Ben Nichols Game/Level Designer
The Lost Idol
Goal:
To create a stealth/puzzle game based on games like the Assassins Creed and Uncharted series
Project Breakdown
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3 Weeks
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Unreal Engine 5
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Blockout
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Marketplace Assets used
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Blockout Tools plugin
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Modelling Tools plugin
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Advanced Locomotion System V4
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Overview
Level Focuses
PlayStyles
Stealth:
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Using AI to make the player think strategically when navigating areas.
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Creating imposing feeling with AI (too many enemies for the player to take on) e.g. on the beach there is a large search party
Exploration:
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Level uses exploration as a means to guide the player through the level. e.g. Searching for hidden items.
Traversal
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I challenged myself to use limited space and to come up with unique ways for the player to navigate the environment. e.g. trap doors, climbing etc.
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Used a variety of puzzles to create an engaging means for the player to progress through the map.
Level Development
Space
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A useful challenge I set myself for this project, was restricting my level to a small size and thinking of unique ways to traverse these areas
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Perspective plays a huge role in the feel and flow of this level and helped to build a immersive world.
Use of Cutscenes & animations
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Cutscenes and animations were used for great effect to not only help progress the story, but also help build the world e.g. turning statue opens the door to the temple.
References
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Big influencers for the this level were Assassins Creed Black Flag and Pirates of the Caribbean.
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I also looked at a lot of Mayan architecture to get a feel for the type of temple/ environment I wanted to focus on. And also fictional references like Indiana Jones to create interior elements of the temple i.e rolling boulder.
Summary
Thoughts:
Loved how this level turned out. The level uses space and perspective effectively not only to create impact but to build on the world that the player is exploring.
Improvements:
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Adding additional AI, would help put more emphasise on the stealth sections of the level.