Summary
Naamu: The Last Essence is a Third-Person action-adventure videogame. In a world where the essences of things are shown to the human eye, our heroine will fight to protect the dying soul of her forest of birth from the corrupting influence of the human being.
Goals
- To create a fun, immersive world, granting the highest value to each meter of travel with the least amount of necessary assets possible.
- Create different areas tied to the narrative, combat, and mechanics necessities.
- Design a clear yet challenging path to test the player’s navigation skills.
- Create a Vertical Slice representative of the game in the limited time we had.
Project Details
- Final project of U-tad University. Teamwork.
- 8 Month full time.
- Created using Unreal Engine 4.
- Original assets developed by our artists.
Pre-Production
The idea of the video game that we were going to carry out was a team effort. First, we brainstormed many possible video games to make. I came up with the idea for a dark, Bloodborne-inspired, 3D hack and slash that uses blood as energy and life, and you have to manage this unique resource to evolve in the game. Then the programming department edited the idea and presented another thematic possibility, and finally the Art Department offered the character and setting that later became Naamu: The Lost Essence.
The Narrative Department (I was also the Lead Narrative Designer) created the story outline, the worldbuilding, and the coherency rules that determine the world.
I did several mood boards containing the different gameplay zones and the feeling that each one must convey. We also gathered Level Moodboard references, Pacing and Flow Charts having into account what Navigation, Combat, Narrative, and Level Design needed.
Initially, the videogame was designed to have 3 different levels. As we were two designers working on the video game's levels, we plan our work through the Scrum principle, according to the project's necessities and the different department ones to adjust the necessary goals to each milestone. We use the platform Trello for this matter.
Level 2
I began working on Level 2. The first Layout aimed to show ideal navigation, using the different resources the gameplay offered to interspersed between platforms, narrative zones of slower pacing, and unbridled combat.
In this quick sketch (speed was very important in the project, as it was a very complex project for the short development time we had) I was showing navigation focused on offering a variety of paths to emphasize the player's agency.
There were two main roads (See Image 2): Number one (The pink one) was the one designed to be the one most players chose, and the second one (Green one) was the “secret one”, that allowed the player to jump directly to the final combat, rewarding the explorer player with a number of collectibles and experience in the main way.
We can see the main path dividing itself into three possibilities (1, 2, and 3). These three paths were designed to be interconnected, and it was possible to go back along any of them to explore the other two.
In the secret path, you find a hard platform challenge, since the water damaged the player's health, with a recovery path that allows the player to return to the beginning, and a collectible.
Of course, this was the first thing to fall from the table. In a production with so much limited time, we can’t design, develop and enhance entire sections that won’t be played by the user.
Then, I edited the most relevant problems of the first sketch. I integrated the main road with the secondary one, in such a way that it interspersed platform areas with combat areas, and finally reached the town, a narrative area.
Blockout
Then I begin the blockout progress. Many things changed during the production. It was an iteration work alongside the Art and Narrative department (I was also the Narrative Lead Designer). For the overall map, I principally used the Sculpt, Smooth, Hydro-Erosion, and Noise tools.
First, I begin sculpting the terrain, as all the levels I was going to design were natural surroundings. Since the Art Department was still beginning to design and develop the first asset, I used placeholders during the initial blockout progress. I tested a giant wall as a landmark, to add a platforming challenge different from the general one on the map, usually consisting of rock jumps.
Designing the level, I made special focus in helping the player’s orientation and objectives through Macro Landmarks (Waterfall, The Temple) and Meso (The fallen pillar, the natural course of water…). I think about the experience that the player lives through the path that I design, the feeling that the route provokes, and if it fits with the game's needs.
For this reason, I made sure that all the collectibles could be previously locatable and that other areas of the level were visible during the advance, both as a compass and to contribute to the feeling of advancement of the player, who sees himself every time further from the start.
The feeling of "advancing" the level its a reward itself. The background view plane was not yet integrated.
And then, I started with the final touches:
- I sculpted mountains and integrated rivers realistically.
- Adjusted the jumps according to the specifications of the Navigation Department.
- Determined narrative events with the new ubications.
- Worked with Combat on the designs of the arenas and their needs, adding an increasing challenge in the fights according to the particularities of the combat mechanics through the use of environmental resources.
Landscape Morphology Images
Combat Arenas in Level 2
Walkthrough
Top View
Single Level
We realized we weren’t going to be able to do two levels, due to the delays of the development on the first level, the decision was taken to change the level structure. For it, we had into account that level one was necessary to the natural skill progression of the player, and the time we had left of development. So I rearranged the first map to integrate the finished parts of level 2 in Level 1. Sections B and C were added, and I did a new zone completely from zero.
Specific Goals:
- To re-use the main parts of the second Level, adding them to the incomplete level 1.
- Adapt the narrative and Level necessities to the new space limitation.
- Adapt the difficulty of level 2 to the new learning curve of the player.
- Create new zones to fulfill the navigation and narrative needs, adapted to the team possibilities in a very limited time.
First I did a new Layout, where the old Level 1 zones were integrated with the Level 2 zones that were trespassed, and the new zones were added as a link between them.
