Chunks Noir
Starfield

Download on Nexus

Quest Summary

Role: Quest Designer

Team Size: 3

Engine: CreationKit

Mod Published On: 17 December 2024

Story: In Chunks Noir, players investigate the disappearance of Detective Benny Bologna. The mystery reveals a conspiracy involving Chunks, leading through Benny’s office, Chris Chorizo’s apartment, and the Paradiso Hotel. The trail leads to the Chunks Factory housing a machine that turns humans into Chunks. Players choose to fix, destroy, or leave it.

Gameplay: Light Combat, dialogue, and audio recordings

Power Fantasy: Stopping a man-eating machine from its evil deeds.

Quest Rewards: Unique weapon, unique outfit, unique consumable, credits, and XP.

My Role

As the quest designer for Chunks Noir, I was responsible for:

Pitching the initial concept for the mod and developing the central questline, shaping the overall narrative and gameplay experience.
Managing quest progression, ensuring seamless transitions between objectives, NPC interactions, and enemy encounters.
Creating 16 unique NPCs, handling their design, animations, and interactions, including implementing scenes and dialogue trees.
Designing and adding new player gear, including a custom outfit, weapon, and consumable to enhance gameplay immersion.
Overseeing the integration of all quest components into a cohesive and polished final product, ensuring functionality and a smooth player experience.

Chunks Noir Concept & Planning

Concept

Chunks Noir originated from the idea of adding a darker twist to the Chunks company and its products.
The central question driving the concept was: What are Chunks made of?
Ideation

Chunks Noir began as a lighthearted joke during my time working on Starfield, inspired by the recurring question of 'What are Chunks really made of?'
I initially wrote a few detective-style journal logs for fun, imagining a gritty investigator uncovering the dark truth behind Chunks.
When I started creating mods with the Creation Kit, it felt natural to bring that concept to life as a fully voiced quest mod.
Planning

Collaborating with the lead writer for the mod, several key elements were prioritized:
- Use of Audio Slates to evoke old radio mystery stories.
- A Noir parody feel, balancing genuine noir with lighthearted comedic elements.
- A consistent naming convention for all NPCs.
- The Chunks product can be and is made of people
- The player acts as a side character, not the main protagonist.
- The mod must end in a more classic Noir fashion
This concept aimed to deliver a unique and atmospheric narrative experience within the Starfield universe that currently does not exist.
Creative Process

The idea for Chunks Noir began when I noticed the omnipresence of Chunks food and stores in Starfield, seemingly a popular and beloved fast-food chain.
This led me to question: what if there was something darker behind it? I started by writing journal entries from the perspective of a paranoid journalist seeking the truth about Chunks.
After a few weeks, I paused the project but later revisited it with a Noir angle in mind. I merged the concept of a journalist investigating Chunks with the classic hard-boiled detective narrative, creating a story about a missing journalist, his worried girlfriend, a former Freestar Ranger turned detective, and a Chunks Machine that turns humans into Chunks. This blend of mystery, suspense, and dark twists gave birth to Chunks Noir.
Working as a Team

On Chunks Noir, I had the pleasure of collaborating with an exceptional team, including a skilled level designer who crafted intricate and interactive spaces, and a talented writer and sound mixer who brought the story to life.
Each member had unique perspectives and skills that helped to enrich the quest, elevating Chunks Noir into a better project than I could have created alone.
Challenges

During development, I faced three main challenges.
First, was ensuring the quest continued to work through cell resets.
Second, scene work required extensive testing and iteration to script seamless interactions.
Finally, designing the Chunks machine to include dynamic effects and engaging dialogue was a complex task involving integrating visual and audio elements to bring it to life.on goes here

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Quest Structure

Quest Stages:

Implementation Details

Quest Objectives:

Properties for Script Fragments:

Creature Jumpscare Combat Example:

In this scene, the player is inside the Chunks facility looking for the Machine. They pick up a keycard, head deeper into the factory and encounter some rogue creatures.

