Emmanuel Peterson
UI/UX Design
Adventure Portfolio
Project was made from May 1, 2023-June 16, 2023
Post Mortem
In this project, built a level that resembled tomb raider because it was one of my favorite games growing up. I started with a blockmesh of the level and moved to putting in assets once I had an idea of what I was creating. The level has three parts with distinct transitions, all with a size of 30x30 meters. Once the block mesh was finished I combined my level with other people and we created a game.
What Went Right
Followed Original Design
I liked a lot of my outdoor design, I didn't overdo it on the trees or the foliage to the point where it felt unnatural. The outdoor lighting and the campfires and fireflies brought it to life and I felt gave some of the best-looking pieces of my level.
Outdoor Setting
I liked a lot of my outdoor design, I didn't overdo it on the trees or the foliage to the point where it felt unnatural. The outdoor lighting and the campfires and fireflies brought it to life and I felt gave some of the best-looking pieces of my level.
Blueprints/Sequencers
All of my blueprints worked well, I never had an issue where my sequencer or my blueprints broke. My sequencer came out exactly how I wanted it to, the only thing looking back on it, I would have added a camera shake for extra effect when the rocks fell into the door.
Team work
The team worked well together, we worked together on previous projects well and are currently working on a project. Even so, every time you entire a new task it feels like a different team with new strengths and weaknesses. I think everyone on the team noticed their strengths and weaknesses and moved based on what they were comfortable doing. Communication was big for this team, everybody was on the same page as far as deadlines and responsibilities.
Building a good size level
In the early stages of building my level I had an issue sizing it outright, as I started to flesh it out I realized that things don't need to happen so quickly as long as I give the player something to look at. It gave me room to get more run time with the player and make cool structures that catches the player's attention. Most importantly it made my level an optimal size.
What Went Wrong
Making Landscapes
Before this experience, I was not too familiar with the landscaping tool, so it took time for me to learn on my own how it works. I was able to get some understanding of it but I ran into an issue where the player could see under the landscape at the end level. So I had to add meshes to block off that side the player could see.
Time Management
My project came out at a fraction of what I wanted it to be. I still like the final product, but this was my first time running out of time to build exactly what I wanted. A lot was not polished about the level and it was simply due to time management, if I used my time wisely then I would have been able to spend more time on the more important pieces of the level. I was looking to work on my level from start to finish and it made the level end much harder to play through. In my next project, I need to think about the important things that need to be worked on and do them first.
Empty Space
There were many places in my level that I could have filled in with space that would have added much more life to my level. In my cave, I should have added skeletons or moss that just filled out the space. In my Throne at the end of my level, there was a long walking period where nothing really happens, I believe it was necessary but in this case, I didn't give the player much to look at or draw them to.
Level Transition
The transition from my level to the next person's level could have been executed better, there wasn't much correlation between my and the next person's level, but it made sense for the order the group needed. The issue I encountered was the player would be taking a long walk to the next level, we had some ideas to make it better for the player but we just ran out of time for implementation.
Getting Assets
Getting assets was a struggle for me, I couldn't find a lot of what I wanted. Most of the simple things like rocks, trees, and foliage were all there for me, but I couldn't find the exact assets I was looking for, for my underground kingdom.
Conclusion
I am proud of the work I and my team put in to make this product. The things that went wrong will only help us improve in the future. Overall we made something we can all appreciate and grow on for the next level design.