Level Design
Context
For this unit we worked in randomly assigned teams to create a game with 4 levels. The theme was 'escape' and we had to include interactable items and openable doors as well as AI.
Group Level and Gameplay Analysis
Google Maps Level Inspiration
For this task we had to get a street on Google Maps and turn it into a plan for a game environment using the basic shape it provided us as a basis.
From this design I immediately thought of making an escape room game as it seemed to have multiple small room-like shapes rather than large open areas and this design could be perfect for slow progression.
Each room could have multiple puzzles that allow you to open the next door until eventually being able to unlock the goal and winning the game. In a game like this, the map is really important as props and puzzles need to scatter the room and have difficulty as well as consistency. Props in the room that relate to the escape must also fit the environment and a long shape like this must be an area that is generally a long room.
The game I am basing this off is 'Escape Room Simulator' and more specifically the Sci-Fi levels as I think this map is perfect for a Sci-Fi theme as this long shape could be turned into a space ship where you need to gain access to a certain room such as a boiler room or navigation room to survive. Based on this premise, the aesthetic of the level should be a Space Ship that is damaged and in full alert, which could be the reason all the doors are shut and in lockdown.
Moodboard
Escape Theme Brainstorm
Trello Setup
We set up a Trello page as a group so we can organise and track our workflows and divide up the work evenly while keeping to a tight schedule. This Trello page will be vital to completing this project well and organised.
My team included George, Charlie and Louie. I would focus on sound and do less assets while the others did assets, Charlie being designated the modular wall assets etc.
Final Map Design
This is the map design our team decided on for a final idea.
The premise of this map is that you start in the red section where you learn about the controls and the general gameplay mechanics.
This allows you to reach the green section where you have to use the skills you learnt in the first section to progress and unlock a door then move through a vent shaft.
Upon entering the yellow section you have to quickly run and escape through a corridor while being chased by the creature
Finally after escaping, you are brought to a large room where you have to activate console panels and escape through an airlock.
The section I had to do in my team is the blue section.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Legal:
Textures from the internet have to be royalty free, fair use or need permission by the creator to use in your own projects, there are some exceptions but this is true of anything sold to make profit.
In this project, the aim will be to use textures with the correct permissions, however, since this is a, non-profit, college project that will never be sold, these rules are not set in stone and textures without specifically stating they are royalty free can still be used if there are no other options.
Ethical:
This project, being a Sci-fi Alien Horror should not raise any ethical concerns or seem offensive (such as religious symbolism, sexualisation or humour) in any way as the player is unidentifiable and the only other living thing is unearthly in origin. As well as this, the game is a work of fiction set in space that is not reflective of any real events.
The use of images that don't belong to us may be seen as slightly less ethical but since they are just being used for a student project, there shouldn't be any concerns, especially since we are prioritising the use of non-copyright imagery and only using the latter when those royalty free images aren't readily available.
Creating Assets in 3Ds Max
These are some of the assets I modelled in 3Ds max for the game as well as the beginning of some texturing on the crate, fully mapped and ready for photoshop.
These assets include a crate, a shelf, and some light designs/variants which i then textured so they can be used in-game.
Creating Music in Bandlab
This is a music track I made in Bandlab for one of the more tense sections of the game where you run from the creature after a cutscene. This track doesn't tend to vary much in the middle as it is meant to be almost a complete looping track for the player to run away to.
This is a music track I made in Bandlab for the more casual sections of the game where the player doesn't really have any timer and is in safety, able to explore and complete puzzles without any immediate threat. This track is more of a background track to negate silence than the main focus here as these sections contain exploration and puzzles and the player should be able to relax and take their time with this slow, fairly quiet and almost looping song.
This track was made for the sections where the creature isn't inherently chasing or attacking you, but its close and could attack if you aren't careful. It plays in the background of the stealth sections of the game. This tracks main purpose is to keep tension high even when you don't know where the creature is or you aren't in any immediate danger, keeping the player on edge and to make sure the player knows there is a lose condition in this section of the game.
Modular Asset Testing
In our teams, one of us created all of the modular wall/floor/ceiling assets and shared them with all of us to test creating environments with them. This was a quick test using a variety of the assets.
I could improve this test further by using the 'snap-to-grid' tool in 3Ds Max, however this was a rough design just to imagine the rooms.
Storytelling Research
The W's of Storytelling
GAMEPLAY
Why (Themes)
Who (Characters)
Where (Setting)
STORY
What (Plot and Events / Mechanics)
When (Time of Events / Pacing)
How (Presentation / Tone)
Player Agency and Certainty of Delivery Balance
Player Agency means how much the player interacts/influences with the game to trigger a story event.
Certainty of Delivery means the likelihood that this method triggers on a run through of any game.
Some things are less likely to happen but are more player controlled whereas some things are the opposite - games that tell stories well need a good balance of both and anything inbetween.
A Way Out - Analysis
A Way Out is a multiplayer prison escape, action, puzzle game that takes a more serious tone. The game follows two characters, Leo and Vincent as they work together to escape prison and reach their separate goals.. starting in a prison and eventually reaching the outside world surrounding these two characters.
The game is split-screen multiplayer with story for both characters seeming separate at times, giving the players a feeling of non-linear storytelling while still having to cooperate at times. The game still keeps both players on track even when it doesn't seem that way when seeing both players perspectives at once.
Both players have plot lines that collide enough to make a multiplayer scenario but differ enough to make the characters story seem unattached from one another - for example, both characters have separate families that they want to see but both have an agreed overarching enemy they want revenge on.
The game is well paced as characters can de-sync on their own paths but then seamlessly work together in more co-operative sections.
