Production
I took on this project in Unreal Engine 4 utilizing many assets from the Unreal marketplace. I had been collecting assets for various themes over the years, so I used my medieval asset collection along with a few new assets for this project. For the Capstone deliverable I wanted to have a navigable game level showcasing a small medieval city. I began the project with a larger scope to pursue after the Capstone and did some early testing for distant landscapes, below are some images taken of various development stages.
Asset Gathering
I began planning for the project by gathering the assets I already owned and added more later during sales. Having access to the Quixel Megascans library through Quixel Bridge really enhances the experience in Unreal Engine. The foundation of the game is built on the Advanced Locomotion System V4 (ALS), it allowed the movement system to be taken care of so I could focus on the level design and add functionality to it as needed.
Early Asset Test & Landscaping
I started the project by testing out combinations of different assets I had to see what I would work and what I would need to acquire. I sculpted out the general shape of the landscape I wanted for the main city and brought in some water since I planned for the level to be near the coast.
Initial Blockout
Once the landscape was formed, I set up a basic landscape material so I could test some pathways and begin the block out. I used some of the example houses in the initial block out to get a better idea of the scale with buildings. I didn't have any assets for the keep or church at this time so I really underestimated the amount of space I would need.
Contstruction
After the block out I got to work on creating houses to fit the street design using modular assets. I used a blank world to assemble the houses, group them, and I would copy them to the main level later. I added some interior props while making them since they have windows, but I waited to light them or add a lot of detail.
Keep, New Walls, and Blockout
I found a pack with walls I wanted to use and started updating the small ones and quickly realized that with these walls, the keep, church, and other houses, there was going to be no room. I expanded the playable area to allow the other assets to fit better. Since it was different, I had to redo the block out to more accurately represent the assets and readdress the layout.
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Houses, New Church, & Errors
I added in the set of houses I originally wanted to use for the lower section of the city, but for some reason the lighting would not work on the roofs causing them to be shaded black. I resorted to using them for houses in the distance. I added a platform for the church and replaced the stand in asset.
It took a bit of tweaking, and some new assets to get the interior of the city looking how I wanted it. Once the main buildings were in place and the layout was finalized, I began planting trees. Painting the trees, grass, and plants with the foliage tool in Unreal was pretty fun. I finally updated the landscape material to include more textures as well as more appropriate replacements for the current ones.
Foliage and Better Landscape
Populating the Scene
The layout of the buildings was cool and all, but I really had to clutter the space to make it feel more real. Some of the notable areas are the blacksmiths forge, the market, and the graveyard. I individually placed trees inside the city instead of using the foliage tool. I brought in rocks to break up some of the open space and filled in the gaps with props from various asset packs.
Lighting and Sound
Lighting the scene was a lot of fun, it took a lot tweaking on the lights to get them right (they could use a little more work though). I tried to use candles inside of some of the houses that have windows, it would be great to open up the insides in the future. I attempted to use Wwise audio software for the game, but ran into some errors with the project. I should have set it up earlier in the production, but I ended up doing the audio with the Unreal Audio Engine.
Player Torch
The level begins after the sun has passed behind the walls and it will get darker as it gets later. There are a decent number of lights to guide you, but having a torch is extremely useful.
Pigs have busted out of their pen and are now roaming around the town. They will roam around until they are tired or hurt.