This was my submission for the 2024 Level Design Jam hosted by professional Level Designer Steve Lee.
Length of the Jam: 5 weeks
Themes of the Jam: "EXTREME" & "John Cage's 4:33"
Date of Completion: November 4, 2024
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Target Playtime: Under 10 minutes
Software Used: Unreal Engine, GIMP, Audacity
Assets acquired from FAB
Project Role: Solo Developer
Reference Photos
Gameplay Video
beginning blockouts
I wanted a setting that could be a smaller part of a larger world, like a small town. I chose to create an abandoned mall because I knew i could get some verticality out of the multiple levels within the building itself.
The plan was to have 3 distinct playing areas: the outside starting point that introduced the players to the core mechanics, a subterranean tunnel area for the player to crawl out from, and the interior of the mall itself.
The tunnel area was my first design hurdle. I had used the Unreal Engine's modeling tools before, and I was happy that using the boolean function helped make these tunnels a breeze.
The Skylight
I knew in order to sell this effect I would need to bring the chaos level up, so I replaced several of the window panes of the skylight mesh with broken windows, scattered chairs and tables and railings everywhere, added water puddles to illustrate the rain coming in, and then covered everything in ivy and weeds as another way of showing the passing of time but also as a way to show that nature was taking over.
The Food Court
The next area I focused most of my attention on was the food court. I wanted the player to climb up through a hole in the floor that once had been a water fountain, and be greeted by ridiculous suspended decorative globes. It can't be a mall food court without something silly and outrageous hanging from the ceiling, right?
In the end, i liked how the lighting in this area worked itself out. I wanted a round skylight to shower the whole area with "natural light"--which meant I had to get strategic with spot light placement.
In the end, i liked how the lighting in this area worked itself out. I wanted a round skylight to shower the whole area with "natural light"--which meant I had to get strategic with spot light placement.
In the game, the fallen globe acts as a sort of barrier in the line of sight between the brute enemy and when the player emerges from the tunnels. without it, the brute is on top of the player immediately which makes for some pretty frustrating and uneven combat.
SMOKE AND MIRRORS
There were several areas where I needed to place invisible geometry in order for the player's movements to look and feel smoother.
In the case of the log(upper right video), the player was getting caught up on the log asset so the added geometry of the elongated cube made traversal easier and consistent.