FIEA Level Dev Blog

 This week, I continued working on the high-rise building and started using a hybrid approach for the blockout. Now, all the main structures like buildings and room layouts are built in Maya, while certain parts of the environment, like the landscape, are done in Unreal. I also realized that some elements, like props and cover, need to be placed directly in Unreal to iterate quickly. Being able to move things around in-engine makes it easier to test if they work in gameplay and adjust them on the fly. This setup gives me more control over structure while keeping iteration fast where it matters.

This week for my TLOU2 -inspired level blockout, I worked on several floors of the second building the player platforms onto. I continued using the process of first building the office as it originally was, then deconstructing it and repurposing the floor plans to create an interesting flow and rhythm as the player ascends. The biggest challenge I’m facing is making sure the floors don’t feel repetitive. Since things like elevators and stairwells have to stay consistent across multiple floors, it naturally limits how much variation I can introduce. I also have to remind myself that not every part of a floor needs to be accessible. Destroying sections and limiting space helps guide the player forward while keeping the environment believable.

 Initially, I started my block out in Unreal to playtest and set up the level, but I later switched entirely to Maya for building everything. This change gave me more control and speed when creating objects. Since my level is inspired by The Last of Us Part II, I wanted to emulate Naughty Dog’s process by using Maya. The downside is that constantly exporting to Unreal slows down my ability to test quickly. While ND likely doesn’t have this constraint, I still think it’s valuable practice to follow industry workflows. In the long run, this process is useful since it allows me to block out in Maya and export to any engine as needed. For my level, I’m referencing several real buildings and landmarks in San Francisco. The Bay Bridge serves as the main objective, acting as a weenie to guide players. While I’m basing the layout on real locations, I’m adjusting scale and placement to improve navigation. My approach is to build the environment first, then deconstruct it—tearing down walls,...