BLOCKOUTS AND SYSTEMS
This week, I started really thinking about the kinds of level layouts that my game's systems could support. I experimented with more flat layouts but found them too boring to explore. I then tried to recreate an environment I like from Dishonored and found much more success. This also inspired me to start working on a prototype stealth system, akin to Thief. This was planned from the beginning, but as I developed the levels, it became clear just how much this would affect the layouts.
Once that was in place, I began to sketch out new ideas for missions. I knew I wanted to create something that would feel huge and isolating. After looking at photos of Iceland and the Orkney Islands, I was struck by the beauty of these huge cliffs. I imagined what it would be like to climb around a facility built into them. Thus, the Rasmussen Tidewall was born. I began by blocking out some enormous cliffs in simple geometry to get a feel for the space, and I started building little struts and platforms around the cliffs.
LANDSCAPING
Once I was happy with the basic layout, I wanted to take a break from looking at cubes, so I opened ZBrush. I don't often get to use ZBrush as a designer, but I felt that to better communicate the scale of the environment and as a fun flair, I'd build out the cliffs as high-poly models. I began by exporting the basic geometry from Unreal to Blender and created a contiguous model to base my sculpt off of. When I was happy with that, I brought the Blender model into ZBrush and began sculpting cracks and erosion into the structure. It took a little longer than I was hoping, but I love the process of sculpting; it's kind of zen in a way. Once I was happy with that, I decimated the model and brought it back into Unreal and placed it into the scene. As a nice surprise, the model lined up almost perfectly, and I didn't have to modify any of the actual level geometry to accommodate it.
NEXT WEEK
The next stage of this process is to build out some actual stealth segments. While I have the main route of the level laid out, I want to build several "gyms" to get a feel for the kinds of spaces that work best in the stealth system.