In terms of storytelling, the game has a good variety of methods with varying player agency (player interaction) and certainty of delivery (how likely the story point will trigger). For example there are many NPCs in the game to talk to throughout and these dialogues are optional, yet detailed and abundant.. giving a lot of agency but not as much certainty... however, methods such as cutscenes have little to no player interaction but is a definite plot point.
The game could've been inspired by a TV Series called 'Prison Break'' or other similar prison escape movies/games as they follow similar sequences of navigating the prison, collecting items and exploring unauthorised areas secretly while having quarrels with some of the other prisoners.
Unreal Engine Progress
These are screenshots from my scene that I tried creating in Unreal Engine. Before anyone had any real plans for the future this was an exercise we all did ourselves to try and create a simple scene and get to grips with the fundamentals of Unreal Engine 4.
These were our landscape tests using Unreal Engines Landscape Sculpting and Foliage Tools. This tool allows to create large, varied exterior environments as well as place props such as trees, bushes, rocks etc. on a large scale while still feeling randomly spread to a degree. While this experimentation won't be utilised in the final project, as my area is indoors, it is still useful for the future when I start to make more outside levels.
This is the first general mock up of my level design, with starting small capsules and a large open area. This draft had no textures, proper lights or props excepts the modular wall, floor and roof tiles to give a general layout and sense of scale as well as a general idea of how to progress further. These basic models had a few issues, such as the anchor point, the snapping was mismatched (causing gaps in the walls and floor), the walls weren't at 90° and were closer to 89°, causing the walls to misalign even more slightly, however, the final models had these issues resolved.
This is the same project a little later into the design phase. As you can see, things are starting to be textured, most of the props are placed, including objective props and the lighting has started to be implemented, this will go on to be the final project once the programming properly begins. The main problem I ran into at this stage was the lighting, as lights didn't like the lights around them and when the lighting was built, would be crossed out in the editor. The solution I found to this was reducing the radius it sheds light until there were no problems. At this stage the only programming really implemented was the lights to flicker on and off.
Further into the projects development, gameplay features are starting to be implemented, such as; a start, pause, win and lose menus; an AI creature that patrols and chases the player; console/keycard systems; an objective system; music, and particles. The game is fully coming together and is now a playable experience with a win and lose condition. Of course the main issues here were bug fixes and general design of all the code - props at this stage were completed and creating blueprints, widgets and levels with full code was the focus and with that, problems with code obviously arise. However, with a little more research online into any problem I had allowed me to fix it pretty quickly.
ALL BLUEPRINTS/CODE
Interior Design Principles in Level Design
My current game space balances complexity and legibility quite well as is it a large area with lots of randomly spaces props and a creature to hide from, which gives large amounts of complexity, while also balancing the legibility with lighting, as the area is easy to navigate with objects being brightly and always lit while the rest of the room is only visible some of the time.
Surface articulation in a large area like this can prove difficult sometimes which is why some of the obstacles in the room go from the floor to the ceiling to make the player feel like they are in a group of much smaller zones rather than one large open area, and these obstacles being randomly placed means these small zones are no longer uniform and feel more natural.
There are patterns on the walls and floor that make them seem tiled, which gives the theme of a uniform spaceship. These patterns are sometimes separated by obstacles or occasionally not visible due to the lights in hopes that the player doesn't lose interest.
The area is currently not expressed to its fullest.. however, the control panels signify it is a control room and the blinking lights imply danger and malfunction. The assets are all space themed and when placed together create a sci-fi environment. The expression of the space implies the inhabitants have fled or have been attacked on their own ship and used to be space farers.
The area is enriched by the players goals of traversing the area with the creature inside, they are forced to look for areas in the environment to use as cover to keep themselves safe while they look for more environmental protection ahead. This mechanic forces the environment to affect the players movement.
This area evokes an overwhelming sense of danger and unease.. its an environment hard to navigate with low lighting and hostility. This area is far better at inspiring terror rather than fear.
Level and Gameplay Analysis Part 2
Game Demo Recording
Evaluation
This is my evaluation of my level in Unreal Engine 4. Overall, I was very happy with how the final project came out as. Since it was the first time ever properly using UE4, I was surprised with how quickly and easily I was able to learn how to use it and create more advanced systems and code. After watching a few tutorials on basic functions I found it quite easy to manipulate and adapt code to create my own, quite complex, programs and go into much more detail from small amounts of learning.
Based on the brief for this assignment, I think that I did exceptionally well at functionality, going above and beyond a simple door and key system and creating full UI menus, objectives, light programming, holding buttons, consoles, a cutscene, 'dual-conditioned' doors, and much more. However, looking away from the brief, this project could be improved a lot with more time and focus on how the game actually looks, with lots of things having simple textures or being low poly/repetitive for anyone playing it. I also think that the music production and sound effects in the game also went very well as it ended up all coming together and sounding great, adding a lot to the atmosphere and gameplay experience.
As well as this, there were many mistakes I would improve on a second try. First of all, I would fix the lighting as all the lighting in the game is made up of Point Lights and this is because I wasn't aware of Spot Lights until much later into the project, which would've made the room look much more appealing. To add to the aesthetic I would also work more on the textures of the room as, in a group project, everything being completed is never guaranteed.
In addition, I would create a model for the creature that chases you around the room, along with movement animations just to add an extra layer to the gameplay and create the game in a way that makes more sense in the context of an alien escape horror game.
I would also add simple objective markers that the player could see through walls to guide them as when I attempted to do this in the project it ended up taking a long time and not working so on a second attempt I would get it working and complete.
To conclude, I really liked how the final product came out and also gave me lots of experience and knowledge for any use of UE4 in the future.