The Rising Dawn Project

OLD UNIVERSITY PROJECT

Cinematic Trailer

The Rising Dawn Project

The Rising Dawn Project is a single-player game concept inspired by the atmospheric tone of The Last of Us and the gameplay mechanics of The Division's Dark Zone. It seeks to blend intense exploration, strategic looting, and dynamic combat within a richly detailed and hostile environment.

Roles & Responsibilities

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

Implemented World Composition to optimize performance in large open-world environments.
Used Level Instances for houses to enhance performance and improve modularity in asset management.
Utilized Landscape Splines to design and generate realistic road networks.
Developed Blueprint Splines for dynamic placement of light posts and telephone poles, ensuring efficient and consistent alignment across the environment.
Created Initial Blockout to establish the foundational layout and flow of the level.
Set Dressing to add environmental details, enhancing the visual appeal and atmosphere of the scene.

Map Overview:

Single-player survival game inspired by The Last of Us and The Division's Dark Zone.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, featuring exploration, looting, and combat.
Players face dynamic encounters with hostile NPCs like zombies or factions.
Emphasis on player choice, allowing for different playstyles in combat and resource management.
Focus on rich environmental storytelling and immersive world-building.
A tense, replayable experience blending survival mechanics with narrative-driven gameplay.

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Engine Type

Unreal Engine 4

project type

OLD UNIVERSITY PROJECT

Start Date

September 23, 2020

completion date

April 23, 2021

project duration

7 Months

Gameplay Walkthrough

Level Development

Project Gallery

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Intentions

Immersive Atmosphere:
Create a rich, post-apocalyptic world that draws players in with a strong sense of atmosphere, focusing on tension, isolation, and environmental storytelling.
Exploration and Player Agency:
Encourage players to explore and make choices, providing a sense of freedom while driving the narrative forward. Players should feel in control of their actions and decisions, impacting gameplay and the world around them.
Dynamic Combat and Encounters:
Design a variety of dynamic NPC encounters (zombies, hostile factions, etc.) that challenge the player, offering options for combat, stealth, or resource management.
Replayability and Choice:
Ensure the game supports replayability by offering multiple paths, different ways to approach challenges, and consequences for player choices.
Engaging Looting System:
Implement a rewarding looting system that encourages players to search and scavenge, with items and upgrades hidden throughout the environment.

Constraints

Single-player Focus:
The game is designed for a single-player experience, limiting opportunities for multiplayer features or online connectivity. This constraint should guide level design, AI interactions, and narrative pacing.
Technical Limitations:
The project must balance high-quality visuals with performance optimization, especially in large, open-world environments, to ensure smooth gameplay across a range of hardware.
Resource Management:
Given the post-apocalyptic theme, resources such as ammunition, health, and crafting materials must be limited but balanced to encourage strategic decision-making.
Story and Environment Balance:
The game must maintain a consistent balance between gameplay, combat encounters, and environmental storytelling to keep the narrative engaging without overwhelming the player.
Time and Budget Constraints:
Development timelines and available resources may limit the scope of world-building, AI complexity, and environmental detail, requiring prioritization of key features.
Player Skill Levels:
The game must be designed to be accessible to a wide range of players, ensuring that difficulty can be scaled appropriately without frustrating newcomers while still challenging seasoned players.