Unreal Engine Level Design Projects

Below are some videos and images from a personal project I have been working on using Unreal Engine. This was created from a blank project in Unreal Engine 5 and built up using assets from the Unreal Marketplace as well as assets and materials from Quixel bridge.

I always start off my work by creating some simple sketches to help me envision the project and then work towards a white box layout. From there I proceed to build up the world maintaining scale and making sure player exploration is enjoyable when observing their surroundings.

As a level designer one thing I have always hated is wasted space. There's nothing worse when playing a game and feeling like you are traversing an empty, boring and bland world. I have always tried to make best use of in game level space to give the player enjoyable interactions or discoveries when exploring my created levels. 

These discoveries don't need to be something mind blowing or overly complicated. They can be as simple as some loot that needs to be worked for, or a strange acting enemy, or even a creepy cave to explore. I feel the key is to always keep the player wanting more and to give them that excitement and urge to keep on exploring.

Above are two map break downs of the areas shown in the various images above. I split the map into the three key elements of what the player will encounter during their journey, Combat, Narrative and Exploration.

These three elements are important for an open world game, as combat keeps the player alert and focussed on their surroundings. Narrative elements help push gameplay along and can also be a key item to fill in gaps or timelines that have already happened within the world (audio logs, notes or even observations of key surroundings). Exploration is a great way to discover helpful items and can also be used as a way to keep a player invested in gameplay. By combining all these elements an immersive, fun and enjoyable experience can been created. 

This was a project I worked on after graduating from University. I created this level from a blank project using Unreal Engine 5 and used assets from Quixel, Unreal marketplace as well as assets provided by the amazing Youtuber Unreal Sensei.

When creating this level I knew straight away I wanted to make two large statues as the key focal point for the level. Having these two large statues towering over the landscape gives a sense of how powerful and threatening this army is. This gives the player an instant idea of what they are about to face and proceeding through this landscape won't be easy.

When creating this level I took into consideration the different play styles of players. Some players just want to rush in and chop and slice every enemy in their path, other players play more strategically and want to create a route with less resistance. This level design caters to both play styles and doesn't push a play style onto the player.

This was a part of a level I created using Unreal Engine 5. It was created from a blank project and built up using assets from the Unreal Marketplace and Quixel bridge. I first of all created some paper sketches to get an understanding of the basic outline of the level and how I wanted the player to explore the surrounding area. I then began to build up the landscape to give some flow to the level and placed assets in locations that would draw the player's attention. 

This location was never intended to be complex, it was created as a location that the player could discover and then loot the surrounding area for helpful supplies. I also wanted to make the location have a sort of peaceful feeling and presence, but at the same time makes the player think of what might have previously taken place in this location many years ago.

Below is a break down of what the player can expect to discover whilst exploring this map section. This location was created as an area to reward the player for exploring, as it was tucked away behind a tree line with a narrow pathway leading to the abandoned town. So for those players that traverse a map's every nook and cranny, this little hidden gem will give the player plenty of well earned rewards to help them on their journey.