So I don't post here much but figured I'd show current progress screen shots of the level design for the work in progress for my yet unnamed sci-fi game.

I'm nowhere near complete, lighting needs done, proper clutter, enemies need finalized / added. Scripts need complete, etc.

But for now, at least from a level design standpoint, I have some okay-ish pictures







Concept of the game: You're an Imperial investigator, being sent to investigate rumors of subversion on a relay station at the edge of human space. You're a prototype cyborg to boot - this mission is a shake down run for the new technology.

You'll notice a combination of paid and free stuff. I tried to take art that was consistent in form and function, as well as relevant to the time period.
Shadows are disabled and settings are mostly medium while I build, I'll do a tuning pass after I get all the mobs/etc placed.

Looking forward to seeing more.

This phase of lighting consists of messing with ambiance and interior lighting (static lights) until I get it where I want it.


I wanted a more pronounced lighting setup here. That said, that central column still isn't mapping right so I may expand the bubble and play with that a bit until I get shadows mapping how I want them on the lightmapper.


Same thing here. Took it to a much grittier place, which is basically how the story/engine is going to run.


The docking bay.


The mess hall.

Right now this is just the first map. The game will be very linear but this map will be used two times; once for the intial 'everything is quiet' playthrough, then a junked up version of the same map (lots of trash/etc) much later. The lighting on this one is FARRRRRRR from complete but it shows a pretty good departure from the full area lighting with / dynamic lights in the previous screengrabs.

looking real good ...
nice project to follow.


Harry

Thanks harry, now you know why I wanted the scientist hahah

hey, this is very nice!

First level is coming along nicely.
Note the improved lighting; also new areas of focus.
I'm thinking of actually making this a hub area with spokes to other sublevels.
The receiving 'opening' area. I think I've finally licked the interior lighting issues on that pillar.

The right of the pillar; a visible and nearly completed docking area, ship, warning signs/lights and some of the rest of the station extend beyond view. Had an issue with occlusion killing the objects just beyond the glass so I had to turn occlusion down to 0 to fix it for now. I need to re position that lightray decal though.

I really like this hallway, what can I say. I use it's combination of natural and indoor lighting to provide a nice looking calm scene; this will be contrasted later when things go to pot and things are all busted up. In all, I like how it looks so I try to include this as a 'progress' screenshot so you can kind of gauge against previous configs.

Receiving Rec Area/Dining hall. Continues to be a source of difficulty for me with lighting artifacts that I can't isolate the source of. That said, it's getting there. The addition of EAI's arcade cabinets and the old cosmic diner pinball machine gives it a more natural feel.

The new area - the fusion core. Was going to be a water plant but had trouble with indoor water setups. It was tremendously tricky to get the lava functional as it is but I like it. From here there will be pathways to engineering and the bridge, as well as crew quarters. I have a lot more work to do here but the start is looking very nice.

All opinions welcome - how's the lighting, use of elements, clutter, etc.
Thanks

Latest per this thread: https://forum.game-guru.com/thread/214343
-- still needs a lot of tuning, this was after 5 mins of minor monkeying with settings after installing reframe








Work continues. Story is continually fleshed out, removed, readded, etc.

New characters are made via the character creator but in truth most of them are placeholders until I build a new character once I've learned enough modelling to do so.

Mostly right now it's about keeping it simple enough without going too crazy on it. The addition of new assets by Voodoo (thanks!) for his sci-fi work opens some interesting possibilities. One of the areas I wanted to add that I couldn't before is now distinctly possible and I have to really consider how I want to implement that.

A big part of my game is I want to make this game both difficult and rewarding. I don't want a game that can be easily finished in under a half hour; I want something that will take many attempts and many hours. Something where exploration is rewarded and rushing forward thoughtlessly is punished. Most of that will involve placement of enemies, pacing of action, etc.

I've begun assigning assets for other maps (medlab, hydroponics, engineering, the entertainment quarter, etc). Now I just need to work on a pen and paper version of said maps that I like and go from there.

Anyways, that's the latest. I'll try to get some more updated screenies once I've added a sufficiently big enough area or levels.

This is looking very nice so far. Keep up the good work! I can see you are putting some time into your level design. Looking forward to a video.

that's looking really nice. i like the light coming through the ceiling

Looks really good. I like the dark atmosphere and the lighting, setting up the vibe perfectly for enemies to pop out and make for a really good battle.

The level design is really coming together, nice work

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys It means more than I can say to hear people reflect and discuss my work. My level of motivation seems directly influenced by the interest others have in my project(s).

Ideally what I'm going for here is a game with a system-shock II feel with a combination of what I've liked from games like dead space, doom, half life, blake stone, etc.

The first level I want to use as a showcase but ultimately it's just a hook, something nice looking and fun feeling which will draw players in. I want to put a fairly straightforward non combat start to the game and then quickly get into crazytown but for now I'm focused on making the maps, making them run well, and making them look good.

So thanks and I welcome all criticism / critiquing. I'm a firm believer that nothing is perfect and everything can be improved.