Level Designer
RUIN IN THE WOODS
Solo Student Project
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ABOUT THE PROJECT
This is a project that I have worked on for 12 weeks for a Level Design module, using assets downloaded from the Unreal Marketplace. Through this assignment, I have been practicing on guiding the player through the level solely using the environment. This is done by laying the props in a way that guides the player's eyes to where they need to go next.
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Due to the nature of this assignment, the mechanics are kept very simple with the Core Mechanics being Object Interaction. The Core Pillars are Movement, Exploration, and Puzzle Solving
DESIGN PROCESS
Blockout Phase:
I started off by blocking out the rough terrain layout in Unreal to try out different paths the player could take and where to place environment props.
I knew from the start that I wanted to include a "Weenie", which is a visible structure in the level to guide players. Hence, I always kept that in mind as I was blocking out the area. Below are some images of the early blockouts:
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As I was blocking out, I constantly shifted the camera back to the player's starting point to view what the composition is like when they start the level.
Weenie is visible from starting location to draw the player in that direction
I also applied a new technique I learned that semester for painting in grass and trees procedurally. I learned it when I took a Technical Art module where I had the amazing opportunity to have a class under Epic Games Evangelist, Chris Murphy!
In this class he taught us how to use Tech Art to create a procedural material for landscapes that allows designers to paint in different materials and the landscape will update accordingly.
For example, if I were to paint in the grass material, not only will that area be painted with a Grass material, but that area will also spawn actual Grass meshes. Likewise, if I were to paint dirt, the grass meshes would disappear.
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Below is a video showing how it looks like:
Placing Structures:
Once I blocked in the trees and the path, I started placing in the ruin structures to provide some sense of world-building. I referenced castle architecture to learn the different areas that a castle has and tried to replicate it in a ruined version so that the structures are not just placed randomly.
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I also placed the structures using a few guiding principles that I learned from David Shaver's GDC talk on Level Design tips.
Using Lines to Lead the Eyes
Framing
Movement
Weenies
UI
The UI is kept very minimalistic for this project, similar to the style of Firewatch and The Last of Us. The color white is chosen for the UI elements so as to not let them be too outstanding against the environment. Below are the different UI that is present in the project as well as their respective transitions.
Hover over Interactables
Modal Text
Majority of texts are placed near the reticle as players will mostly be focusing on the center on screen in most First-Person games
Modal pop-ups are on the side solely due to the reason of not wanting to block the player's vision from the center of the screen
Objective Text over Reticle
Objective Side Tab
Likewise, objective pop-ups are also near the reticle so it will be immediately noticed by players since their eyes are already at that position
Once the objective pop-up fades from the reticle area, a tab slides out from the top-right. It also slides back out to indicate that it's position is now there and it can be brought out again
Highlight on Pick-Ups
Pick-ups have a highlight to have a clear indicator that the player can do something with this object
WRAPPING UP
All in all, while it may not be the best, I am quite happy with the way the project turned out. It is worth noting that the project would not have reached this state if not for the constant feedback I received from my lecturers as well as the constant iterations I made. It just goes to show how important playtesting and feedback is when making a game.
I hope you enjoyed looking through my process and thoughts as I went through this project and perhaps even be able to take away something from it as well! Thank you for reading and catch you in the next project!