A.W.O.L - Senior Capstone

Project Description

For my senior capstone, I worked with a group of 4 other seniors to create a low sci-fi, war torn, stealth game where the main character must come to terms with the horror and pain of war and the power of propaganda.

Time Duration: August 2024 - May 2025

Role: Level Designer, Environmental Designer, Game Designer

Engine: Unreal Engine 5.3

Game Design Doc

Example Screenshot of the game

Responsibilities + Accomplishments

This was my final project for my bachelor degree and the project I was able to put the most time into. My responsibilities and contributions for this project were;

Designed and implemented levels from white boxing to completion
Created environments that incorporate the story to create the correct atmosphere and emotion for the player
Designed core stealth gameplay mechanics and stealth interactions
Planned and optimized enemy routes to provide a challenge for players without being too hard nor too easy.
Implemented Environmental VFX, Materials, and Assets
Collaborated and worked closely with other game designers, developers, level designers, and artists.
Oversaw and managed playtest and QA, properly recording player criticisms and bugs.

During this project I really learned about how to create and design effective levels and how level design plays into telling a effective story and the challenge that comes with telling that story as well as creating a fun game. I also learned a lot about creating and implementing VFX for environments using Unreal’s Niagara System.

Video showcasing highlights of the Village level throughout development

Video showcasing highlights of the Rebel Living Area throughout development

Rebel Village - Design Process

Level Design Process

The village was the first level I designed for my capstone. It is the second level in the game after the trenches level which acts as the introductory level and teaches the player the core mechanics of the game. I took a lot of inspiration from other games such as A Plague Tale. Because the previous level was so tight and claustrophobic, I wanted this level to be a lot more freeing and opening in comparison. I wanted to capture the essence of the village in Resident Evil 4 which had the player sneak around the villagers. I designed the whole level with this mindset in might which is why I had the enemies patrolling around the village as if they were searching for any left over villagers they didn’t kill. As for the houses, I wanted them to feel big but also realistic with many different rooms for the player to search for more information on the story of the game. I also wanted the player to have multiple options for what route they wanted to go giving the player more choice in how they wanted to play the game which I felt the game was lacking and to hopefully give the game some more dimension. After the village, the player goes up the hill and I wanted it to be a little different from the rest as the Empire had set up a base to overlook the village. This part is a lot more open as the Empire set up tents. This meant it was a lot more open. I designed the level with the intention of the player being able to make a loud noise to move the guards but that ended up being cut due to time.

Environmental Design Process

For the environmental design, I really wanted to showcase the horrors that the Empire was putting the rebels through. I am really proud of my use of VFX as I think it really makes the level come to life. I also enjoy the use of fog using Unreal’s built in settings for it. I think it really sells the gloomy vibe I wanted to showcase. I was really hoping to fully decorate the houses to show more of the damage the empire did to make sure the rebels would die out and add rain to add to the atmosphere but those were sadly cut for time.

The general plan for the village level

Video showcasing the whole Village level throughout the development process

Rebel Living Area - Design Process

Level Design Process

For this level, it is split up into 2 different parts with another designer doing the first half and with me doing the second half. This level is meant to be the Rebel’s headquarters and split between a cargo building and a living/planning building. This was a rather hard level to start building a concept for as I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. I ended up really wanting to showcase the humanity of the Rebels since a lot of the moments that did were cut due to lack of time and importance. The idea of humanizing them really influenced how I created the concept for the map and white box by making each room feel like it had a purpose and wasn’t just a room full of boxes or tables to hide behind. I wanted each room t have a very specific feeling making it different from the last but fit with what the room would realistically be. For example, I wanted them to have their own indoor green house. This is much different from the other rooms as its a lot more open especially compared to he barracks which I wanted to use the level to really convey how little resources they had and how much they must squeeze together. This level also separated itself from the other levels as it had a key collection mechanic as well as using vents to get around. The key system really helped differentiate it from the other levels as it gives the player a different mission and in turn different vibe. Instead of being worried and hiding for your life, the keys give the player a actual objective to follow rather then just trying to escape which I feel makes this level play out more like a Metal Gear Solid compared to the other ones. The vents were also a great way to add something unique to this level instead of just using windows and boxes like the previous levels. Out of all my work on this project, this level is the one I am most proud of and I feel it truly is capstone of my bachelor's degree.

Environmental Design Process

For designing the environment, I wanted to enhance the level design by really making the level feel lived in. I wanted to showcase how much the rebels were struggling compared to the shiny cybernetic empire. To accomplish this I used a lot of unreal decals to add more grim to the walls and floors. I also wanted to use a lot of more dirty objects and spread them out around to make it look a lot messier. I also wanted to use the environment to enhance the story by adding blueprints and maps to show that the rebels are trying to plan out more attacks. I also added a lot of personal items and even photos of fallen or missing people as a kind of memorial for all the people they lost in trying to defend their planet.