ABOUT
Genre: Action/Adventure
Engine: Unreal 5.5
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Team Size: 3
INTRODUCTION
Our team wanted to create a level with an emphasis on verticality. The Abyss is a single-player adventure level where the player climbs down a massive, surreal chasm to collect the magical relic fracturing the world around them before other rival adventurers can reach it. This level was built with a small team, and I was responsible for creating the middle section of the level: the Abyss itself.
NARRATIVE
In the first section of the level, the unnamed main character received a quest to travel down into the ruins at the bottom of the Abyss and collect the relic hidden there. After defeating the Guardian of the Abyss, they reach the chasm itself, where they must use a combination of platforming and cable cars to navigate the perilous chasm and reach the ruins at the bottom.
Level Design Document
SETTING
Aesthetics were a core component of building the Abyss, and to maintain a sense of cohesion between the different sections of the map, we used a core set of meshes and effects, including rock formations, custom pillars and arches, crystals, and stairs. The relic at the bottom of the Abyss has created strange deformations and fractured parts of the Abyss; rocks float eerily in the air and crystals glow from crevices in the walls.
The ruins of the Abyss are also a motif through all three sections of the level, extending from the top section of the map all the way to the relic at the bottom.
MAP
DESIGN PROCESS
One of the greatest challenges in developing the Abyss was creating a vertical level that didn’t feel boring or repetitive, given the limited area that the player could navigate. Our team started by creating a metrics gym, including every mechanic the player would come into contact with during the level. I created several Blueprints, including the cable car featured throughout my section of the level.
Once all of our metrics were established, I created a basic layout for the level, including all of the core combat and platforming spaces.
I found that building the entire level along the two main faces of the level made for a rather boring experience: the player could see the entire level from the very beginning, and the lack of horizontal motion made the level feel flat. Adding ruins floating in the center of the chasm helped to break up the monotony, and building the gameplay spaces into the walls instead of on them made the space feel both more realistic and interesting.
The section of the level before the Abyss takes place entirely in a series of ruins set inside dark caverns, so to transition between the two sections, I created a cavernous walkway with views into the upcoming section of the level. Similarly, the final section takes place in a more structured section of ruins, so the bottom of the Abyss has more heavy human influence, including pillars and statues repeated throughout the ruins beyond.
Developing combat for such narrow spaces was a unique challenge. The Abyss includes four small combat sequences: one with spiders, which are more heavily featured in the final section of the level, and three with the main character’s rival treasure hunters.
Throughout the level, I used walls and pillars to block the player’s sightlines and focus their attention onto important details. In combat, I directed their attention with incentives like treasure and levers to guide them through combat encounters.
