Friday, 10 March 2017

Level Design for Computer Games - Summary, current level and future steps for further improvement.

Through this unit, I have basically been adding visual upgrades in an effort to make my level a bit more realistic or believable to an end user.
I am aware there is work to do from where I currently stand but I am happy with my progress thus far.
As my level currently stands, since the completion of Unit 76 I have implemented a terrain, some foliage in the form of bare trees and a series of meshes to create buildings in the form of a modpack.

In terms of the terrain, I am new to the process and have yet to use multiple avenues of terrain creation, in the sense that I will be looking into Houdini 16 terrain creation as and when I can, this will depend largely on time and software availability.
I feel I have created a reasonable terrain with the tools provided within Unreal Engine 4 and the have created a procedural reactive material, reacting to the angle and height of any given slope within the terrain itself. The terrain material could do with some work in places admittedly, and painting it simply with terrain paint layers is also an option for further development.
Everything accounted for, I am relatively happy with my current terrain and material.

Where the foliage is concerned, my level by design is lacking somewhat in foliage presence, as thematically, my level is set in a post-apocalyptic environment as already stated. This can be interpreted in many ways, but my interpretation is that the apocalypse would destroy much of the foliage and plant life in the game world.
I currently have trees with varied types of bark applied to them, but am aiming to expand more at a further point in development.

With meshes and textures in mind, whilst I have been using procedures I am already familiar with, time restraints and circumstances out of my control mean I have not upgraded as many assets as I would have liked to, I have managed to upgrade the buildings featured within the level, a very important part of any level, they have been modpacked, UV'd, lightmapped and textured. Any spare time I get from this point onward before the deadline which I can dedicate to this unit will be spent improving and further developing whatever other meshes I can within the level.

Whilst for now I am reasonably happy with the progress I have made, there are certainly improvements to be made as and when possible. Further improvements across the board include further research and development into foliage types and implementation, further terrain development, researching into using other softwares, and further developing my meshes throughout my level. I would like to make the fountain/statue at the centre of my courtyard a priority for improvement, as this is seen immediately upon entering the settlement.

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