DetailsRole: Level Designer, Set Dresser Engine: Unreal Engine 4 Development time: 1 week Team: solo Contributions:
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Forgotten Mines
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Design Process
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Design Pillars:
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Level Design
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Creating a Palette
After deciding that I wanted to make a level based on movement precision I started with prototyping different types of gameplay beats enforcing this pillar. After experementing with different combinations of abilites/components suitable for the level, I boiled it down to 3 winners:
Speedrun Opertunities
Since this was supposed to be a challange map I designed it so that the whole level, if played perfectly, could be cleared without landing or being still though the whole level. Every platform in the level you can stand on can be skipped, provided you have enough momentum. This also helps with replayability in the form of speedrunning. (image: map showing skipable platforms) Since this is a very short level, I also took the liberty of being a bit punnishing, adding instances where split second decisions need to be made. (jet pack, reverse leap of fate mushroom) |
Level Layout (top down picture, maping out beats)
-Mushrooms and swings The first beat introduces you to the mushrooms and then -Swings and jet pack -Jet pack and Mushrooms -Swings Skill Checking
I introduce the consept of navigating through narrow spaces early at the end of the first section. I then reused the same concept between almost every section with increasing difficulty, making the last skillcheck simply being a bunch of small holes that the player has to fly throug. |
Narrative & Environment
Before building the environment, I created a simple backstory to make it easier to design a coherent environment:
"This was a mining site of a long gone civilisation. It was a successful site due to its proximity to the bay, making shipment easy. Centuries after this aincent civilisation dissappeared, mystical glowing pillars rose from the ground, ripping the ruins of the old mining site apart... revealing its secrets"
I was very into Breath of the Wild at the time...
"This was a mining site of a long gone civilisation. It was a successful site due to its proximity to the bay, making shipment easy. Centuries after this aincent civilisation dissappeared, mystical glowing pillars rose from the ground, ripping the ruins of the old mining site apart... revealing its secrets"
I was very into Breath of the Wild at the time...
Environment Beats
The level has three main environment beats, designed to bring dynamics to the traversal: (image showing progression, pieceful journey > narrow exploration > mystical discovery)
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1. The Old Bay
The level starts out open and pieceful. The destination should be obvious from the start due to the big mysterious wall with an inviting opening and the ship stuck on it acting as a landmark. |
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2. The Mining Caves
The level then transitions into the dark, enclosed and narrow mining caves. This drastic change is to invoke a sense of excitment and exploration in the player. |
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3. The Secret Grove
Lastley, a narrow opening in the cliff wall brings the player out to the secret grove, invoking discovery and wonder in the player. |
Attention to Detail
Is always imortant to me not te do a sloppy work. Quality comes from the small things. (Image of other half of ship still resting below the front of the ship).
Is always imortant to me not te do a sloppy work. Quality comes from the small things. (Image of other half of ship still resting below the front of the ship).
