Awakened

Category: Full Game Development

Responsibilities:

  • Designed the layouts of the map. Modeled the entire level in UE5.

  • Created a world material that responds to the heightmap and assigns grass on flat terrain and rock on angled surfaces

  • Scripted AI spawns, behavior such as movement, and drop rates, health, and other variables. Created black boards and state trees to control a bosses behavior including detection methods such as sight, sound, and damage responses.

  • Created a state machine for enemy and AI and custom damage system.

  • Created enemy navigation bounds including placing nav meshes and navigation mesh modifiers to create play spaces for combat

  • Scripted trigger boxes in the level to custom spawn enemies at certain checkpoints while keeping the spawns out of view of the player.

  • Created custom materials and block meshed walls to apply the materials to with the aim of matching asset packs being utilized in the level.

Inspiration:

  • Final Fantasy X, XII, XIII, XIV, XV: Combat, enemies, mystical world, citizens

  • Dragon Age Inquisition, Veilguard: Loot, story

  • Dragons Dogma 2: Story, characters, enemies, combat, mechanics

Level Goals:

This project, Awakened – The Capital, represents a deep dive into crafting an expansive action RPG level designed to immerse players in a once-thriving city overtaken by nature and ancient magic. The goal was to create a dynamic hub that blends realism and fantasy while serving as a key setting in the game’s narrative. Inspired by titles like Final Fantasy, Dragon Age, and Dragon’s Dogma, the design reflects a desire to capture the wonder, depth, and engagement of these beloved RPGs.

The level design process focused on creating a cohesive and visually immersive environment using Unreal Engine 5. I worked on crafting the city’s towering castle, crumbling ruins, and lush natural surroundings, leveraging modular kits to maintain consistency and flexibility. A key challenge was blending the realism of detailed structures with the mystical feel of the setting, achieved through careful material application, lighting, and atmospheric effects.

Gameplay systems were an essential component of the project. I scripted AI behavior, including spawns, navigation, and drop rates, and created a custom state machine to manage enemy actions such as movement, detection, and damage responses. For the boss encounter, I used blackboards and state trees to define its behavior, integrating sight, sound, and damage detection to create a dynamic combat experience. Navigation bounds, including nav meshes and modifiers, were placed strategically to shape combat play spaces and enhance flow.

Trigger boxes were also implemented to spawn enemies at specific checkpoints, ensuring the player’s perspective remained uninterrupted while maintaining a sense of surprise and challenge. Custom materials and block meshed walls were developed to harmonize with the asset packs used, contributing to a consistent aesthetic across the level.

This project represents an ongoing effort to understand and execute the complexities of action RPG level design. From environmental storytelling to gameplay scripting, my focus has been on honing my ability to create engaging and cohesive worlds that draw players into the heart of the narrative. While there is much more to refine and build upon, Awakened – The Capital marks a significant step forward in my journey to design immersive and dynamic game environments.

LAYOUT AND BASIC PRINCIPLES

When designing the layout for Awakened – The Capital, I drew inspiration from open-world hubs and RPG settings to create a sprawling, interconnected environment that balances exploration, storytelling, and combat. Despite the project’s early development stage, I focused on crafting a layout that reflects the capital’s grandeur while serving as a functional and engaging space for players.

Interconnected spaces:
The capital is designed around key landmarks, including a towering castle, overgrown ruins, and a marketplace, all seamlessly connected by winding paths and layered verticality. Each space offers a unique purpose—whether it’s the castle for narrative progression, the ruins for combat encounters, or the marketplace as a potential hub for player interactions. Modular kits were used extensively to construct realistic and cohesive structures, blending scale and detail for immersion.

Dynamic traversal:
Traversal in the capital emphasizes variety, with open courtyards and tight corridors complemented by hidden pathways, climbable ruins, and opportunities for vertical exploration. Players are encouraged to engage with their environment, using dynamic combat spaces and environmental storytelling to uncover secrets or strategize battles.

Believability:
The capital was designed with realism in mind, blending natural landscapes and architectural precision. The ruins and castle integrate seamlessly into the landscape, creating a world that feels alive and storied. Atmospheric touches like light shafts through broken castle windows, debris-covered hallways, and dense foliage reclaiming forgotten spaces help reinforce the city’s fall from glory.

This approach combines detailed craftsmanship with strategic design, setting the stage for an immersive, narrative-rich experience in Awakened’s evolving world.

