About the Project
During my 2nd year studying at Sheridan College, I was tasked with creating an original capture-the-flag island entirely within Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). The map needed to be inspired by a space found within a work of non-game-related fiction. I chose to base my level on Planet Jabu from Star Wars. In the 2nd phase of the project, we had to simulate a scenario where we lost the rights to our chosen I.P. and had to change the theme into something original.
In a solar system far far away… The Galaxy Defenders must stop The Bad Bunch who want to take over Planet Gritway. The rivalry between The Galaxy Defenders and The Bad Bunch is a classic story of good vs evil.
My Roles in the Project
Level Designer
Became Familiar with a new game engine and its unique tools.
Designed a grey box for a competitive shooter level.
Artist
Collected assets that aligned with the narrative to make a kit-bash.
Added lighting to help with visibility and navigation.
Pre-Production
Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN)
Learning a New Program
• First time using UEFN & Designing for an online multiplayer environment
• I spent my first week fooling around inside the engine to get comfortable
• Learned unique tools like terrain deformation and source control
• Learned how to set custom rules for capture the flag
• Uploaded playable test islands to Fortnite
Level Design
Programmatic Gameplay List
Network Diagram of Map Layout
Balancing
• Map is symmetrical to keep the game balanced
• Multiple paths allow for different play styles like sniping or stealth
• Made a program to establish a curated item pool for both teams
Landmarks (Eye-catching objects)
Edges (Boundaries of the map)
Paths (Ways to navigate the map)
Regions (Segments of the map)
Nodes (Item locations)
Maps
• Created a map which details all important elements of the level
• Documents Landmarks, Paths, Edges, Regions, and Nodes
• All icons are accounted for with a legend
• Helpful in identifying possible issues with the level (E.g. item placement)
• Grey boxing is much faster if the map is planned out ahead of time
Removing References to Star Wars
Changing the Narrative
Changing the Intellectual Property (IP)
• Notified that my level could no longer be based on my chosen IP (Star Wars)
• Simulating the possibility of losing the IP rights while working on a project
• Replaced Star Wars with an original sci-fi property
• Documentation was updated to reflect the new changes
Art
1
2
3
4
5
6
Schedule
• Had to be resourceful because of a limit of 50 assets or less
• Avoided use of similar objects because it would be wasteful (E.g. 2 types of barrels)
Underground Tunnels
Space Ship Enterance
3-Point Lighting Example
Lighting
• Torches and natural light is used to make the less advanced regions distinct from the futuristic space ships and their cold, bright lights
• Red and blue lights are used to identify which base you are in
• 3-point lighting is used to help important objects stand out
