THE FOREST RUINS

// BLOCKMESH + ENVIRONMENTAL ART

WALKTHROUGH VIDEO

OVERVIEW

PROJECT DETAILS

INTRODUCTION

This project was a simple level design exercise to create a linear level for a walking simulator game. The idea was to create a level with 3 main sections and 2 transitions: Level Start, Transition 01, Focal Point, Transition 02, and Level End. Each section needed to fit inside a 30x30x30 meter radius and should take the player through 3 distinct areas. The game has no combat or complex gameplay mechanics other than move, jump, climb, and interact. Additionally, the level has to be completed by replacing the blockmesh with finalized assets.

GOALS

Blockout a short, linear level for a walking simulator-style game following the established design constraints.
Practice environmental art by replacing the blockmesh with a final art pass.

BREAKDOWN

Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Language: Blueprints
Version Control: Perforce
Duration: 4 Weeks
Team Size: 1

DESIGN PROCESS

RESEARCH & PLANNING

For this project, I aimed to guide the player through ancient ruins inside a rainforest. My goal was to design a level that tells a story of an ancient ruin reclaimed by nature and the passage of time.

MOOD BOARD

BLOCKMESH & FINAL ART PASS

LEVEL START

The main entrance funnels the player inside the ruins. Before the art pass, it did not make sense to have trees too close to the structure, so I iterated on the space taken by the trees and turned it into 2 ruined pillars.

As the player goes inside, they are met with a closed, overgrown space with several pieces of structure. I wanted this area to introduce the player to their only 2 mechanics, jumping and climbing. So I purposefully made the path go up and demanded the use of both mechanics to reach the door.

Once the player reaches the top, they can cross a gap into an exposed room. To cross the gap, the player must jump onto a narrow platform. I wanted to give players an additional challenge using the jump mechanic. Crossing the gap rewards the player with a treasure chest.Before the art pass, I iterated on this space to fit with the finalized assets. I decided to make the room wider and angled instead of just a half room, while hiding the treasure chest from view. This not only made more sense with the environment, but also gave the treasure chest more value as a reward for attempting my challenge and exploring the area.

TRANSITION 01

The player follows a straight path through a bridge. This is meant to be an area free of action where the player can take their time to look around as they transition into the next area.

During blockout, this area felt empty, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to have the environment give context to the level. So, during the art pass, I utilized statue props to foreshadow the shrine.

FOCAL POINT

After the bridge, the player enters a small, overgrown courtyard with a central giant tree. The focal point needed to include the most action, so I decided to make the traversal around a giant central tree.

Because the only actions the player has are jumping and climbing, I aimed for this area to demand the use of jumping and climbing to cross a short platforming challenge.

This area also includes a valve and a gate. The valve is created by a level sequence that shuts a door behind the player. The gate is a locked door that requires the use of a key found in the treasure chest above a pillar.

TRANSITION 02

After opening the gate, the player walks through a short cave-like section. My goal was to reduce the players view in preparation for the reveal of the shrine.

LEVEL END

Finally, the player reaches a shrine. This area is meant to be an area of prospect where the player feels relief. To convey this, I framed the shrine from a higher angle so the player could look slightly down towards it. During the blockout, the area felt too claustrophobic. So after some iterations, I expanded the area around, creating a looping path surrounding the shrine.

TOP DOWN VIEW

POSTMORTEM

WHAT WENT RIGHT +

ITERATION BEFORE ART

While I consider myself mostly a level designer, I knew it would be beneficial to go through the process of replacing the blockmesh with finalized assets at least once. My goal was not to make it perfect, but rather to practice the process with a limited amount of assets.Additionally, going through the art pass made me realize areas of my level that did not make sense, like the entrance having 2 giant trees as the structural support. So I took the time to iterate on these areas to make them more believable and realistic.

A BORROWED UNIVERSE

During blockout, I aimed to create a rainforest with ruins. I wanted the ruins to feel castle-like and have a story, but without an actual story, I designed the space with generic pieces. However, once I got the assets, I noticed it had a theme, so I decided to adopt its theme and implement it into my level.I am aware that, in a real game studio, environmental artist are likely to base their environment on a game's universe and story. So by doing this, I was able to create an environment that is consistent with itself. An example of this was using the statues on the bridge to foreshadow the statues on the shrine.

Statues on the bridge.

Statues on the shrine.

LEARNINGS

As my first complete level design project, I wanted to make the most of it by learning something valuable in the process. I not only designed the blockmesh and iterated on it, but I also elevated it by replacing it with finalized assets. In the end, I got to experience a complete level design process while learning the fundamentals of both level design and environmental art processes.

WHAT WENT WRONG -

LIMITED SPACE TAKEN LITERALLY

When I was designing the blockmesh, I was having a hard time fitting my ideas inside a 30x30x30 meter radius. I forced myself to create the boundaries and the playable space fit precisely inside this space that, in the end, made the level feel claustrophobic. Looking back, while I did manage to fit it all, I shouldn't've taken the space literally.I think the space constraint could've been used in a more forgiving way when it comes to adding background and boundary elements like rocks or trees that extend past the space constraint. This would still leave the gameplay space inside the constraint, but would allow me to be more creative with what is outside the space to make the area feel less cluttered and believable.

QUESTIONABLE ENVIRONMENT

Something I noticed at the end was that when analyzing the environment and how the paths are formed, it is easy to see the weird rock formations and structural buildings feel unrealistic in some areas. During blockout, all I had in mind was the space and the location, but I did not consider how real environments form. I believe I could've done some extra research on the general rock formations and forest layouts a bit more to minimize this flaw.

CONCLUSION

In the end, I learned and experienced both the level design and the environmental art at a small scale. I feel this was a unique fundamental experience that thought me more about creating complete playable worlds. Designing the blockmesh allowed me to exercise my fundamentals, while replacing it with art assets gave me a deeper understanding of its process. In the end, I realized that level design and environmental art go hand in hand, and moving forward, I am sure to pay more consideration to the theme and do thorough research on the type of location I design for.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

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