PROCESS: Gameplay and Thematic Integration
Engagement Curve and Relationship with Narrative and Gameplay

Narrative Context
The foundation of Awakened – The Capital was to create a sprawling, atmospheric hub level that serves as a battleground and central location for the story’s emotional and strategic arcs. Set in a decayed yet majestic city reclaimed by nature, the capital reflects the grandeur of a lost civilization and the urgency of the player's quest to save humanity.

The narrative unfolds as players explore key areas, each telling a story through environmental details—crumbling castle walls marked by battle scars, overgrown ruins with hidden relics, and streets filled with evidence of an ancient siege. Each space is designed to immerse the player in the city’s history while advancing the overarching story of awakening forgotten heroes.

Gameplay
The capital balances exploration, combat, and storytelling to maintain an engaging progression. Key methods include:

Dynamic Combat Encounters: Carefully crafted combat zones, like the castle courtyard or ruined marketplace, introduce escalating challenges. The design encourages players to adapt to varied enemy types and elemental interactions, showcasing dynamic gameplay potential even in a work-in-progress state.

Contrast in Scale: The capital alternates between grand, open courtyards and tighter, maze-like ruins. This variation in scale ensures exploration feels fresh and unpredictable, building tension as players uncover hidden paths and secrets.

Scripted Elements: To breathe life into the capital, I incorporated scripted events, such as falling debris during a combat sequence or sunlight filtering through shattered windows. These details enhance immersion and reinforce the level's narrative weight.

Thematic Integration
Each area of the capital ties gameplay mechanics to the environment. For example, a scripted battle near the castle gates highlights the stakes of the hero’s journey, while traversing the ruins requires climbing, jumping, and strategic positioning. This approach ensures that every moment feels purposeful, blending gameplay and narrative to drive engagement.

Even in this early stage, Awakened – The Capital demonstrates the potential for a deeply immersive, visually stunning, and narratively rich experience.

Reference Moodboard and Level Design Decisions

To define the vision for Awakened – The Capital, I curated reference materials that captured the grandeur of ancient cities, overgrown ruins, and castle interiors. Concept art and images of medieval architecture, sprawling hubs, and fantasy landscapes guided the level’s aesthetic and functional layout. My goal was to create a realistic and immersive cityscape that balanced exploration, environmental storytelling, and dynamic combat scenarios.

Key references were organized to match the intended progression of the level. For example, castle interiors inspired the vertical design of the city’s central stronghold, incorporating grand staircases and multi-level traversal. Ruins overrun with nature informed the creation of hidden pathways and collapsed structures that reward exploration with narrative-rich details.

This process also influenced gameplay enhancements. Initially, the castle courtyard was a simple open space, but after analyzing combat zones in action RPGs, I added chokepoints, cover objects, and layered traversal options to create dynamic battles. Similarly, the marketplace evolved from a straightforward hub area to a visually rich space with storytelling elements, such as abandoned merchant stalls and debris from a long-forgotten siege, connecting the city’s history to the player’s quest.

By blending visual inspiration with iterative design, each area of the capital was crafted to serve both narrative and gameplay goals. The result is a cohesive level that feels alive, supports player progression, and reflects the immersive vision of Awakened.

LESSONS LEARNED

Key Takeaways

Blending level design with gameplay flow: Designing Awakened – The Capital emphasized the importance of creating environments that complement gameplay. By scripting a dynamic combat encounter in the castle courtyard, I ensured that enemy behaviors and placements challenged the player while enhancing the immersive atmosphere. This process reinforced the need to align environmental storytelling with player progression and movement, ensuring every space feels purposeful and engaging.

Maximizing existing tools: I adapted modular kits and asset packs to construct the castle and ruins, blending them with custom landscape work for a cohesive design. Using these assets, I crafted visually distinct areas and integrated environmental effects like dynamic lighting and atmospheric fog, enhancing immersion without overcomplicating the workflow.

Technical Skills Improved

AI Deployment: I hand blueprinted enemy spawns, patrol paths, and behaviors. Trigger boxes ensured that combat encounters unfolded seamlessly, appearing only when the player was ready to engage.

Environmental Storytelling: Modular kits enabled the creation of believable, intricate ruins and a castle interior that told a story of decay and past conflict. Strategic debris placement and environmental cues guided players while maintaining a lived-in feel.

Cinematic Integration: Using Unreal Engine's sequencer, I scripted dynamic elements like collapsing ruins heightening the dramatic tension.

Landscape and Modular Integration: Combining custom landscapes with modular castle kits taught me how to merge tools effectively, creating a detailed and expansive environment that feels handcrafted.

This project taught me to maximize existing tools while integrating gameplay, narrative, and visuals into a polished and immersive level design.