Stage 185:

The stage starts after the player picks up the Containment Level Key card, triggering a message.
SetObjectiveCompleted(180)
SetObjectiveDisplayed(185)
(messagescript appears)

Stage 190:

Upon entering the containment room, stepping on the trigger spawns two enemies:
- One in the room
- The other to surprise the player later.
SetObjectiveCompleted(185)
SetObjectiveDisplayed(190)
DM5_Creature1.GetActorRef().Enable()
DM5_Creature1.GetActorRef().EvaluatePackage()
DM5_Creature2.GetActorRef().Enable()
DM5_Creature2.GetActorRef().EvaluatePackage()

Benny Interaction Example:

In this scene, the player finally catches up with Detective Bologna, only to find him injured and dying. They share one final conversation.

Scene with Benny in CreationKit:

Stage 220:

During the final dialogue with Benny, the player receives:
- Benny’s safe key
- Chunks Machine Key.
Benny is made killable after this stage, triggering the next stage.
SetObjectiveCompleted(215)
SetObjectiveDisplayed(220)
Game.GetPlayer().AddItem(BennySafeKey)
Game.GetPlayer().AddItem(ChunksMachineKey)
Actor DM5_Benny = Alias_Benny.GetActorRef()
DM5_Benny.SetEssential(false)
DM5_Benny.EvaluatePackage()

Stage 230:

- Benny is killed after finishing his dialogue
- Dropping his unique gun
- The quest moves on to the Machine confrontation
SetObjectiveCompleted(220)
SetObjectiveDisplayed(230)
Actor DM5_Benny = Alias_Benny.GetActorRef()
Alias_Benny.GetActorRef().EvaluatePackage()
Utility.Wait(2.5)
DM5_Benny.Kill()

Machine Interaction Example:

In this scene, the player finally confronts “The Machine.” After speaking with it the player has the choice on if they want to fix The Machine to not thirst for people, destroy it or leave it be.

Scene with The Machine in CreationKit:

Player’s Branching Dialogue in CreationKit:

Stage 242:

If the player chooses to fix the Machine, they can back out once more.
Once confirmed:
- The Machine is repaired
- The player is allowed to get up to 1,000 chunks for 1 credit each (with repeat access).
SetObjectiveCompleted(240)
SetObjectiveDisplayed(242)
Alias_ChunksMachine.GetReference().Disable()
Alias_ChunksMachineFixed.GetReference().Enable()
DM5_FixedMachineMessage.Show()
SetStage(250)

Stage 245:

If the player chooses to leave the Machine, they can back out once more.
Once confirmed:
- The Machine becomes harmful
- Dealing damage when interacting with
- Then the next stage begins.
SetObjectiveCompleted(240)
SetObjectiveDisplayed(245)
Alias_ChunksMachine.GetReference().Disable()
DM5_ChunksMachineLeave.GetReference().Enable()
DM5_LeaveMachineMessage.Show()
SetStage(250)

Stage 248:

If the player chooses to leave the Machine, they can back out once.
Once confirmed,
- The Machine becomes destroyed and inactive
- The next stage is automatically triggered
SetObjectiveCompleted(240)
SetObjectiveDisplayed(248)
Alias_ChunksMachine.GetReference().Disable()
Alias_ChunksMachineDestroyed.GetReference().Enable()
DM5_VendingMachineHumAudio.GetReference().Disable()
DM5_DestroyMachineMessage.Show()
SetStage(250)

Stage 250:

This stage will:
- Guides the player back to Benny’s Office
- Enable a dialogue with Pancetta
SetObjectiveCompleted(242)
SetObjectiveCompleted(245)
SetObjectiveCompleted(248)
SetObjectiveDisplayed(250)
Alias_Pancetta.GetActorRef().Enable()
Alias_Pancetta.GetActorRef().EvaluatePackage()