High Reach was developed as part of a level designer application for Skywind, a total conversion of Skyrim. The hall was built to be compact, easily navigated and the main intent was to improve upon the things that Skyrim’s engine does so well, namely atmospheric lighting an environmental storytelling!

The main intent was to demonstrate my ability to tell a compelling narrative through the environment alone. The first step was obviously to create a narrative. While developing the idea, I liked the concept of a space that has been changed and influenced by two different occupants so the player could see the two characters clash. For this, I explored the idea of the previous owner as a nobleman, furnishing the space lavishly with plenty of valuables and trophies of his hunting trips dotting the space. From there I imagined what it might look like if a wicked, though not very competent wizard moved in to evict the nobleman. Because of this, the player can find the environment littered with failed experiments, frustrated notes and the previous tenant’s belongings strewn around.

A huge part of this map was atmosphere, so one of the key areas I focused on was lighting. Although the lighting and atmosphere of Skyrim is almost palpable, I wanted to create something that could stand out on its own, so instead of using the usual color palette of greenish highlights with dark blue shadows as in the vanilla game, I opted instead for a palette mainly using vivid reds and mahogany highlights, with rich, purple shadows to make the space feel cozy, claustrophobic and distinct from other areas of the game.

As with many of my projects, I was hell bent on creating a compact, economical space that felt lived in. Not an easy task for the Creation Kit, better suited for long narrow passageways and more traditional dungeon layouts. So I had to get my hands dirty and try to make every room fit as snugly together as possible without confusing the player.