exit to finish the level.
I tested the map very early, while it was still in an early blockout phase, to validate the core level flow before spending more time on visual polish or advanced production. The key question was whether the player could understand where to go, follow the main route, read the pacing, and feel the intended tension curve.
Even with those issues, the early playtest was a success because it validated the main flow and gave me enough confidence to push the level further into production.
This commented breakdown is used to review the first early flow validation playtest: what the player misunderstood, what worked well, and why the test still validated the core route before pushing production further.
After the early flow validation confirmed the important structural lines of the level, I allowed myself to push some decorative and architectural blockout elements further. The goal was not to replace an environment artist, but to make the level intentions easier to communicate if the project had to be handed to environment artists later.
The church is a good example of that intention. I used real references of the Orthodox Church of St. Barbara in Pinsk, then rebuilt the main silhouette, facade rhythm, roof volume, tower, windows, and landmark readability as an advanced level art blockout. It stays blockout, but it is detailed enough to communicate scale, mood, and spatial intention.
Before - Real church referenceAfter - Level Art BlockoutThe side view helped me reproduce the main roof mass, tower relationship, dome silhouette, and long readable body of the landmark.
Before - Real facadeAfter - Blockout facadeThe front comparison shows how I translated the facade rhythm, central entry, window placement, side niches, and vertical composition into blockout geometry.
Before - Real angled viewAfter - Blockout angled viewThis view checks whether the facade still reads from a player angle, not only from a flat reference image.
These extra comparisons show the same process applied to props and secondary architecture: start from a believable real-world or historical reference, then simplify it into readable blockout geometry that keeps the silhouette, function, and production intention clear.
Before - Early blockoutAfter - Advanced blockoutThe advanced pass adds roof rhythm, porch structure, facade openings, and a clearer material logic while preserving the original gameplay footprint.
Before - Flow-test blockoutAfter - Advanced level art blockoutThe first version was sufficient to test route flow and landmark placement. After the playtest confirmed those important lines, I rebuilt the church with stronger proportions and details so the intention could be understood by environment artists.
Before - Opel Blitz referenceAfter - Opel Blitz blockoutThe Opel Blitz keeps the readable cab, covered rear volume, wheel placement, and extraction function without needing final vehicle art.
Before - Opel Kadett referenceAfter - Blockout propThe Opel Kadett blockout translates the rounded hood, front grille, cabin volume, wheel arches, and period silhouette into a simple prop that can still be understood by another artist.
I also made modular art blockout pieces so the city language could be understood by other people, not only by me. The goal is to make each representation clear enough for environment artists: what is structural, what is decorative, what can be repeated, and how the pieces combine into a believable Pinsk street.
These archive images were kept at the end of the section because they explain the visual language behind the blockout: street width, wooden building proportions, roof shapes, facade rhythm, fences, poles, and the relationship between religious landmarks and surrounding streets.
This section shows the level art blockout once the preparation work moves back into the playable level. I used the modular pieces, landmark studies, vehicles, props, lighting, and route constraints directly in the map to test how the environment reads during gameplay.
The first carousel shows the progressive construction of modular and landmark elements inside the level: church, street buildings, roof volumes, warehouse surroundings, windows, chimneys, balconies, cover, and readable gameplay routes.
The second carousel shows the advanced blockout in gameplay context: rooftop navigation, warehouse infiltration, church objective visibility, prison observation, street composition, winter lighting, and the readable city mass around the route.
This future section will document the bigger playtest iterations made after the level art blockout was integrated into the playable map. The goal will be to show the problems found during testing, the design diagnosis behind each issue, and the concrete solutions applied before moving toward the final polished route.
This commented playtest session is used as the evidence base for the major iteration viewers below: it shows the player behavior, the main readability issues, and the design fixes that guided the next passes.
This is the first corridor the player is guided into. With each iteration, I strengthened the lighting to push them in that direction.
The player spots the objective via the church landmark. The crates encourage a crouched approach for tension, and the building's light points them straight ahead.
The player keeps the landmark in view, and the crate invites the climb onto the roof. I moved the truck to stop the player running straight through the church.
On the rooftops, the path to the right needed marking: I used boards, adjusted each iteration to keep the route readable.
The restaurant offers the fastest but riskiest route, easy to spot. I removed a misleading light to push the player right, toward the German flags.
Once atop one of the golden path's buildings, the warehouse's open window clearly shows the entrance to continue.
Entering the warehouse, the player sees a door as a possible path; I blocked the stairs to stop wasted exploring.
Once inside the warehouse, the player looks right. Boards, lights, and broken walls push them toward the golden path while widening their field of view.
The solution that took the most iterations: a bait of a crate and an unloaded rifle pushing the player along the wall. From V3, the golden path was understood.
