TLOU Level Design Challenge (Day 1)

Objective:

Create a level design in 30 days within Unreal Engine 4 that has the objective of being a theoretical exploration level for The Last of Us Part II.

Disclaimer:

I may fail. I don't know what I'm getting myself into. xD

Responsibilities:

- Conduct an analysis on the level design of Bill's Town

- Develop a level located in post-apocalyptic Seattle, WA with focus on environment exploration, narrative, and pacing

- Conduct on-site research of the area around the Space Needle (where this level will take place)

- Design, playtest, and iterate a level blockout in Unreal Engine 4

- Script basic events inside of the Unreal Blueprint system

Inspiration Research:

The environment and level design will be inspired by the Bill's Town level in The Last of Us. Bill's Town was very much focus the first half of the level on the exploration of Bill's Town. In doing so, we get small hints on the past of Ellie and Joel, as well as what they like to do. At this point of the story, Joel is warming up to Ellie, but still has major reservations about her.

This level also had a lot of blockades that showed the players objective beyond a big obstacle. This obstacle either required the player to find another way or use a ladder/plank to traverse the obstacle. There was also a lot of time to show and tell about what happened during and after the outbreak. The Last of Us uses a lot of light, color, and distant objects to orient the player in the right direction.

Environment Research:

Main Environments:

- Small Corridor/Alley

- Memorial Stadium

- The International Fountain

- The Children's Museum

- Space Needle Park

- The Space Needle

Again, there will not be time to add advanced AI or maybe even AI at all. This is all just a basic blockout of the level design with simple scripting for moving around and solving puzzles when needed. Maybe after this project I will make it more robust and add environment art. It would look more like the images below.

Environment Objectives:

- The Space Needle must be in view at all times when the player is outdoors and looking towards it's direction.

- Explore environment exploration paths, puzzles, and scenarios.

- Present a feeling of wonder, curiosity, and disgust with the imagery and story.

- Three unnerving scenarios (will explain another day) would be:

1. The Memorial Stadium plane crash - An old plane crash site right in the middle of the Memorial Stadium.

2. The Downfall of the Children's Museum - showing what happened after the outbreak and how they tried to survive as long as they could.

3. The Fallen Space Needle - shows disturbing imagery about an architectural icon.

Conclusion:

I am continuing to conduct research on the Seattle Space Needle Area, Bill's Level in The Last of Us, and designing the level. I also started scripting the character movement and camera positioning. To save time, everything will be created using asset packs provided by Unreal Engine.

Are you interested in watching the development of this project? Keep an eye on my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Twitch to see when I will be livestreaming. I'll try to keep you guys updated as much as possible, including a goal of one stream and post like this to show my progress.