The First Awake

Individual Project, Original Game Design, Art, Level Design

Software Used: Unreal Engine 5, Maya, Adobe Substance Painter, Adobe Substance 3D Sampler, Adobe Photoshop, BFXR, Beepbox.co.

This project is a third-person action experience created in Unreal Engine 5.

The player, through this experience, infiltrates a forest compound as a sci-fi-themed robot character. It contains original game design, level design, 3D models, and textures.

Although we were asked not to create a story for this level at the beginning. I couldn’t help but create the level with a game story in mind.

You play as a prototype android created by humans to be used in warfare. Your android has broken free from its programming and believes it is unfair that humans created their kind only to send them off to be destroyed in war.

In this level, you infiltrate the secret facility where these androids are created, to find the supply of androids and free them from their programming before they can be sent off to war.

Single Player Level Created in Unreal Engine. Structures created using Geometry inside Unreal Engine. Trees created in Maya. Textures created in Adobe Photoshop and Substance 3D Sampler.

Gameplay Video

Level Design

Level design map. Hand drawn in Adobe Photoshop

Because the player is infiltrating a top-secret location, I wanted the level to feel imposing. So the player starts off in a wooded area with a path ahead to show where to go. There is also a nearby guard post to introduce the player to the level’s enemies.

After following the path, the player will find another enemy, which helps get them familiar with the combat before the enemy numbers increase.

After leaving the woods, the player finally sees their target, which is a large base hidden inside a mountain range. The building is situated on a large hill to add to the imposing nature of the level. Were this level in a full game, this would be a late-game level.

The player fights their way to the gate (since they see that first), discovers it is locked, which prompts them to explore the level further to find the key. Which is found inside the Guard Base. They can then unlock the door, fight their way uphill, and through the facility to free their friends.

Level Screenshots

Player Character

Forest Section

Main Gate

Guard Post

Main Building Entrance

Guard Base

Main Building

File Structure and Hierarchy

Unreal Scene

File Structure

Unreal Hierarchy

Meshes Folder

Materials Folder

All files in this project are organized very similarly to my Unity file structure. All element types have a folder; for example, blueprints and 3D meshes are kept in separate folders, although some meshes are also in a blueprint. Some subfolders are included, such as blueprints responsible for the player vs blueprints that control health and ammo pickups. Meshes are also organized into separate folders, such as foliage vs weapons meshes.

The level hierarchy (as shown in the top right image. Called the "outliner" in Unreal Engine) also has several folders to keep it well organized and easy to navigate. Each building in the level is contained in its own folder, as they are made up of several geometry objects, which quickly adds clutter to the outliner. Other examples are objects that have multiple instances in the level, such as the enemies, which are all stored inside the "Enemies" folder, or the health and ammo pickups, which are all stored in the "Pickups" folder.