"Les Voiles Bleues" Free For All Map
Project Overview
This project was intended to improve my skills and learn new ways to prototype my levels inside Unreal Engine 5. CubeGrid and PolyEd mode were the tools I used to build the entirety of the assets present in the blockout.
I wanted to create a FPS multiplayer map intended for a simple Free for All mode, with simple respawn rules and classic Call of Duty arcade feeling.
Genre: FPS
Engine : Unreal Engine 5.2
Plugins: SuperGrid Starter Pack, Blocking Starter Pack, CubeGrid
Level Preproduction
The level takes inspiration from the existing structure "Les Voiles Bleues", a residence in Villeneuve-Loubet (France).
After taking some photos, I sketched the layout and took some references directly from Google maps, and then added some personal touches at the structure itself.
I then moved directly to illustrator, where I sketched a vectorial layout divided per floor and made a pathway map to understand the choke points and where at least two paths crossed each other, as the objective was to create a circular experience to maintain the players always in movement and in a constant state of flow.
The level is divided in three main section with three different heights, so that the players could take different advantage points.
Software: Adobe Illustrator
3D Implementation
The 3D implementation was made by using the CubeGrid metrics (1x1x1) which helped to easily compare the 2D sketch with the tridimensional visualization and to easily achieve a consistent representation in meters.
Plugins were very useful to achieve a good result in a short amount of time, CubeGrid is one of the most useful tool that can be found to quickly blockout a level.
Plugins used: SuperGrid Starter Pack, CubeGrid, PolyEd Mode, Blocking Starter Pack
Literature
I used this project to understand better architectural principles (both practical and theoretical). I also took advantage to read more about Level design and Architecture. Here's the list of the books I took notions from:
101 Things I Learned in Architecture School , Matthew Frederick (2007)
Architectural Graphics, Frank Ching (1975)
A Practical Guide to Level Design, Benjamin Bauer (2023)
Architectural Approach to Level Design: Second edition, Christopher Totten (2019)