Howling Caves

This project was a collaborative level design assignment, where our team of five was randomly selected and tasked with creating a fully playable level using Unreal Engine 5. Each team member had individual sections they were primarily responsible for, while also contributing feedback and assistance to other sections as needed. The foundation of our level was built using action blocks we each had previously designed. We also had to ensure that our mechanics and design elements coincided with designated project guidelines, approved mechanics and assets.

One of the key aspects of this project was the integration of Unreal Engine's World Partition system, which allowed us to work within a shared environment without interfering with each other's progress. When used correctly, this ensured that changes made to one section of the level did not unintentionally disrupt another team member’s work. The entire level had to be designed, built, tested and refined within a strict three week development period. This requiring efficient communication, strong time management and a structured workflow.

Role & Responsibilities

Transformed a previous level design into a dynamic cave environment that fit the team’s desolate winter landscape theme.
Researched and utilized appropriate assets to create a believable cave structure while ensuring smooth gameplay flow.
Implemented a locked door mechanic and collectible key items, allowing for integration across the team’s sections.
Created a Pacing & Flow chart to define level structure, difficulty balance, and player progression while providing feedback to ensure overall cohesion.

Design Decisions

Initial Concept:

The foundation of our level was built upon the "Scraps" project which has existing guidelines and assets. It's a first-person shooter adventure game with a focus on exploration and puzzle-solving. This helped establish the core mechanics, user interface, and narrative since it was predetermined for us. These predetermined aspects provided a structured framework so we could focus on crafting engaging level designs that complemented the project's overall vision. We knew we had to ensure consistency between our individual sections while largely maintaining the intended gameplay flow and pacing.

Core Gameplay & Mechanics:

Integrated existing mechanics like locked doors and collectible key items to the level in order to encourage exploration and progression.
Collaborated with the team to ensure these mechanics were accessible and could be easily used across different sections of the level.
Implemented key mechanics outside of my designated portion to maintain consistency and flow across the entire level.
Enhanced player engagement by adding interactive elements that supported the overall design and gameplay experience.

Level Design:

Transformed an abandoned warehouse into a natural cave environment using assets like stalactites, rock formations and materials to create a realistic setting.
Utilized strategic lighting with flaming torches to guide player movement and enhance atmosphere, creating leading lines toward important areas.
Placed the collectible key item strategically within the level to encourage exploration and engagement.
Focused on environmental storytelling through asset and lighting choices to reinforce the narrative and guide the player's experience.

Abandoned Warehouse Blockout:

Initial blockout of my level section before it's transformation.

Initial Cave Environment:

Reimagined space with natural rock formations, lighting and atmosphere.

Locked Door Mechanic in Action:

Examples of how the locked door and key system were implemented across the full level.

Predetermined Elements:

Although elements like the User Interface, Audio Design, Music and the level's Narrative were largely already predetermined for the group, they still influenced our design choices significantly. For example, the lack of music heightened the importance of our environments and helped shape how we approached immersion. Additionally, the existing UI structure ensured that our mechanics and level layouts remained intuitive within the game's established framework.

Challenges & Solutions

1. Transforming the Warehouse Into a Cave

Challenge: Finding the right assets, ensuring a believable environment and maintaining smooth gameplay flow were all challenges in this transition.
Solution: Researched available rock formations, stalactites and appropriate materials to construct a convincing cave structure. Using Unreal Engine’s landscape and terrain tools, I reshaped areas to look more organic. Strategic lighting placements and adjustments helped maintain visibility while also preserving the dark, cavernous feel that I envisioned.

2. Working within Unreal's World Partition System

Challenge: With working in one shared level, I had to ensure my changes didn’t interfere with my teammates' work. Learning how World Partition functioned and managing sections efficiently was an early obstacle.
Solution: I properly sectioned off my area and locked changes to other parts of the map. Partially thanks to Perforce which was the software we used for our collaborative efforts. I also coordinated closely with teammates, ensuring that our individual edits didn’t conflict. Using World Partition’s streaming system, I could test my section in isolation which prevented many unnecessary conflicts.

3. Time Management within a Three-Week Deadline

Challenge: Given the short development window, balancing asset integration, gameplay mechanics and level layout revisions while staying within the timeline proved to be more difficult than we anticipated. Communication between the group proved to be an important catalyst to completing our tasks on time as well. With different members living in different time zones with deadlines upon us regardless. We were forced to be on point with our coordination and leave each other updated on our individual progress as often as possible.
Solution: We created a structured workflow which prioritized essential tasks like blocking out the layout first, implementing mechanics second and refining our visuals with finalized assets last. Regular check-ins and nightly playtesting helped us stay on track while also allowing time for feedback and revisions.

4. Level Pacing & Flow

Challenge: Being responsible for our Pacing & Flow chart, I had to make sure that the difficulty progression and layout structure made sense across the entire level. This included adjusting challenge intensity and engagement points.
Solution: Made adjustments to enemy placement, key locations and obstacle density. Using the Pacing & Flow chart, I tried to ensure that our initial layout had each section of the level complementary to the others.

Tools & Techniques Used

Unreal Engine 5 – Primary tool for level design, implementation and gameplay mechanics.
World Partition – Managed the large open world and allowed seamless team integration.
Perforce – Used for version control and collaborative workflow. Ensured smooth asset sharing and project updates.
Material Creation – Customized textures and materials to enhance the cave environment.
Flow Charts & Pacing Documents – Structured the level’s progression, pacing and player experience.
Blockouts & Prototyping – Established initial level layouts and iterated based on feedback.
Lighting & Environmental Effects – Enhanced atmosphere, depth, and immersion with lighting placement and environmental effects.

Lessons Learned

Collaborated effectively within a team, emphasizing communication, adaptability and structured documentation to ensure cohesion across different sections of the level.
Created the Pacing & Flow chart, streamlining level progression and player experience, providing a clear structure for the project.
Learned version control and efficient workflow management using Unreal Engine’s World Partition and Perforce, preventing conflicts in the shared development space.
Refined time management skills, balancing creative ambition with practical execution under tight deadlines, and iterated quickly based on playtests and feedback.

This project provided valuable insight into the collaborative workflow of a game development team. It emphasized the importance of communication, adaptability and structured documentation. With each team member responsible for their own section, ensuring a cohesive level required frequent coordination and careful planning between us all. Creating the Pacing & Flow chart helped streamline this process and provided a clear structure for level progression and the player experience. Additionally, utilizing Unreal Engine’s World Partition and Perforce taught me the fundamentals of version control and efficient workflow management. Preventing conflicts while working within a shared development space.

Time management was also another crucial lesson, as we had only three weeks to take our action blocks and merge them into a playable level. Balancing creative ambition with practical execution meant making efficient design choices and iterating quickly based on our playtests. Also refining elements such as environmental storytelling, material creation and lighting to achieve the intended atmosphere. The process of transitioning my section from an abandoned warehouse into a natural cave setting reinforced the iterative nature of level design. It highlighted the importance of the blockout phase versus final asset implementation.

Beyond technical skills, this project also reinforced problem-solving and adaptability. Through this experience, I strengthened my ability to collaborate, iterate and refine a level under tight deadlines. All being skills that I know will be invaluable in future game development projects.