My Work

Team – Myself

Engine – Unreal Engine 4

Type – Blocktober

Duration – 1 week

Dates – 2020

Level Designer

  • Level intentions
  • Documents :
    • Intentions
    • Contrast and intensity curves
  • Blockouts (BSP) :
    • Lighting
    • Metrics
    • Environmental storytelling

Project

Context

This project, inspired by the movie Snowpiercer (2013), is mainly a work on contrasts in level design. There is no real gameplay, but one could easily be imagine with shooting, stealth and hand-to-hand combat.

Concept

In a similar universe to Snowpiercer, you are part of the poorest population of the train containing the last living beings on earth. You have only one objective: reach the locomotive to kill a man.

Level Intentions

  • Journey from ancient and chaotic poverty to modern and pure luxury.
  • Spatial, semantic and pictorial evolution corresponding to the player’s state.

Contrasts

Global Intensity

    Representation of the intensity that the player must feel during the level.

     

    • A crescendo curve and progressive intensification of gameplay intensity.
    • A shock (intensity peak) in the middle of the level to surprise the player.

    Global contrasts

    Use of semantic, spatial and pictorial contrasts to support the global player intensity curve.

    • Use of spatial contrasts (tight/open) and pictorial contrasts (cold/warm): creation of “breaks” to let the player breathe and realize his objective.
    • Semantic contrast (poverty/luxury) to support the narrative of the level.

    Rhythmic contrasts

    Player stimulation contrasts to guide the player and offer variation during the level.

    • Alternating between hostile cars and safe ones where the player can learn a little more about the scenario (Hostile/Safe).
    • Make the player feel unsafe: Sharp shapes and volumes, low brightness, dark hue, presence of enemies.

     

    • Make the player feel safe: Rounded shapes, high brightness, light hue, presence of NPCs.

    Gallery