Lost Worlds




Platform:
Windows PC

Engine:
Unreal Development Kit (UDK)

Language:
Kismet, UnrealScript

Tools Used:
Unreal Development Kit,
Photoshop, Wacom Tablet

Duration:
9 months

Completion:
2013

Team Size: 1

Role:
Concept, BSP building, prop
and texture placement, lighting,
combat encounters, pathing,
event scripting, pacing,
dialog script, voice-overs,
all gameplay scripting.

Overview

Lost Worlds is a short action game built in UDK with a 3D isometric camera view. It combines exciting combat, environment puzzles, and a narrative that tells the story of a galaxy where humanity mysteriously and suddenly vanished 1000 years ago leaving everything they created behind. Humanity's robotic creations, the Mechlons, now rule the galaxy using their abandoned cities and ships.

You play as Max, a scrappy and emotional Mechlon who seeks to discover humanity's fate by searching planetary ruins before the profiteering Dominus Corporation can strip them of their clues and riches. After discovering an uncharted planet, Max and his trusty side-kick Proxy, set off to finally discover the first piece of the puzzle that will reveal humanity's fate and the future fate of the Mechlons.

Project Design Goals

  • Create a fun level in UDK using only the default UDK assets (not including voiceover and music).
  • Demonstrate skills in combat encounter design, environment puzzle design, and level pacing.
  • Create an interesting game world and tell a compelling story based on the default UDK assets.
  • Make a level with a 3D isometric camera view to stand out from all of the first-person UDK levels.

Download Lost Worlds: LostWorlds_v1.0.exe

This is a Windows-only installer, so please right click and click Save-As and run when it is completely downloaded. There will be an icon in the Start Menu for Lost Worlds. You can uninstall it via Control Panel -> Add/Remove Software.


Design & Analysis Document:

LostWorlds-DesignAnalysis.pdf

 

Dev Blog:

I kept a blog that documents a lot of "why" and "how" I did things. If you want an insite into the process it took to develop Lost Worlds (and to see various iterations of features), then please click on my Blog link above or here .



Demo Reel




Detailed Info

Lost Worlds grew from a simple level to becoming the first level of a full-blown game complete with gameplay mechanics, tutorial, voiceover, and cutscenes. From start to finish, it takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. The level and story are designed around the default UDK assets (robotic characters, ancient ruins, sci-fi themed assets, etc.) so that I could focus on game and level design and not asset creation.

The rest of this project page merely highlights what I did for this project. For a detailed look, complete with documentation of my process and methodology, please look at my Design and Analysis document here:

LostWorlds-DesignAnalysis.pdf

 

Level Map

 

Game & Level Design

Features I designed and built for Lost Worlds:

  • Narrative design (story, characters, locations, cut-scene and dialog scripts)
  • Isometric level design, prototyping, and construction
  • Level pacing
  • Environment puzzle design
  • Combat encounters (enemy composition, waves, retreating, etc.)
  • Destructible Cover
  • Cover placement
  • Powerup & Health placement
  • Weapon & Ammo placement
  • Customized Unreal Tournament HUD
  • Decoration and lighting
  • Voice acting, recording, and sound design for robotic voice effects
  • Hundreds of UDK issues, tweaks, and bug workarounds!


Scripting (UnrealScript)

  • Player input (WASD movement and player rotate/aim toward mouse cursor)
  • Isometric camera
  • Player Inventory with bindings exposed for access within Kismet
  • Draggable Blocks
  • Custom Soldier and Titan artificial intelligence
  • Modified Unreal Tournament weapons

Visual Scripting (Kismet)

  • Puzzle Mechanics:
    • Touch Switch
    • Shoot Switch
    • Floor Plate Switch
    • Draggable Blocks (combined with UnrealScript)
    • Floor Plate Switches that must be held down by a Draggable Block
    • Springboard
  • Barriers:
    • Gates
    • Fire Barriers
    • Spikes
    • Extension Bridge
  • Enemy AI
  • Combat Waves/Encounters
  • Checkpoint System
  • Camera Cutscenes to preview puzzles and emphasize story
  • Camera Shakes
  • Intro and Outro cutscenes and scripted events
  • Player Inventory Access (main system is UnrealScript)
  • On-screen tutorial hints and contextual hints when near interactive objects
  • Music, voiceover, ambient sounds, etc.

 

Combat Encounter Example



 

Springboard Puzzle

 

Spike Puzzle