Can a space tell a story? Can architecture be expressive? Can virtual environments be something other than arenas for battles or frontiers to explore and conquer?
Assignment
Create an expressive environment you can explore in first person.
Start from the assigned theme but connect it to something not purely fantastical (a biographical aspect, historical research, a non-gaming reference, a current issue),
The experience should last about 1 minute.
Focus on the atmosphere and the experience of moving through space.
Try no not set a completely linear path for the player.
Give it a purpose/conclusion, it can be about finding an exit or an object.
Setup
Download the template from here
Instructions
Theme
You’ll be assigned a random theme, you don’t have to interpret it literally.
Avoid tropes (eg. Hell as a lake of fire and full of red demons) and give it a twist or a connection to some.
Heaven
Hell
Glitch
The temple of _
Monument to _
Alien Ruin
Prison
Domestic
Memory palace
Totalitarianism
Ascent
Descent
Maze
Claustrophobia
The _ factory
A retelling of _ (story adaptation through environmental storytelling)
Brainstorm
What are non-fictional elements, reference, events, that you are interested in and that could related to this space?
What is the emotional and mental state you want to evoke in the player?
What are some visual and spatial strategies you can use?
How do you enclose the environment? How do you deal with the limit of the space?
Develop your theme into two paragraph statement.
Research
As research play 3 of these games based on your theme and direction. Post a 2 paragraph response or analysis for each of them (not a review).
Homeplay
Layout
Read this chapter from Robert Yang’s WIP book about level design: layouts
Make a top down sketch of your space
Draw a map of your environment explaining all the pathways and the things a visitor will encounter.
If there is a story or bits of environmental storytelling, write them down
You can put everything in a miro board so we can talk about it. Example 1 Example 2
Blockout
What’s a blockout? Check out #blocktober
Read the Level Design Book chapter about blockouts
Environment Art
This is an unorthodox process but it’s the fastest way you can add color and texture to an environment.
Create materials with polycam import them following the process below
If generation doesn’t work you can download BORING textures from these sites and go through the same process:
https://polyhaven.com/
https://ambientcg.com/
https://freepbr.com/
Remember: use found assets with caution, only if they are generic items, and don’t let them dictate your project’s aesthetic and content.
Interaction (without coding)
Adding sounds
Physics (basic)
Building your game