· Level Design ·
Open World prototype developed around exploration, parkour and gliding.
Open World
Parkour
Exploration
Game: Dome
Role: Level Designer
Personal Development Project
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Released: May, 2025
In "Dome," players can explore a post-apocalyptic city encapsulated within a dome, as they use parkour to traverse buildings and rooftops to scavange for resources that allows them to craft weapons and tools.
On this project I was responsible for creating an open world that encourages exploration, parkour and gliding. To accomplish this I worked with natural landscaping, traversable rooftops and explorable building interiors.
Through development I used Unreal Engine tools such as landscaping, painting, foliage and splines to incorporate natural spaces and roads into the design. I also developed custom tools, including a spline for constructing the dome and some trains, as well a building block-out tool that enabled dynamic creation of buildings with varying assets, sizes, and floor counts.
Pre-Production
During pre-production I break down what makes an open world fit for exploration, parkour and gliding so that I can set expectations for what the most viable product should look like.
Challenges during development
Throughout production I faced challenges to which I had to find solutions that were both efficient and functional.
Responsibilities
Level Design
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Layout
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Implemented vaulting, climbing and gliding mechanics from a template into my environment.
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Created the city foundation using Landscaping tools including splines, landscape - and foliage painting.
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Placed pick ups and upgrading material.
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Technical Level Design
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Developed tools
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Scripted my own spline tool to create the trains and the dome.
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Scripted a building blockout tool that can adjust the number of floors and the size of the building.
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Set up Engine tools
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Set up scatter and foliage actors for foliage painting.
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Created a Landscape material to paint the landscape with a variety of different materials.
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Reflection
The intention of this Level Design project was to:
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create an outline of a post-apocalyptic city that can be expanded upon with npcs, quests, interactables and explorable indoor spaces
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learn new tools
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expand my knowledge of Open World Design
During this project I learned how to use and set up systems such as:
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Scatter
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Foliage actors
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Landscape Splines
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Creating Construction Scripts to create various objects rapidly for layout purposes
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Implement vaulting, climbing and gliding mechanics from a template into my environment
If I had more time to work on this project I would create more explorable areas using crumbling buildings, man made caves, and indoor environments. I would also utilize trash and ruined structures to create blockades and create paths that would allow the player to stay on the rooftops and still get around.
Although the end result isn’t perfect, I feel like I reached my goal with this project. I learned new tools, challenged my design knowledge by creating my first Open World map, and I feel like I did it with a reasonable scope.
I'm very happy with this experience and I feel like I have, once again, taken a small step towards becoming a better designer.