The level begins with the player waking up after their ship crashed near a moonbase that they were sent to investigate after there was no contact from anybody.
The player is situated in a small canyon at the start with anarrow path leading to a wider area, here i’ve made use of a funnel before a reveal while alos transitioning from a smaller space to a wider one to provide variation.
Upon reaching the reveal the player is greeted with a view of the wider area ahead, the white building in the center of the area is marked with a light source to grab the players attention with framing, in this area i’ve used variation in height with the small crater in the center and the ueven moon landscape of loose rocks. The player can walk forward and see a light source with an unsecured door, here I’ve conveyed an opening to the player to show them that they can enter, and to the right of the players view they can see an affordance in the form of stairs leading down to the building.
When at the bottom of the stairs and at the doorway, the player is greeted with a choice whether to go right or left round this table, both routes lead to the same exit however i wanted to offer the player agency in how they navigate the space no matter how minor. The building moves the player back from a wider space to a smaller one.
Next to the table the player comes across a piece of narrative in the from of a readable note, which eludes to areas later in the level.
When reaching the exit on the other end of the building, they will take notice of flourescent bright pink footprints, here i wanted to breadcrumb the player towards the golden path, i chose this colour as it contrasts extremely well against the pale grey of the moon and always stands out i took inspiration from HP Lovecrafts the Colour for this.
Following the bradcrumb path the player reaches a flight of stairs to the main building they saw near the start, from here they can lookout over the balcony and view how far they’ve come to show the player how far they’ve progressed, once again making use of height variation.
Just behind them from this view is a main entrance to the building, I’ve used high light attentuation to cast light out onto the balcony to convey that this opening is the main pathway, the number pad on the wall next to the door I’ve is using a red colour i set to add colour variation.
Walking through the main door pictured last, the player is greeted with a framed environment vignette of a slumped body with a narrative note providing further narrative context, i used a blood decal to help further focus the players view.
This door model along with the red klaxon light signifies a denied affordance which is used throughout the building to signify a denied path to the player, the player needs to take a left to the lab area to proceed, this also helps to add depth to the level giving the player the impression that the space is larger than it actually is.
The player upon taking the viable left path is greeted with a windowed view into the next progressable area, the items on the table in this windowed room I’ve placed in different orientation to contrast the 90 degree angled room to help them stick out a little more along with a light source to put focus on them as they serve part of the narrative.
The player will come across another narrative, note that gives context the items on the table and further hint at what the player will experience later in the level.
The player can see a denied affordance on the other side of the glass as well as the door here adding depth to the scene to mimick a larger level, ahead of this the player will find another narrative note.
Looking directly up from this table, the player is within direct line of sight of another room, with a colour contrast using red to grab their attention.
Looking through this window the player can see an Opening, they can get here by following a corridor to the left, an L shape corridor leading round.
Upon reaching the other side the player will come across another corridor, they will see two doors which convey denied affordance to the player with an illuminated room to the right which is the one the player saw earlier.
Reaching the opening the player saw earlier in the level, they get a look down to the outside once again, this area serves a few purposes, Conveying an opening, moving from a smaller space to a wider one to add variation. and also level gating, once the player manouevers their way down the hole, they will no longer be able to access this part of the level again, forcing them to carry on forward without backtracking.
Jumping down the player is greeted with a vista shot, the large fences to the bottom right serving as denied affordance, and the dome building showing larger areas of the level unaccessable. The contrast of the sunlit landscape with the dark crater and artificial lights helps the next area of the level stand out.
Looking down the player will see a blue pallete, i used this contrast to help the player find the right path down the rock face to the surface.
Here I’ve firslty used the ornage rover once again pointing towards the crater area to help serve as a leading line, the orange helps it to stand out against the grey moon, this principle carries over to the flourescent pink footsteps, which i have placed in the shade of the rock being lit by the sun, the extreme darkness paired with the extreme bright of the fottprints help to breadcrumb the player.
Here i’ve created a framed shot of the area, i’ve used height variation in the crater once again to help the level flow better and symbolise the player traversing into the unknown, as the player walks down into the crater the shot of the earth and sun dissapears, leaving the player in darkness once again, the pink decal at the entrance to the next area is visible.
Walking into the cavern entrance, the player enters a small narrow corridor to constrict them, this also serves as a funnel before a new area is revealed, i’ve utilised the blue pallete board again so the player can have assistance in finding their way in the dark.
Here the player is shown a small environmental vignette of a statue and rockface placed in uniwue orientations , with the pink water and flood light to help draw the players view onto this particular area and also for them to focus on the note on the table, the next narrative note.
to the right of the note is a darkened passage leading up for height variation, the plarers helmet comes equipped with a flashlight, so they need to light the way themselves.
At the top the player reaches another room, this one wider, i’ve used another floodlight to illuminate the space so the player can get a clear view of the environmental worlbuilding below with the stone statues placed in different orientations.
the bridge the player walks on is broken towards the end, with a corrdior caved in by rocks, looking right the player will see this illuminated path, this light flickers to add variation to the lighting in the area, this leads to another tunnel funneling the player one last time.
Walking through the tunnel to the other side the player is greeted with a rounded cavern with a centre piece in the middle of the room, eith flourescent pink to draw the players eye, skeletons can be seen littering the area as an environmental vignette.
A note is on the table in the center with the writer of the note slumped against the table, i’ve used the pink decals to breadcrumb the player toward the coffin after reading the note.
I’ve placed a final floodlight at the end of the level, this dark corridor leads to the end of the level for the player.
Additional notes
I made use of a few asset packs in creating this level which i found to be hugely beneficial in helping me create a more engaging space which i have listed below.
Modular Sci-Fi Indoor/Outdoor environment pack – Rocky Swampy Planet – (Acquired free)
Deep Elder Caves – (Acquired free)