This project was my first real experience learning level design and establishing basic principles of level design. The project requirements were to have the perspective be in 1st or 3rd person, player mechanics function as a walking simulator, and environment mechanics that were collectables.
I had 4 weeks from May 14 to June 11 to finish the project.
The first step in my process was to visit and gather information on my chosen location which was the Tracy Aviary & Botanical Gardens. I looked for landmarks, points of interest, pathways, and understand lines of sight within a park environment.
Taking over 70 photos of the location, I was able to learn fascinating information on how parks look and feel such as the parks pathways being circular to help suggest constant movement for the guests to visit the entire park.
First Pass
The second step was to begin constructing a park environment that is heavily inspired by birds in Unreal Engine 5. I needed to create multiple landmarks with easy lines of sight to allow the player to clearly see where they might want to go next.
The bird theming goes further with the map contained in a giant bird cage with human sized water and bird feeders.
The third step was to add more details to the map to make it feel more full and like the player was in a park.
The tree in the middle is actually meant to be a bird perch tree that is usually meant for a birds enrichment. The entire map is a bird themed enrichment cage for humans.
Second Pass
Final Product:
The last step was to add the collectables to the map and make final touch ups where it was needed to then produce the final product.
Note: There is no sound design implemented since I was primarily focused on cementing level design principles.
