CGMA Course

Introduction

Over the course of 10 weeks I completed a series of levels. Each level was made to the specification of an assignment (or brief).

The levels included linear exterior levels, open world exterior levels, and interior levels.

From weeks 8 to 10 I created and iterated on one level set in the world of Tom Clancy's The Division 2.

What I did:

- Gathered references for each level.

- Created maps and layouts.

- Blocked out level.

- Created 3D assets in Blender

- Added functionality via Blue Prints to imply the mechanics of the level.

- Avance locomotion Character controller used for functionality.

Planning

Each time I started a new level I would gather reference images (at least 50) in order to start the planning process. Once the reference images were gathered I could then start to plan out a 2D map that I could use to inform my blockout process.

Week 01

Week 04

Week 05 - Iteration on Week 4

Week 9/10

Later on in the course I learnt the importance of flexible, well documented level plans. Not only would these plans allow me to stay on target with the production of the level, but also if there were other disciplines working on the level then they would know what the intended goal of the level is.

Basic Overview of the level

Pacing and Intesnity

Blockout

Once my planning was complete I would start blocking out the level in the Unreal Engine. I would start to apply the lessons taught to me throughout the course. Whether that was using shapes and space theory, composition for establishing goals and landmarks, or how to place cover in order to guide the player forward and encourage combat.

I would give each blockout back to the instructor and then build upon the feedback, iterating on my levels.

Landmarks, Composition, Iteration

Final Piece

For my week 9 assignment we were tasked with creating a level that uses cover in combat. I decided that I wanted to try something different and do a level based on an interior. Inspired by my instructor Max Pears, I decided to do a level similar to his art gallery level (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjdhp1CQ2s&t=730s). He then suggested that I took a look at the Space Administration HQ level from Tom Clancy's The Division 2. I used this level as a basis for the mechanics, and a reference for my own level.

Max gave me feedback on the level which I could then apply to the level my week 10 assignment, iterating on the changes he suggested.

Max always stressed that showing where the player came from allows the player to build up context and create a story in their head of what the character has been through. Further, this expands the world the character inhabits, by showing areas around the playable space the player is led to believe the world is much bigger than it actually is.

By having richer environment pieces within the level I was able to sell more of a narrative. Similar to providing context of where the player came from, environmental story telling allows the player to build up a narrative about what has happened in the level before the player arrived.

Props also sell the function of a room. This makes the space more believable, deepening the games immersive experience.

One of the issues my first iteration of the level had was that the player could use the doorway to act as cover, preventing them from using the cover I had laid out. This led to the player not experiencing the intended gameplay that I had aimed for, as well as the player finding the level too easy and ultimately boring.

In order to combat this, I decided to make it so the player could only clearly see the enemies once they had reached the first layer of cover. Once they reached the first section of cover then enemy patrol paths would make the enemies visible to the player.

Another point Max made was all about timing. I had provided the player with a non combat transition room in order to break up the combat, making its impact greater. However, my initial attempt didn't take into account the timing of the transition, resulting in a very rapid transition from fight to fight.

To rectify this issue I decided to add in a greater space, with exploration possibilities, and a challenge that used a different mechanic. This provided greater variety in the gameplay, and heightened the impact of the next combat area.

It came back that a lot of the combat spaces felt the same or similar. Initially I used a lot of cases and empty glass cylinders for cover. Not only was there no indication of what these cases could be, but they were also repeated a lot throughout the level.

Further, with the spacing of certain doors and areas, some things felt too tight. This prevented smooth flowing gameplay, but also made player choice seem irrelevant since both directions were so close together.

To fix this I decided to first change the cover to more varied displays, and also to include items within the glass cases to sell the space the player was in. In terms of the space, I decided to remove some of the doors, and add an extra room to provide the player with greater choice. Additionally, I added a further puzzle terminal at the end of the section in order to, again break up the pacing, but also build the tension before the final fight.

I finally added a big 'boss' room at the end of the level to create an impactful climax. With the framing of the Division 2 as the template for the level, I decided that the ultimate goal of the level was to obtain data from the main computer before the enemies did. This target is represented by the yellow computer at the end of the level.