It was a specially interesting design challenge, as Level 2 had its own height structure and after joining it to the old sectors it worked differently, but after adding jumps from different heights and areas rising from ground level, it fits perfectly with what was necessary, including differentiating and interesting elements such as the waterfall.
Blockout
Then, I turned this whole theory into a blockout. This time, the goal was to work fast and getting morphologically correct geometry from the start.
Using the knowledge I developed during my work in Level 2, I was able to integrate natural forms in the environment I was creating at the same time that iteration and testing were leading me to many changes.
Water was used to guide the player, turning the river into a vertebral spine that runs vertically through the entire level, leading the player's path. Waterfall remained as a Macro Landmark through the entire level.
Looking for different ways of platform jumping without creating a single new asset turned into a funny, difficult yet rewarding challenge, and finally, each kind of terrain I created had a different theme.
Level 2 zones integrated into level 1, and new zones.
Level 00 completed and close up of the Waterfall Landmark.
Problem resolution
When level 00 (The Development name of the Single Level) was nearly finished, the entire team realized we weren't going to be able to develop the necessary Art's Assets for the level requirements, nor to dress the entire level. So, as a team, we decided to cut down the water sectors, as the waterfalls weren't fully developed.
I was the one doing this new adaptation. It was the hardest challenge in this project development because we were so close to the end date that there wasn't any other correction opportunity. In a night, the entire sector B and a part of sector D were cut off.
New Level 00 Walkthrough
Sector A: This section was developed by the other level designer in my team.
The goal of this sector was to create a tutorial path, where the player found itself learning the game mechanics: Jumps, Consumables, the Purification Mechanic, the combat system, and the Corruption Cores Puzzles.
Sector B: This narrow, sinuous path was designed using the reference of a geologic gorge, in this area the player first learns about the Wall-Jump, and then practices using it in a safe environment (In a rock, for collecting a piece of a puzzle) and a low-risk one (Upon the corrupted water, with an easy recovery path).
After the waterfall had to be cut out of the map because of team timelines, this was the way to connect the two sectors..
Sector B also included a puzzle, where you had to purify three heaps of corruption in order to purify the Core and open the doors.
And, finally, Sector B included a combat arena.
Sector C is huge, it has two combat arenas, two platform sectors, and the village, the biggest narrative area.
Because of this, the most important design challenge in this area was having into account the optimization and art budget.
I had to cover certain lines of view because of level streaming and performance, sequence certain events, and rely on level and narrative resources so I can guide the player in extensive scenarios.
Sector C takes up about a third part of the map of the game.
Level Streaming: Sect B didn't exist, as the original one was cut, and Sector C1 was later called Sector B
We aimed to achieve an important narrative load in each of its settings. The village, a ruined settlement, was the scene of one of the most relevant narrative in-game cinematics and rely on environmental storytelling.
For this reason, this space was design to enhance the character's journey through the ruins, leading him to cross the central square to ascend the temple stairs. In order for this not to negatively affect the pacing, I also added two jumps, easy but which added dynamism to the course.
This section is located after a zone of difficult jumping and combat, it works as the player's rest before the next part of the platforms: the River.
I wanted to highlight the importance of the temple so I used framing to draw the player's attention toward the area.
This was an exploration area, so I made sure that visuals led the player to know that no danger would come from this area, changing the palette colors to blue/green (positive colors in the game) and eliminating any trace of red/pink (negative ones).
To guide the player, I also used diagonals, health recovery items, and light to draw the player's attention.
Sector C had also a platform zone above a river and a puzzle.
Sector D: With only an arena and a little corridor, this way was the prologue of the Boss Encounter. Me and others designers worked in the arenas together, as it was the last zone of gameplay and needed having into account Navigation, Combat, Level, and Narrative for a satisfying endgame.
Scripting
I also added several level and narrative Blueprint Events, as you can see
Closing thoughts
Naamu: The Lost Essence began as a final project for a university degree, so we learned a lot during the development. Now, I’m sure a big part of the problem was the poor knowledge of the process of a big videogame development we had at the beginning. We weren’t able to draw the timelines realistically, to define our team goals really knowing our strengths and weakness, or to understand the technical limitations we were about to face.
But, exactly because of that, I feel that we learned an absolute lot. If we were to begin again this project, I would be capable of knowing exactly what are my possibilities, to establish ambitious, challenging, and realistic objectives having into account the exact time I have.
Also, during this project, I realized how much I love Level Design. Working as a team with the Art and Programming department was proved a valuable asset, as the feedback they gave me led to iterate and enhanced a lot my levels, and I learned a lot about Scripting, Geometry, Textures, and Modelling 3D Assets. Also, as I was also the UI and Narrative designer, I mainly learned a lot about the interaction of all the parts of the game to build a coherent, well–connected world.
Despite being quite pleased with the project, there are some things I would like to have done if nowadays had the opportunity.
I would like to enhance the pacing of the two first combat arenas, they are too close together and I would have changed the second one after the Village, so the player can relax before the second challenging fight.
To go to the Narrative Design Portfolio
