Designing a map
Designing a map
Embedded Files
This segment will show the process to make a map from start to finish, using the map for the second level of the game.
That level's purpose is to introduce the player to one of the main mechanics of the game, handling different sheep behaviors.
I started by looking through a lot of streetview panoramas to try and find a real world place that would suit our level design needs.
Other than introducing some game mechanics to the player, the idea behind this level was to have a wide place to explore, and give space to the player to handle the herd and special sheep.
Emotions wanted in the level & ways to suggest them
Emotions wanted in the level & ways to suggest them
After finding the place we needed, I downloaded a map of the zone, cut some parts of it up and reassembled the map:
Assembling the map to get a realistic topography
Assembling the map to get a realistic topography
Using a digital surface model to import and edit real world terrain.
Edited terrain object in 3DS max
Edited terrain object in 3DS max
One of the biggest hurdles was striking the right balance between a natural mountain and a level built with player progression in mind. We had to run a lot of playtests and iterate a lot on the level to make it fit both requirements as much as possible. We ended up choosing to block the path on the right to have a more linear level, with a bonus area at the end where you can get more sheep as a reward.
First & last iterations
First & last iterations
Sheep AI navmesh
Sheep AI navmesh
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