project overview:
In this two-person team project, I was tasked with designing a level for a game concept based on a diegetic universe that interested us. We drew inspiration from the universe of RAIDERS (CROM & Daniel Freedman, 2020), a beautiful "Dungeon Crawling" comic. The book doesn’t have an overly developed universe, which gave us more freedom to create content.
Our fictional game is an action-adventure RPG with "Dungeon crawl" and "Hack 'n' Slash" mechanics.
In a partially open-world progression, the player will be able to explore environments such as a market, a campsite, or a town in the form of a Hub before venturing into each dungeon.
roles:
- Creation of an L0 pitch document for the market level and the general game concept
- L1 blocking of the market area in Unreal Engine 5
- Storytelling : integration of a narrative context throughout the level
- Level Art
concept l0 - the market
I wanted to create a hub with an impressive dungeon entrance. My sketches led me to imagine an entryway carved into a gigantic sword piercing through a stone hand. This also inspired me to craft a backstory for this location, nicknamed The Crypts of the Lover.
level's purpose
- Obtain quests and information about the environment
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MAin OBJECTIve: Obtain a raid permit
In RAIDERS, dungeon exploration is regulated by the Royal Guard. In the market level, the player must find a way to acquire a permit to enter the dungeon. Three options are available:
- Purchase the legal permit from the Banker (at an exorbitant cost)
- Buy a forged permit from a hidden shady individual (at a lower cost, but with a catch!)
- Earn a discount by defeating a veteran wrestler (half the price, but with a tougher challenge)
l1 - BLOCKING & Level art
After presenting our L0 documents, I built the market level in Unreal Engine 5. I wanted to push my blocking further by incorporating some level art using available assets to create a vision closer to what I had in mind for the game.
THINGS I WOULD IMPROVE : With more time and thought, I would have prioritized adding more verticality. Viewing the environment from different angles would have provided a more interesting perspective of the location and a better flow variation in gameplay.
environmental guidance
The player starts at the entrance of the small village. Each hub features a notice and quest board right at the beginning.
To guide the player toward the main point of interest in the level, I placed environmental elements to create a sequence and visual framing: the board, the finger statue at the center of the market, and then the sword.
The sword is visible from everywhere, serving as a constant reminder of the destination objective. I wanted its presence to feel imposing, foreshadowing the challenge of the upcoming Crypts of the Lover.
REJECTED CONCEPT
Driven by the desire to create something grand and awe-inspiring, I explored the possibility of building the market and its small village atop the carcass of an ancient giant fused with the landscape.
Unfortunately, this concept presented too large a task given the limited time and asset constraints. However, it would be interesting to revisit this concept in the future.