The original La Fortaleza I was whiteboxing has a section that serves as the Governor’s mansion, and a Convent. The mansion was whiteboxed and serves a key role in allowing players to get a glimpse of the final boss encounter area as they approach the next zone.
I whiteboxed the fort entry hallway into the courtyard to real scale, then combined all BSP, created a static, and exported it to our environmental artist for reference when developing the fort specific modular assets. When designing the hallway I adjusted the angle in which it runs through the fort to give more layers to the sight line. The arch obstructions show that there is a large space ahead with multiple perpendicular paths, but still allow the player to view the brightly lit exit in the distance.
Zone 1 Whitebox - Entry Street (In progress)
Zone 2 Whitebox - Gate Path
Immediately after finishing the slideshow and rough draft for San Juan (Level 2) I began whiteboxing the first street immediately through the main gate. Not long after, I made the decision to split the level into 3 colored zones and assign each LD to their own zone. Using World Composition we were able to whitebox within the same level simultaneously. The whitebox in the first image was then given to another LD as part of Zone 1 and I moved on to whiteboxing the gate path seen in the second image.
After vertical slice, it was clear AO & shadows needed to be further adjusted. I attempted to use a brighter fog, with higher inscattering and extinction values to bring out the darker problem areas. I then adjusted the shadow power and exponent in the post process to make the contrast less stark.
Based on feedback received from playtesters and the professor in the Fall semester I decided to shift our focus this semester to the production of Level 2. When conceptualizing level 2 as a playable space, the main considerations taken into account were fast pacing, narrative opportunities, verticality, more suiting combat areas, and greater level of attention to environmental details to aid in pushing the narrative.
View the slides I composed for my LDs and Design Team below
> Design Presentation
Level 2 Cut
Upon meeting with producer on the first day of spring semester it was mutually decided Subway/Sewers would be cut in order to address scope concerns. With a Dev team that has shrunk to 10 with each member being highly specialized, there was concern we would be spreading ourselves too thin. I made the call to move Level 3 to Level 2 and address the ending of level 1 to properly transition.
Added crashed Subway car that will serve as a funnel to provide a WOW moment on exit
Experimented with lighting types/profiles but reverted until a future designated lighting pass
Added new tunnel section intended to begin hinting at a drastic overworld location and climate change
Fence to allow a passing subway car to be seen while giving its headlights interesting light shafts into the player’s section.
Extended tunnels with two new tunnel piece variants
Cut out maintenance entrances
BP Spline Pipes
HOUR NINE
Subway Tunnel Iteration 3
BSP Static Tunnel Piece
Lighting improvements
BSP Static Rail Piece
Subway Platform: Tunnel Iteration 3
HOUR EIGHT
Subway Tunnel Iteration 2 -
Added extrusions and harsh spotlights to contribute to the contemporary brutalist style in line with the urban environment
HOUR SEVEN
Basic Blockout
BSP Tile Columns, Walls, and Floor
BSP Tunnel Iteration 1
First Pass Lighting
HOUR ONE
Located and compiled reference/inspo images for an urban underground level meant to be a close quarters, high tension, transitional level between two worlds with differing architectural styles & climate.
