Ben Matthews - Environment Artist. Designing a Grey Box Level.

The team I'm working with consists of one of each of the following:

• Game Designer
• Concept Artist
• Character Artist
• Environment Artist

I have assumed the role of Environment Artist for this project.

We have named our team, Ethereal Games.

We were given a brief by our tutor. We have to make a point and click game based around the words World War 1 and Library. We decided that we were going to make a puzzle/ murder mystery game based within a Library. The game will be based in Germany. I have to create an environment using only 100,000 tris. This is equivalent to an environment found in a GameCube game.

I'm not allowed to use normal or bump maps in any textures. Meaning the entire level must consist of low poly objects.

Since I am The Environment Artist I began looking into Architecture that was typical of this time period. I mainly focused on Libraries and old buildings in general, Victorian architecture was common of this time period so I narrowed my initial research to revolve around Victorian era buildings.

Research Into Old Libraries.

 I noticed a very common trait that exists within these old buildings. The interiors are mostly made of wood and marble with the occasional touch of iron to make up spiral staircases and banisters. However I feel that creating complex structures out of iron will burn through the tri count I am limited too. Any intense detail I wish to add in will have to be done through textures.

Whilst discussing the premise of the game it was suggested by a member of the team that We stylize our game. We decided to use Gothic/ Goth as the style of our game. This works well considering Gothic actually originates from Germany so it fits in perfectly with our game. It will help to add an old rustic feel to the interior. It will also be easier to create a spooky environment.

I then started to research old Gothic buildings/ architecture. Luckily I don't have to model the exterior, only the interior. So I don't have to worry about burning through the entire tri count on the outside.

Research Into Gothic Architecture.

German Gothic is actually very similar in a way to Victorian architecture, which is great for Me as it makes designing the Library much easier.

I'm going to aim to try and keep the level design simple but intriguing, i'm hoping to add in pillars to most of the rooms along with intricate woodwork. Unfortunately i'm limited with the tri count and i'm not able to add in detail through normal maps. So any intricate detail will be added in through diffuse textures.

Research Into Old Victorian Furniture.

 I'm hoping to be able to fill up the level with low poly assets to flesh out the environment and add an extra level of realism. This will also help Me convey the Gothic style by designing Gothic furniture and dotting it around the level.

In terms of the level design itself I have looked through old architectural designs; however, unfortunately due to both WW1 and WW2 there are very few examples of floor plans/ layouts left. Most old German buildings were destroyed within this period of time, along with floor plans, some of which were burnt by Hitler during his infamous book burning of 1933. This has made searching for old German floor plans a nightmare, all I could find were old church floor plans. So I have decided to use the reference I have already gathered to create my own design.

I gray boxed the level/ floor plan in Maya. The process of actually creating the level helped open My eyes to the limitations of level design. For example the doors have to be wider than doors in real life, this is so the player can get through them easily without getting stuck on the door frame. The corridors have to be wide enough to fit the player, assets and the camera's field of view; but at the same time be small enough to create a confined space to convey the feeling of claustrophobia. 

Gray Box Level, Ground Floor.

Since we are making a puzzle game I wanted to add in secret rooms for the player to discover. I labelled the secret rooms on the floor plan above.

Gray Box Level, Upper Floor.

You can see here in the upper floor plan how I have added a balcony area overlooking the main entrance. In the late 19th century/ early 20th century it was common for buildings to have a grand entrance to convey a sense of wealth to guests. This is something I want to convey in My own building/ level design. I have added place holder pillars into the gray box design to show roughly where I plan to add them.

I have also added in an astronomy tower/ office. I thought this would be a nice touch and could serve as a unique area for the player. The round shape of the office also contrasts nicely between the square rooms of the library making it a memorable room for the player to explore.

                                                                                                               

Gray Box Level, Ground and Upper Combined.

 Here is the completed gray box design (without a roof) pieced together. I have left the roof off for now to allow the game designer easier access to plan out the players route, and place cameras around.

I have given a copy of this gray box to the game designer to begin prototyping code for use in the game. However this may not be the final level We use in the game. The floor plan is subject to change throughout the design process.