Project OUtline
In this project I wanted to create an ARPG isometric level in the style of Path of Exile and Diablo. The level is designed to guide the player from the left to right and find treasure chests along the way without getting distracted. Gameplay is mechanically light, with point and click navigation being the main interactive element. This was intentional to test if I was able to make a level engaging without any combat or other gameplay hooks.
I used the Epic Games Infinity Blade Grasslands asset pack to help capture the dark gritty fantasy tone of the aforementioned games.
VIDEO WALKTHROUGH
While the level is best experienced through play, this video walkthrough breaks down the level's key concious design choices.
DESIGN PROCESS
I began by looking at techniques Diablo and PoE use for creating levels. While both heavily deploy modular random level generation in their environments, I also noticed that both preplot their level structures in square blocks (almost like a tile map). These square block plots show desired paths and player routes, with clearly defined exit and entry points. I planned out a rough outline of my level that way, with a distinct beginning at the far left and ending at the far right.
While the scene began as a rough greybox, I found that it was slower than just using big shapes from the assets pack to block out paths (like the rectangular block that I used as my main paths). As a result, most of the level's original desired path was still visible with these shapes when I remove set dressing.
Scene with set dressing removed (just showing the original blockout paths).