Assignment
Create an expressive environment you can explore in first person.
Use only the building blocks in the template.
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.
This is not a 3D modeling exercise, don’t try to create specific objects or places, keep it abstract.
Give it a purpose/conclusion, it can be about finding an exit or an object.
Setup
If you haven’t done it yet
Download the template from here
Instructions
2. Theme
You’ll be assigned a random theme:
The temple of _
Monument to _
Alien Ruin
Heaven
Hell
Glitch
Prison
Domestic
Memory palace
Totalitarianism
Ascent
Descent
3D Maze
Claustrophobia
The _ factory
Organic
Imaginary City
Playground
Megastructure
Microscopic
2. Brainstorm
Paired with a partner, discuss both themes (first one then the other) and take notes:
What are non-fictional elements, reference, events, that you are interested in and that could relate to this theme?
What are the clichés associated to the theme (eg. Hell as a lake of fire and full of red demons), what are ways to avoid them? How can you surprise the player?
What is the emotional and mental state you want to evoke in the player?
What are some visual and spatial strategies you can use?
You can start from the ones in the pattern language
How do you enclose the environment? How do you deal with the limit of the space?
Develop your theme into two paragraph statement.
3. Layout
Draw a top-down layout of your environment. Add notes and image references if needed.
Here’s an example.
You can find more examples on the Layout chapter on Robert Yang’s Book.
4. Game Feel
Consider tweaking the player controller scripts to achieve the right “game feel”.
How fast should it walk?
Can it jump? How high?
Can it run?
How steep it climb?
What’s the camera angle?
Are there other movement mechanic you want to implement? (flying, vehicle movement, etcetera). Can you find scripts and tutorials that can help you?
5. Blockout
Create a blockout of your environment using the block in the template.
What’s a blockout? Check out #blocktober
Read the Level Design Book chapter about blockouts
6. Mood and visual
Just like in the cityscape exercise set the mood and visuals
by using only light, colors, materials, and post processing effects.
Do not download any additional assets for now.
This is an unorthodox process but it’s the fastest way you can add color and texture to an environment.
You can create materials with polycam import them following the process in the video below.
(I have a subscription so send me your prompt and I can download it for you).
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/
7. Sound
Find a soundtrack or soundscape to be played in the background.
You can start by looking at:
https://freesound.org/
Or download samples from youtube
It cannot be a song with lyrics.
It cannot be a soundtrack from other games.
It can be a very simple soundscape (wind, room ambiance etc).