My Level Designing

I thought I would get round to showing some of my Level Design.
I only discovered a love for it when my class was part way through our Advanced Interaction module which we had to create an interactive piece, not necessarily a level in a game but I opted to use the Unreal 2003 level editor to create mine.

It wasn't a basic Unreal Tournament level with other players attacking each other left, right and centre. Our chance to make something original was in front of us so I didn't see the point in conforming to make a basic idea that would get me a pass. I really wanted to make something entertaining that you wouldn't normally see.

Originally I planned to make a level that was filled with blood, guts and anything that might seem horrible to the average person as seen to the right. Unfortunately it didn't work very well because having blood everywhere simply dulled the effect it had whereas having a room or two that was strangely covered in blood would create a better atmosphere. I eventutally abandoned this concept and made a fresh one concentrating on what the player would do and not what they would see.

My new concept involved the player waking up in a blank room that was part of a huge complex underground like a lab. Escaping his cell and discovering what crazy experiments were going on there he tries to get out. A monster held in a Cryo-Tube (basic cage in my level due to the lack of artisitc skill I have) escapes and the player will enconter it several times throughout the level. I have created a video of the level to show what happens. There are points where I would have liked to have a voice actor but I just placed triggers to have text appear as if it was the player speaking or thinking in his head.

Unreal Editor has so many tools to use that can make most things very simple if you take the time to learn. I plan on spending my summer to create more levels. The next idea I have will be some sort of trap filled dungeon or ancient Egyptian tomb. I like the idea that it will be quite challenging to link up enough effects in the editor and I need to make sure this wasn't just a one off thing that I enjoyed doing.