CGMA Level Design
Level Design online course
a selection of Level Blockouts created during a 3-month online course at CGMA.com
Mentorship by Shane Canning
Unreal Engine 5
multiple genres
July - Sep 2024
solo project
Shinkansen Rush
Style - Free
Theme - Asian City Streets
Tech - UE5 + ALS V4
I was inspired by the concept art in which a pedestrian bridge crosses over the train tracks of a busy city-scape. I wanted to recreate this walk bridge, add a bit of drama and tension to it, so when the player passes over the tracks, they feel uneasy. After all that commotion, the player ends the level in a cozy little street corner with a ramen noodle bar.
Cloud Temple
Style - Semi Open World
Theme - Stylized Floating City
Tech - UE5 Cloud Character BP
Here I played with the idea of starting in a closed, interior space, and gradually getting out of the interior and reaching the open sky. Once out the player is presented with a lavish vista from which the final goal can be spotted.
First thing I did while working on the blockout, was creating a Mechanics Gym, to test out the metrics of the new player character, I tweaked some of those to get the desired effects, and defined the new metrics based upon which I then carefully placed platforms for jumping and gliding.
Melas Z5
Style - Open World
Theme - Lunar / Planet type Base
Tech - UE5
For this assignment I designed a space colony settled on a planet filled with cliffs. I wanted to play around with a notion of a space colony built into the cliffs, with its hallways and spaces reaching deep into the ground. The exact world building can be found in the design brief.
Tomb of Eternal Vigilance
Style - Final Assignement - Soulslike Level
Theme - Dark Fantasy
Tech - UE5 + ALS v4
For my final level this course I chose to make a Dark Souls inspired level.
I put a lot of time into planning and designing of the whole setting, since the levels of From software games often feature elaborate storytelling and complicated plot lines that are cleverly interwoven with the level design.
So I started working on this level by creating a short backstory, something that could potentially be a part of a larger world. I summarized these ideas into a level brief you can read in the attached images.
From there on I went on designing a layout, with all the possible items, NPCs, both friendly and enemy, that could be placed in this level. I didn't quite manage to put everything in the level, because I was short on time these couple of weeks, but I hope the attached images can show a glimpse of what the level could be once finished. Thank you for all the feedback Shane, this course was a real treat, I had a lot of fun and learned a lot.
