Re:Fresh - Level Design Process

Highlights

Re:Fresh is a 3D platformer-collectathon game built in Unity and released on Steam that I developed over the course of two semesters with a team for a Senior project.

This page showcases my contributions to the project and its progression from beginning to completion in its Early Access stage (the first semester). I will soon be adding details on the work I did in the second semester for the full Steam release.

Project Goals

Our goal for the project was to create a relaxing 3D platformer built on open-ended exploration that took advantage of the "solarpunk" aesthetic, which emphasizes a positive outlook on technology’s future relationship with nature.

Team size: 6

Major Contributions:

Game flow documentation
Level layout
Level blockout in-engine
- Terrain sculpting with Unity terrain tools
- Modeling with Unity Probuilder tools
Level scripting
- Various events and interactions, including: triggering dialogue when entering certain spots, camera cuts

Gameplay video

Callout Sheets

Pre-production

Pre-Production Bible

During this time, I worked alongside the rest of the team in developing the game's Pre-Production Bible in Miro, which at first demonstrated our initial vision for the game. It has now been archived, as we transitioned over to a full Production Bible.

I wrote and put together the Level Design guidelines and map portion of the current board, as well as the "First 5 Minutes" summary.

Pre-Production Bible

Current Production Bible

Prototype

After creating our Pre-Production Bible, we moved on to developing a prototype of the game to develop and playtest the game's core systems and design.

Prototype gameplay video (Highlights contributions and process)

Prototype flowchart

I created this flowchart in Miro to illustrate the game flow of the prototype's beginning moments.

Not everything in this flowchart made it into the prototype due to time constraints, but I planned for this by making a note of which elements were less necessary to have included.

Level Layout map

I drew up this level layout in Miro to illustrate my initial overall plan for the prototype level.

I used Miro's comment system was to provide important details about certain locations.

Significant changes to this layout were made as the level was built and iterated upon in-engine, but setting up the foundational elements of the map here was critically important.

Since I was working on a 3D game, I preferred to use this map to cover what was where in the level, rather than try to communicate the intricacies of each platforming section, as I would soon block out those sections myself in-engine.

Prototype Blockout

(Orange added around level to distinguish level edges from a distance)

After mapping out the planned layout of the prototype level, I constructed the level's blockout in-engine using Unity Terrain tools and Probuilder.

Terrain sculpt

Blockout modeling

Yuri's lab

Modeled by me in Probuilder.

Everything circled in red modeled by me in Probuilder.

Trees - up close

Trees modeled by me in Probuilder.

The player's destroyed home

Modeled by me in Probuilder.

Trees behind from LowPoly Environment Asset Pack.

Broken stairs

Modeled by me in Probuilder.

Production Stage - Building the Town

Once we had built and playtested our prototype to ensure the core ideas of the game were effective, we moved into full production. My first task was to move on to level design for the Town, the central hub of the game.

Town Map

Created a top-down layout map of the town in Draw.io. Added additional images and comments in Miro for further clarity.

Town Map - Comments

Added comments on different parts of the map in Miro to clarify certain locations and points of interest.

Town Map placed in Unity

Created a sublevel for the town, then created a plane sized to-scale with the layout and placed the layout on it as a texture. I used this to build off of when building the town in-engine.

Town - Rough Blockout

An in-progress screenshot I took while I was building what I call the "rough" blockout, when I focus mostly on placements of key geometry and quick sculpting of the landscape to get a feel for how the environment feels to play in at a base level.

Town - Refined Blockout

After testing out the scale, placements, and general design of the rough blockout, I continuously iterated on the town's design until it was in a place I was happy with. This screenshot was taken after the terrain's blockout textures were swapped for semi-final ones.

Changes I made included:
- Increased verticality, both to work better with extra jump mechanics and to create visual interest
- More options for extra items for players to get through creative use of abilities
- Decision to place dash boots upgrade in the town, placement in-engine in a place players would be drawn to

Current State - Gameplay video

Town area blockout - Development process

Progression Flowchart

I created this flowchart to clearly communicate the player's progression through the game. It was created first for our main writer so he could know exactly what would be happening and when, and what information needed to be communicated through each dialogue interaction.

Credits

Team

Will Sords - Audio Design. Chose, edited, and implemented sound effects and music.

Karina Teruya - Lead Artist. Concept art, modeling, rigging, and animating of original art assets.

Ethan Godwin - Lead Level Designer

Connor Blankenship - Systems Designer & Gameplay Programmer. Coded major gameplay systems such as solar cell system.

Joseph Horak - Systems Designer, Narrative Scripter, Writer. Coded dialogue system and wrote dialogue.

Melody Geiger - Producer & Setdresser. Managed timelines, task lists, and general team needs. Implemented final game assets in place of blockout ones based on my level design blockouts.

Asset packs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U7bRpr821nS7KZuewbBXeUjsGR3kRsD1Qq-EavEc4CY/edit?usp=sharing

Asset packs for blockout:

Low Poly Environment Pack by k0rveen on Unity Asset Store
- Used for select foliage, rock, and other minor assets
Gridbox Prototype materials by Ciathyza on Unity Asset Store
- Used for blockout model textures