Player starting area
The player begins on a Nordic beach, where large rock blockouts lead the player towards a narrow path. If the player looks back, they will see a vast view of mountains in the distance and a body of water blocking their way in that direction. If this prototype were developed further, this narrowing would allow for the level to be loaded and unloaded. The player is also introduced to the story on the beach, and the second character - a mask - is attached to the player's face, which the player character has a dialogue.
Description
Role
A Viking-themed adventure prototype made for an intro to scripting course at Futuregames. I worked in a group of 3, which I was the Level designer, Environment artist and lighting artist. We used a Viking Village asset pack from the marketplace for this project, along with a procedural player controller by Adam Isme.
Level Designer / Level Scripter / Lighting Artist / Environment Artist
Project
Viking narrative game prototype
School
Futuregames
Genre
Adventure
Engine
Unreal Engine 5.3
Gameplay
Game Inspiration
For this project, we were tasked with creating a simple prototype where we could implement scripting components we learned during the course. A theme that you will see with my work is that I always want to push the boundaries of what I can make. So, rather than creating a rough-looking prototype, we made a story-driven narrative experience with some traversal mechanics to add some interest. My story writer took inspiration from titles like God of War (2018), God of War: Ragnarok and Uncharted 4. He wanted to see if he was able to create believable characters and their interactions through use of a sentient mask. "The dynamic combines that of Kratos and Mimir together Nathan and Sam".
Through my level design and set dressing I facilitated the narrative of his story, allowing for dialogue segments to feel natural and fitting with the environment around the player. I made sure that the players always knew where they had to go, whether through guiding lines in the level, landmarks and crumb trails or through the narrative. I took inspiration from the God of War climbing mechanics but wanted to add more freedom to the players on where they could climb. Using a premade procedural climbing controller, I was able to make traversal segments that allowed the player to approach the challenge in different ways making it not feel too linear. Having previous environment artist experience, I also was responsible for creating the environment look and feel. I wanted to make sure that the level design complemented the art allowing for a natural looking environment.
Forest Blockout
After the beach, the player is funnelled towards the first story interaction, where the player will be able to read a note and pick up story items. A small trading post represented by a grey-boxed wagon and a white box for the tables is located at the beginning of the forest. I made the forest itself a linear path that funnels the player towards the village. As this is a linear story, there was no need for more player pathing options. I put a large mountain landmark block out in the distance to help guide the player towards the village as it catches the eye and helps them orientate themselves.
Village Blockout
The village is the main area where the player interacts with the story elements and explores. When designing the village, I tried to think of what every person in the village would be doing and where they would live. I blocked out a farm, blacksmith, village chieftain and kitchen houses along with general living quarters. I made the village feel like it could exist in real life. All the buildings are rotated so that their shape lines point towards where I want the player to go. I placed an elevated watch tower at the back of the village that is used as a landmark in the village to help guide the player and to make a cohesive composition. This tower will be used in the cave section later for traversal.
Cave Blockout
Once the player enters the cave, the tower from outside falls through the ceiling of the cave, opening up a new traversal route. It also lets light enter the cave, shining onto the main objective and a traversal path to the objective. A landmark in the shape of a Viking ship can be seen at the bottom of the cavern. A damaged path can also be seen. There are some narrative segments as the player traverses through the cave.
Cave Path blockout
I wanted the movement through the cave to feel natural and to flow well. I made sure that the objective was always visible, and even if the player went through a side path, there would be sections open so that the objective was visible.
The old path in the cave narratively shows there used to be an easier way to get down, but something happened that destroyed that path.
I designed a path that would break the line of sight of the objective to introduce a new objective. This objective is where the player's end goal is once they find the key, which is on the ship. As stated previously, I used the cracks in the wall to remind the player where the other objective is. I tried to make the traversal interesting by getting the player to use the climbing features of the procedural player controller. I made a spike pit underneath the traversal area to add tension for the players; when they climbed, as if they had fallen, they would die. I wanted to use minimal lights to save on performance, and when they were used, I made them render out after a certain distance.
The final cave section leads from the side path, where the player is introduced to the second objective. Here I am a huge space that is very deep to make this final area feel very imense. I placed some simple traversal just to make getting to the portal more intresting. As the player approaches the portal, it turns on, and in the story, the monster that is out there somewhere can be heard in the tunnel, so you walk through the credits role. There is also a crack on the top of the cave that lets in a light Godray to light up the portal and highlight the objective.