Hugging the wall, the player reaches the tensest area, closest to the enemies, and naturally follows the golden path to stay hidden from patrols.
This area places enemies and patrols almost facing the player, with a gap between the crates meant to keep them crouched.
This open window offers access to the balcony, nudging the player right to climb the roof; the visible landmark recalls the objective.
This version reframes the level timeline with the advanced in-engine blockout. The goal is to show the final rhythm directly inside the playable space: entry pressure, rooftop route, warehouse infiltration, zipline release, a new guard house tension beat, church roof reconnaissance, prison raid, and extraction.
The level begins after the introduction cinematic, which gives context before the player enters the playable route.
The player passes close to guards early, establishing stealth pressure and making the level intention clear.
The player starts using rooftops as the main infiltration path, with vertical traversal becoming the safest route through the city.
The route compresses into the warehouse / German camp area, where enemy presence and cover density create a high-tension infiltration beat.
After crossing the warehouse discreetly, the zipline creates a release and moves the player toward the next infiltration space.
This added step keeps the player in close infiltration before the church. The guard house pushes the tension much higher because the player is now near enemies, cover, and the next landmark objective.
The player reaches the church roof, using the landmark as a reconnaissance position before the level transitions toward the prison objective.
The roof-to-prison transition turns the level from stealth and reconnaissance into the action-focused raid objective sequence.
After the prisoners are saved, the route ends with the extraction beat, completing the level flow.
This future section will focus on the final level design polish techniques used to guide the player without making the route feel artificial: landmark framing, light placement, objective staging, cover rhythm, path contrast, enemy pressure, and camera-facing silhouettes. At the end of the section, a final playtest video slot will show whether the polish succeeded during real play.
Reserved video space for the last playtest showing that the level design polish, guidance, and route readability are successful.
This walkthrough presents the playable Pinsk Prison Raid route from the first infiltration beats to the prison objective and final extraction. Use the chapters to jump directly to the main Level Design moments: guidance, rooftop traversal, warehouse pressure, zipline release, guard house tension, church reconnaissance, prison raid, prisoner rescue, and escape.
Zemsty Nadszedł taught me that adapting a real operation is not about choosing between accuracy and gameplay. The strongest result comes from using historical research as a constraint, testing the route early, then polishing guidance until the player can understand the mission flow without losing the credibility of Pinsk.
From the beginning, I allowed myself some creative freedom, but I still tried to preserve several buildings and streets because they matched Pinsk in 1943. By V3, it became clear that this fidelity was limiting map readability and the quality of the player route. I therefore changed priorities: establish the Level Design first, then adapt historical reality around a readable and playable structure.
The first versions demanded too much from players and created unnecessary moments of blockage and frustration. Playtests showed me exactly where the difficulty was harming the experience. I used those observations to rebalance enemy pressure, encounters, and progression until the level became playable for most players without losing the intended tension.
The maps, prison references, city photographs, and raid chronology were not decorative material. They formed a production brief that constrained prison placement, city compression, landmark use, objective order, and what I could adapt for gameplay. This exercise taught me how to turn research and imposed requirements into concrete design rules, prioritize constraints, and justify the compromises required to preserve both gameplay readability and historical credibility. It therefore prepared me to work within a real production brief rather than designing without an established framework.
Although I created this project alone, the exercise taught me how to prepare clear production information that could be shared with Level Artists and Environment Artists. The advanced blockouts of the church, vehicles, modular streets, lighting, and props gave my Level Design intentions a concrete spatial form. In a team production, I could combine these blockouts with clear references to show which elements should remain historically credible, which could be adapted for gameplay, and what visual and functional intention each space should preserve. This method could make a future handoff easier and help an art team dress the level while preserving route readability, gameplay function, and historical coherence.
The early flow validation was important because it tested the route while changes were still cheap: rooftop traversal, warehouse tension, church transition, prison objectives, and extraction rhythm could be confirmed before pushing the art blockout further.
The route became stronger when each beat had a different emotional function: warehouse infiltration compresses pressure, the zipline releases it, the guard house raises close stealth tension, the church roof slows into reconnaissance, and the prison shifts into action.
Recording the sessions gave me a lasting record of player hesitations, mistakes, misunderstandings, and successful moments. I could return to those observations between versions instead of relying on memory, compare each iteration, and correct recurring problems. This process helped me make the level readable and playable for most players.
This project and its playtests showed me that letting players experience the operation was the most effective exercise in historical transmission. Although I dramatized and gamified parts of the event, every playtester understood the Pinsk Prison Raid, its objective, and its main sequence. For me, this proved that a playable experience can make history understandable without reducing it to exposition.
