Fantasy Environments - Castle Realm & Shipwreck Island

Castle Realm

This was my very first attempt when it comes to Level Design. Back then, the school where I was doing my Game Design course (CG Spectrum) in, held their annual Student Showcase  so I saw that as the perfect opportunity for me to enter this part of the game design and also start my journey using Unreal Engine 5. For this first scene I used Gaea to set up a very initial and rough landscape layout for me to be able to work on it and create the different elements and zones I wanted to include. The character is from the Paragon asset pack within the UE Marketplace.

Creation process

Initial testing

As mentioned previously, in order for me to start with some base, I used Gaea to generate some sort of terrain that could lead me to an interesting layout to explore and tweak further during the project. At this point I began to play with materials, learning the very basic aspects of them and seeing how I could set up the different layers I wanted to include into the landscape: ground, grass, dirt, snow ...

Evolution - First part

After all the initial testing when it comes to materials and once I found that base I wished to use as landscape, I focused on getting an idea of the whole scene in terms of look & feel, dimensions and how I wanted to approach it regarding the concrete layers to use, so I could develop the materials further. By using foliage from the Marketplace, I was soon able to see how the scene began to build up gradually, eventually creating Landscape Grass Type actors that could help me control foliage items when it comes to things like distribution, density, shape and their visibility depending on how close they are to the camera/player. 

Evolution - Second part

Once the selected layers and foliage actors were prepared and set up the way I wanted, I focused on dressing up the scene with different assets that could give it the touch I desired; from more stylized trees to different castle shapes that helped to create the atmosphere and mood I was looking for.

Scene evolution

Here's an evolution of the scene as I worked on it. I followed the idea of first tackling down the bigger details and parts when it comes to the landscape, those that could help get the overall shape and layout. From there, medium details followed like the different castles and other props before ending up with the foliage populating the entire scene and some small detailing like the houses and elements in the small village next to one of the castles.

Final result

Shipwreck Island

After my first scene, I continued to learn more about level design, testing small things here and there until "The Rookies" contest knocked at my door. Someone told me to consider submitting an entry, so I felt it was time for me to put my new knowledge into practice and create a new landscape. This project has given me the perfect chance to explore the modeling tools within Unreal Engine 5 and to experience how powerful it can be when it comes to level design.

Creation process

In this scene I decided to focus more on manual sculpting just from the very beginning, getting more familiar with the different tools Unreal Engine provides. Sculpting the main layout and adding some general details that broke the landscape a bit like the rivers built the scene foundation quite nicely. That, combined with the use of Quixel Megascans to complete the overall layout, brought me to the point I was aiming for.

Castle sculpting

One of the differences and evolutions compared to my first scene was taking my first steps into the modeling world through the Modeling Tools that Unreal Engine 5 provides in its editor. By using them, I managed to create my own castle to use as main point of interest for the scene. Starting with the blockout and followed by working on each piece individually (textures, UVs, shapes...), I ended up having my very first asset to use in a scene. Smaller items like the bridge and the flags were also created using this tool.

Scene evolution

Following the same exact process as in the first scene, I started placing the castle's base as the main point of interest so I could build the rest of the level around it. Taking care of the big details and pieces that would give the scene more depth and body first, I then switched into the medium details landscape wise and the castle's construction, making sure all the elements would blend the best way possible. Once that was in place, it was time to add the smaller items that would give the level the amount of detail I desired.

Final result

Credits

Most of the assets used for the scenes are from Quixel Megascans, but there are concrete ones that I used to finish the detailings which are from other people, so I will be giving credit to their creators in here:

Castle Realm: 
- Foliage (Trees) + Village assets + Blue Castle by AleksandrIvanov . His assets can be found in the Unreal Engine Marketplace within his asset packs.

Shipwreck Island: 
- Boat by DJMaesen is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution - No changes were made to the model.
- Canonn by ScrambledNodes is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution - No changes were made to the model.
- Palm trees (foliage) by Lluis Garcia

Final words

This is the end of my entry for "The Rookies 2023" and I would like to share some words with you all. I would like to thank all the people that supported and pushed me in order to be able to reach this point.

Thank you to Maxine Schnepf and Nikita Heyland from CG Spectrum for contacting me so I could have the chance to prepare myself for this contest. Nicklas Byriel (CG Spectrum), thank you for wishing to spend a bit of your time to check my draft and give me some tips which helped me polish and finish the whole entry, I really appreciate it. Philippe Baude, my mentor during my Game Design course at CGS, thank you for your mention, you still continue to motivate and inspire me the same way you did some months ago. To my family, friends (Manu, we keep pushing!) and girlfriend, thank you for always being there by my side, your constant support is the energy I need to pursue my dreams and fulfill my goals and aspirations. 

And finally, to the ones reading this entry, thank you for taking the time to do such, I hope that you enjoy it the same way I did while working on the projects. More things will come in the near future and I'm excited to continue learning and progressing in this level design world and gaming industry. I'm looking forward to seeing you all here next year and maybe be able to show all the progress and evolution during 2023 and 2024.