High rise Ruin
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
Software Used: Maya, Unreal Engine 5.5, Blueprints
Asset Packs: Adventure Game Locomotion System V1.3
Level
Inspiration
This level is inspired by The Last of Us Part II, particularly its balance between linear storytelling and open-ended exploration. TLOU2 built on the first game by introducing larger, more flexible spaces that allow for multiple approaches to combat and traversal. The game’s blend of nature overtaking urban environments creates a unique setting filled with opportunities for environmental storytelling and traversal. This level strives to incorporate those elements, emphasizing player choice, resourcefulness, and tense encounters.
Objectives
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Traverse Through the Ruin
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Use traversal mechanics to progress through the collapsing city, moving between buildings and across vertical obstacles.
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Survive Hostile Encounters
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Engage or avoid both infected and scavengers, using stealth, combat, and environmental awareness.
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Scavenge for Resources
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Gather materials for survival, including crafting components, ammo, and lore items.
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Escape the Horde
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Outrun overwhelming infected forces in a high-intensity final sequence, culminating in a desperate attempt to reach the bridge.
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Quest
Flow
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Entry: Player moves from a gate tower into a construction site using traversal.
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Collapsed Building & Basement: Navigates a flooded basement with infected to find an exit.
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High-Rise Ascent: Introduces vertical traversal with stealth or direct engagement with infected.
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Scavenger Encounter: Encounter with human enemies.
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Rooftop Park & Horde Escape: Scavengers spot the player; infected breach, triggering chaos.
Core Map
Level Blockout
The blockout focused on capturing TLOU2’s verticality and layered traversal. Using Maya, I built the framework to mirror Naughty Dog’s level design pipeline, ensuring natural movement and authentic spaces. The level, inspired by San Francisco’s Embarcadero Financial District, references real-world landmarks but adjusts scale and spacing for gameplay, similar to how GTA San Andreas and Watch Dogs 2 condensed the city.
A core TLOU design principle I applied was making each area feel like it had a purpose before the outbreak. Buildings, streets, and objects were placed with intent, showing how they were repurposed in the aftermath, through barricades, abandoned checkpoints, and signs of past conflict. This layering of history and gameplay adds depth and reinforces the world’s believability.
Playthrough
Takeaways
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Mirroring Pipeline: Setting up my workflow in Maya helped me follow ND’s process and reinforced why it’s good to mirror industry pipelines. While going back and forth between software made testing harder, keeping the blockout independent from the engine made iteration easier. I could reuse proxy models, export to any engine, and improve my Maya skills along the way.
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Verticality and Pacing: I learned how layering traversal and exploration guides player through naturally. Encounters were designed to flow into open-ended spaces, encouraging exploration once threats were cleared.
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Intentional Worldbuilding: Blocking out spaces with a clear purpose helped tie the level’s story and gameplay together. I found that thinking about how locations functioned pre-outbreak made them feel more believable and gave players a stronger sense of place.