Level Design Process

Main goals of the level

The level is designed with distinct zones to enhance player engagement and exploration. The disco floor offers high-energy interactions, while the ruined rock arches challenge movement and spatial awareness. The whale skeleton provides a space for discovery. Each zone has a specific gameplay purpose, ensuring varied experiences as players progress.

Basic Geometry: Created a rough blockout using simple shapes to define corridors, open spaces, and interactive objects.
Pathways & Flow: Mapped out main pathways, ensuring clear direction while allowing exploration, and accounted for underwater movement speed.
Verticality: Used vertical spaces to emphasize ocean depth with platforms and areas above and below the player’s path.

Breakdown

1/2

Paper Map vs In Game

1/6

Detail WIP Shots

Detailing the World: Replaced placeholders with detailed models (coral, shipwrecks) and added soft, blue underwater lighting.
Water Physics & Effects: Added bubbles, floating debris, light refractions, and wave distortions.
Interactive Elements: Designed interactive objects like levers, air bubbles, and environmental triggers.

Challenges

Complex Water Effects: Rendering water particles, refractions, caustics, and floating debris while optimizing performance to prevent lag or frame drops.
Detailed Meshes: Handling detailed environment models (coral, boulders and foliage) while making sure the level stays performant on lower-end systems by managing poly counts.

How I overcame them

Used Screen-Space Effects: Replaced 3D effects with screen-space post-processing for better performance without losing visual quality.

Simplified Water Shaders: Optimized water shaders with pre-built, less complex versions to reduce refraction and caustics demands.

Reference Sheet

Reflections

Collisions

Normals

Reflections

1/5

View Modes

I used kitbashing to rapidly create the underwater environment, combining pre-made assets like coral, rocks, and DJ disco set pieces for a cohesive design.