Level Design Blog

As stated in my proposal I was to have a full initial blockout by this 2nd Checkpoint.  As I predicted in my last post, I've spent a lot of time polishing my BPs to make sure they're fully functional and polished. I even added in a puzzle-esque platforming challenge that requires you to use levers to move platforms around! I was also able to also make the enemy spawner BP akin to an actual souls-like game! So every time you die, the enemies spawn right back where they were. Naturally I had to test the combat for this, and am still working out the kinks on the HP & amount of the enemies. I was able to use Unreal's modeling tools to make a couple of Egyptian hieroglyphs! I definitely feel more comfortable using those tools, and am extremely happy with how they turned out: As a couple of extra addons, I was able to make a hidden wall BP, and was also able to make a 'fog' BP that appears when you pass into the boss arena that locks you in, and keeps other enemies ou...

 As my last post stated, I was suppossed to have my LDD and all of my main Blue prints working by the first checkpoint. This is a link to my LDD: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14I3cizQiclXG3LnNC_kbdLAz2oUSMSBSHQh5lZzDzwc/edit?usp=sharing For this level, I wanted to follow the Core game-loop of the Catacomb levels; which is to have a locked boss door at the beginning, and to navigate through the rest of the level to find the lever to unlock it. With this framework in mind, I still wanted to make it unique, as all catacombs within Elden Ring have their own twist within each one.  I did some research on reddit on opinions of the catacombs, to discover what was considered good, and what could be improved upon. The main complaint was that they felt repetitive with the same theme and look in every single one. The positives were the experiences people had trying to solve some of the puzzles within the levels. The more mind-screwy, the better. So I tried listing out all ...

 For our last LD project, we were asked to come up with a level with no constraints on the idea. Below is what my proposal looked like: The idea I'd like to attempt, would be an Elden Ring Catacombs-style level. These levels often have a clear goal at the beginning of them, like a big locked door leading to a boss fight. The trick with these levels is to find the lever to unlock the boss door. However there is usually some form of navigational/combative puzzle to find this lever; you may walk right by the real path to the lever, without even realizing it. Throughout Elden Ring these levels get progressively bigger and more difficult, with the goal of exploring every corner to find the real path. I would like to attempt to do an early to mid-game sized level, where I'd estimate about 5-7 small to mid-sized rooms, including the boss arena. I definitely think this type of level must be meticulously planned to make the loop feel realistic back to the original entry. This also inclu...

These past 2 weeks we've had a mock design assignment! Similar to doing a real design test for an interview process in the industry, we weren't supposed to add this piece to our portfolio. So it's almost like signing an NDA, and I don't think I can post screenshots here, but I figured I could at least add my thoughts about the goods and bads from the test. Overview This test was an interesting challenge for me, as I had to focus purely on the composition of the level, and wasn’t able to rely on Blueprints as much to fill in gaps. It really made me pay attention to how each combat area, and connecting routes, were mapped out. Things Working Well ·        Definitely feel like I’ve improved with focusing on elevation, and utilizing changes in the landscape to make the player feel they are in a more natural area. ·         I also felt good about my ability with certain proxy lightings, and capturing the mood I’m going for. Things That Could ...

 Have started blocking out the 2nd area from the previous post, but am still trying to plan out the gameplay aspects of it. We may potentially have some form of sticky walls, so I'm planning on maybe implementing that within the area of the houses and creating a challenge based on that. I also made an LDD for the Fort 3 area, which is the ship area encompassing the creek area above. Am still working on some of the finer gameplay aspects of this as well. I've started working on the 4th fort as well, but definitely need to fill it more with obstacles and gameplay pieces. The planning of this was also a little sparse, so I definitely need to draw up some more ideas.

 Have started planning out the 2nd area of the Farmland, which will include the 3rd and 4th fort. The middle area will include at least a mansion, and am planning have docks leading to some silos with another puzzle. The 3rd Fort area will have another small farm area, and include obviously the 3rd fort, along with a small grouping of houses. I will add updated screenshots of this when it is in Engine!

  A lot of Progress has been made since my last update, and I unfortunately didn't get in as many screenshots before the artists came in on this level and did the lighting/skybox/environmental feel. Need to readjust the paths since this, but I can still point out what's been added. Changed intent for player to have free reign to explore each fort, to making them more ordered with a "linear" path. So now Farmadillo is split into 2 halves by the river. The first half contains the tutorial area and fort, the 2nd fort, and 2 main puzzle areas. In the first tutorial area on the left, we decided the bowl didn't fit well with the desire to create a framing moment. So instead we raised the land to make a big ramp to create this moment. Better view of the land ramp in this picture Adjusted tutorial area some as well. Firstly closed it off with Fencing to make it a safer area for the player, and also added an opening in the fencing to reach the 2nd spot in the tutorial area...