Level Design Process

First Steam Release!

Level Design Process

1) Paper Maps

Our team producer and I regularly collaborated to sketch and iterate on level layout ideas, using player feedback to guide our design choices. We found that players gravitated toward more natural, flowing environments over static, square or circular layouts. The levels that felt more organic and thoughtfully shaped consistently stood out as fan favorites, offering a stronger sense of immersion and discovery.

2) Terrain Editor

I would take these level layouts and try them in engine with both player movement and enemy pathing. This process was the longest of them all but also the most important to make sure each level was both fun to fight in but also traverse

3) Set Dressing and Trap Placement

The Set Dressing stage made the levels feel like a game with adding breakable props and random spawn point trap placements to make each play through feel unique!

4) Finish off with Environment Polish

Applying VFX and particle effects both to the props but the set pieces for each of the levels made players feel immersed in the world my team and I created!

Tutorial

Created a tutorial level that connects to the main hub test area. The tutorial is short and simple that lets the player understand the core mechanics for anyone to jump in.

Each platform is to teach the player a new mechanic. They have a floating sign that gives you the button prompt on how to defeat these certain enemies.

Starting Tutorial Platform - teaches the player, basic 3 hit combo

After you complete each platform the sign will put a checkmark indicator to let the player know this section is completed. This method plus the new platform spawning into the scene has worked great.

Tutorial Platform 2 - Chop Mechanic

Special Attack Tutorial Platform - Can only hit enemies with special attacks. teaches you about the last big mechanic before sending you into the game

Status: Complete
Platform: PC
Genre: Top down 3D arena fighter
Rating: T
Role: 3D Environment &
Level Design
Team Size: 5

This was for my senior capstone project spanning over the course of over 4 months. Working on this game for over 40 hours every week in a realistic game studio environment

Download Game!

itch.io

Steam

Gameplay Video

Trailer