The Lost Village Project

OLD UNIVERSITY PROJECT

Cinematic Trailer

Harborline Shipworks Map

The Lost Village Project is a design concept focused on creating a fully realized village environment that can serve as a versatile location for both first- and third-person games. The goal was to build a functional, immersive space that could easily fit within a larger game world as a starting point, quest hub, or scenic location.

The village is compact yet expansive, featuring a mix of houses arranged around a central garden, with a large bond running alongside the outskirts. A smaller pond sits within the village, nestled next to a hill that offers a unique view of the surroundings, with a house perched on top. The design allows for multiple entry points, making it easily accessible from various directions, while the surrounding landscape provides room for exploration and potential game expansion.

With its detailed layout and diverse set of features, The Lost Village Project serves as a foundation for a rich, dynamic location that could seamlessly integrate into any larger open-world game, offering opportunities for both narrative and gameplay exploration.

Roles & Responsibilities

Role: Level/Game Designer | Team Size: Personal Project

Design my First Visual Level Design Scene
Refined lighting and color composition to enhance atmosphere.
Optimized performance while maintaining visual quality.

Key Features and Goals:

Versatile Location: Designed for both first-person and third-person games, suitable as a starting town or quest hub.
Compact yet Expansive: A well-organized village with diverse areas to explore, balancing accessibility and detail.
Natural Elements: Includes a central garden, a large pond on the outskirts, and a smaller pond near a hill with a house.
Multiple Entrances: Several entrances provide varied access points to the village, enhancing exploration.
Surrounding Landscape: A vast surrounding area for potential game expansion, quests, or exploration.
Immersive Design: Focus on creating a believable, living environment with natural features and architecture.
Modular Layout: Designed for future expansion, allowing easy additions or changes to the village.

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Engine Type

Unreal Engine 4

project type

OLD UNIVERSITY PROJECT

Start Date

November 22, 2019

completion date

May 22, 2020

project duration

6 Months

Gameplay Walkthrough

Level Development

Project Gallery

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Intentions

Create a Functional Game Location:
Design the village to work as a versatile and immersive environment for both first-person and third-person games, ideal for a starting area or key map location.
Maintain a Compact Yet Expansive Design:
Build a village that feels dense with detail while keeping the layout easy to navigate for players, blending open areas and structures efficiently.
Focus on Natural and Scenic Features:
Integrate natural elements like a central garden, ponds, and hills, enhancing the environment’s atmosphere and providing a serene backdrop for gameplay.
Provide Multiple Player Approaches:
Ensure the village has multiple entrances and varied access points, encouraging exploration and flexibility in how players enter or navigate the area.
Design with Future Expansion in Mind:
Create a modular layout that allows for easy additions, whether for gameplay expansion or future content updates.

Constraints

Asset and Time Limitations:
The project should work within limited asset pools and a short development timeline, requiring efficient use of resources without sacrificing quality.
Performance Optimization:
The village design must maintain smooth performance even with a variety of interactive elements and large-scale environments.
Size and Scope:
The village must remain manageable in size while offering enough depth and variety for engaging gameplay without becoming overwhelming.
Environmental Consistency:
Lighting, materials, and design elements must align to create a consistent, believable environment, limiting the use of overly stylized or mismatched assets.
Gameplay Balance:
While building a scenic and detailed village, the design should not overshadow player interaction, ensuring the environment supports game mechanics and progression rather than distracting from it.