Level Designer
ASSASSIN'S CREED VALHALLA
CASTLE BLOCKOUT
LEVEL DESIGN STUDY
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ABOUT THE PROJECT
PLATFORM: Windows PC
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ENGINE Unreal Engine
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TOOLS: Third Person Controller Template
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TEAM SIZE: 1
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ROLE: Concept, Blockout, Gameplay Scripting, Pacing, Prop Placement
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Below is video walkthrough of this project narrated by me. (This is my first time doing a voiceover narration so please bear with me)
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
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To learn how to structure a mission's objectives that takes the player through an entire location so as to maximize gameplay space.
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Have more practice on designing spaces that allow for multiple approaches.
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Practice adding verticality to the spaces I design and it must feel natural to the space
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PRE-PRODUCTION
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DOCUMENTATION
First, I detailed out what I wanted to achieve with this practice in a design document. Doing this before starting any designing really helps to align and focus the overall intention of what I am trying to create.
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REFERENCES
I then proceeded to gather as much references as I could from both real life and in-game. From analyzing actual locations and seeing how the team at Ubisoft translated that into gameplay spaces, it allows me to better understand how to craft my own spaces to achieve the same effect.
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The location I used as reference is Portchester Castle.
PRODUCTION
2D SKETCHES
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After drafting out my first sketch, I felt that the center area was too cramped and was split into too many sections. I also did not have as much verticality as I would have liked. So I iterated more.
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This is the final sketch which I used as a base for my blockout.
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BLOCKOUT
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The castle is made up of several sections as seen below
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Important elements are also color coded to provide clear understanding to anyone viewing the level.
Enemies
Locked/Barred Doors
Movable Object
Shrubs
Allies
Enemy with Key
Chests
Locked Cages
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As I was blocking out the level, I was constantly reminding myself to include verticality in the level. I gave it many passes to see how much I could push the verticality.
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Through this project, I also wanted to try doing some interiors mixed with verticality. I noticed that the level designers in AC Valhalla like to include verticality in interiors to hide chests and secrets, so I wanted to try and incorporate some of those elements into my level.
SUMMARY
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While I am fairly happy with the outcome, I did feel like I overscoped this practice a little bit. Perhaps it could have been better if it was a smaller level with a tighter focus on my goals. Nonetheless, I still learnt plenty from this practice!
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Things that went well:
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Level has a fair amount of verticality that feels natural to the location
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Objectives in this level do bring the player through the entire space
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Several objectives had multiple ways of approaching them
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Players could take on the objectives in any order they like
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Improvements:
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In my goal to add more verticality, I neglected providing the player with multiple approaches. I felt there could have been more meaningful choices to be made when approaching each objective.
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The entrance into the castle could have been placed in a better location to provide a better view of the surroundings for the player to create a mental map.
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Once again, I am happy with the result of this blockout and I had a lot of fun making it. I am excited for my next blockout equipped with my new knowledge! Hope you enjoyed reading about my processes and I'll catch you in the next one. Peace!
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