tHE WRECKROOM
A Level Design Journey from Documentation to Implementation
Tasked by Ubisoft NEXT to create an exciting mission for a first person shooter game set within 5 years in the future. I created, tested, edited on a unique alternate reality based on an iconic Toronto landmark which got me into the competition's top 10. And with that, the opportunity to bring my level to life within Unreal Engine 4.
Scroll down to see my process from designing the level/mission, to creating a base structure, receiving the infamous "curveball" and my final playable.
Design goals
My original goal for this project was to accomplish the following:
-Utilize my skills to make a well made, compelling level design document
-Get more experience with a triple A studio Pipeline
-Make an amazing Portfolio Piece
I started this project in late November of 2020 and ended at the end of March 2021. With a total of over 200 hours of work, several rounds of playtesting on both my documentation and playable, I am proud to say I accomplished all of my goals.
The Premise
The parameters/ lore that Ubisoft gave us was fairly vague in the beginning. We had to make a mission where the player has to go through the environment, find something and meet up with your contact. And we were told it was to be set around/within 5 years in the future.
Given the circumstances of the world, I tried to let my imagination run wild. So I created a world where the COVID-19 virus took a bad turn and within 5 years, the world as we know it changed. Allowing me to really lean into a post apocalyptical aesthetic and have some fun with my settings.
With my experience in creating level documentation, I knew that it is best to create a location based on real life. That being said, no one wants the 200th level pitch about the CN Tower. So I picked a nearby iconic landmark; Roundhouse Park in downtown Toronto.
This area gave me great pieces to work with, trains, new (arcade) and old (historic museum) infrastructure and a water tower. All exciting elements I couldn't wait to mix into a great level.
The level
My level consisted of 3 floors, each floor getting smaller as the player gets closer to their goal. As well as each "floor" focuses on a key element of the map, the trainyard + museum and the1st floor has the lower floor of the arcade. The second floor hosts the 2nd part of the arcade as well as a bridge made of debris from the arcade to the tower's control room. And finally, the top floor is the top of the Roundhouse Tower, where the player will meet the contact.
We had to design our level around 3 main playstyles:
-Aggressor
-Stealth
-Pacifist
Within my MDD I took the time to create 3 "golden paths" for each key playstyle.
For my level, players are tasked with getting the key to the arcade machine which holds the intel they need to give to their contact. Players will find the key in the middle of the train yard (originally a loot item from the guards but the build didn't have any way to do that action and would force out any Pacifist playstyles). With the key, they must search inside the arcade to find the cabinet which acts as a safe for the intel. Once players find and retrieve the intel they must make their way up to the contact on the roof of the RH tower.
Below is the overview maps for each floor, legend and points of reference can also be found within the MDD. Click each map to magnify.
making it Modular
Making this I also had to keep in mind that this level/environment would realistically not just be used for my mission. It would be expected that this area would be revisited at a later date, for scavenging or side missions.
I created two side missions that aided in the premise I had build my level around as well as to entice players to come back/further explore the environment. Click on the image to magnify or view it in the MDD.
The Structural
After being welcomed into the second leg of the competition, I was tasked with making the base structure of my level. This came with a few constraints, as any design work has. These limitations were:
-Only a 64x64 "Playable Volume", where most of the playable elements needed to take place
-A 124x124 "Outer Volume"
-No custom BPS/custom structures
-Limit of 12 AI (excluding the contact)
They gave us a lot of materials, behavior trees, AI, structures, honestly I felt like a kid in a candy store, and the feedback that I had received really help to make my level more modular.
The only real set back for me was those last two constraints. Which saves time in the sense of less creation/route building. But on the other hand, but all the walls that they gave us were in a standard straight-edged style and my map is one big curve. Needless to say, the structure ate up a lot of my time.
The cURVEBALL
Shortly after handing in the structural portion, I received an email welcoming me to the final stage of creation and outlining the infamous curve-ball. Something I had been made wary of by former competitors and professors who were familiar with the level design competition.
The curve ball this year was that this was to be the starting level/mission in the game, and the contact you had been set to meet with was a traitor. After meeting with them, the alarm is triggered, and an escape sequence began. During said sequence we had to create and introduce a brand new feature. Very high stakes.
After shock and serious contemplation I decided to design a button that remotely opened doors. As this is something simple/not too overwhelming in a high stress environment and could be built upon or made more complex in future levels of the game. Using Unreal Engines Blueprints I created 2 doors and switches that the players interacted with during this escape sequence.
WANT MORE?
Below are links to my Mission Design Document (MDD), the playtesting report I made on it and a pdf describing all design changes from the start of the process, including a deeper look into the feature I designed.
Also underneath the Playable EXE is as a link to my Google Drive where you can download the build folder *Note you will need the whole folder to play the game*, also in that folder is a pdf explaining the controls/AI abilities, I strongly recommend reading it first before playing the game as the controls are very specific.