Steve Ladson
Level Designer
dESIGN INTENT
Outbreak, designed to be a single-player survival puzzle-style shooter game.
– created as a collaborative group for Capstone Commencement project, serving as a culmination of my skills and ambitions into the gaming industry.
Created in Unreal engine with the intended use for PlayStation and Xbox platforms, a wholehearted overwhelming attempt to create a mood of suspense and isolation for the player.
Overall, our objective was to create a Resident Evil-style player experience, casting them as a lone survivor of the Omega-3 militant group, where limited resources and survival instincts are Crucial in unveiling clandestine secrets lurking beneath the city's surface.
Level designs
Abandon warehouse Level
Ux/Ui display
Startup Menu
Role & contribution
Created all user interface menus, design layouts, and elements for player feedback and the overall gameplay loop within the game. I created two game mechanics: one a shadow puzzle mechanic that drains the player's flashlight battery cell while solving in dimly lit locations and the other an AI spawn system timer that spawns enemy AI when time expires. I contribute two working levels: a transitional Emergency Room level and a playable Abandon Warehouse level.
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Emergency Room Level: Transitional safe zone level for the player, allowing the opportunity to collect resources and relief from persistent enemy combat as they solve puzzles to gain new in. Optional objective to restore power to the hospital which can be beneficial in following levels.
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Abandon Warehouse Level: Transitional safe zone for player to collect resource and unveil the secrets of the city. The warehouse is heavily secured and when triggered can set off alarms that lure enemy AI to the facility. Alarms will start AI spawn system timer mechanic. The timer creates a sense of urgency for the player to escape the facility before enemy AI overrun the warehouse.
Project reflection
My journey as a novice designer has been a whirlwind, filled with steep learning curves, tight deadlines, and unexpected challenges. This experience has granted me a profound understanding of the complexities of being a level designer. One significant trial we faced was the reduction of our team size from six members to just four, demanding quick adaptability in decision-making and project management. Furthermore, the inability to secure dedicated design artists before the polishing stages forced me to broaden my skill set and delve into lighting techniques, material editing, and modular modeling.
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Through all these trials and tribulations, this project has not only highlighted my adaptability and resilience but also underscored my unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of game design.