The Trials
The Trials is a 3rd person fantasy-action level made in UE4 where the player is pitted against enemies and obstacles in order to prove themselves as a warrior.
Asset Packs Used
Primary asset packs used:
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Dynamic Combat System - Bundle by Grzegorz Szewczyk
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Overgrown Ruins by Matima Studio
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Pack of Customizable Stylized Rocks by Savas Cetin
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Flowers and Plants Nature Pack by Dragon Motion
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Ancient Treasures by Dekogon Studios
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Concrete Rubble by Scania3D
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Medieval Dungeon by Infuse Studio
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Ancient Ruins Props by Park JongMyung
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Three Arenas
This area supports both melee and long-range combat. Swordsmen patrol the perimeter of the area, but pillars offer cover for picking them off with arrows or spells. The center offers height advantages. Area Features: Wave 1: 6 swordsmen Wave 2: 4 archers Enemy patrols Cover & stealth
This area is meant to test the player specifically in long-range combat. This arena has split in half, forcing the player to make calculated jumps. Area features: One wave of archers Long distance combat
The boss battle. A single mage appears to challenge to the player to a death match. Here the player can leverage the terrain and keep the Mage at bay, taking cover from his fireballs. Area features: Cover for hit-and-run Summoned enemies
This area supports both melee and long-range combat. Swordsmen patrol the perimeter of the area, but pillars offer cover for picking them off with arrows or spells. The center offers height advantages. Area Features: Wave 1: 6 swordsmen Wave 2: 4 archers Enemy patrols Cover & stealth
Mage's arena (boss fight)
The Broken Arena
Swordsmen arena
Entrance to Trials
Inspiration
I wanted to make something epic. Something that would dwarf the player and promise adventure. In the conceptualization phase of this project, I thought of ancient arenas, overgrown ruins, and island fortresses.
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Prototyping
In the first iteration of this level, the setting was rather abstract, the pathing was linear, and there was little variety in elevation. My goal for the prototype was to have variety in combat, platforming, and triggered events.
Boss arena
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floating debris
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stairs descending to battle floor
Arena gate
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guarded by two archers
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cover from arrows
Swordsmen
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melee combat
Starting area
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dummies for target practice
Rotating plaforms
Dramatic monuments
Prototype Boss Area
The boss encounter was designed to have a dynamic environment
Rotating spikes have a circular path around arena
Floor spikes emerge when the player walks by
Cover from Mage's projectile attacks
Iteration
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After playtesting and feedback my goals were as follows:
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Create a more dramatic entrance to the boss area
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Create mood-appropriate lighting
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Designate rest areas between the fighting
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Spawn waves of enemies
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For aesthetic/theme: introduce foliage and plants for an "overgrown" look
Mid-iteration
This is the level about halfway into its final iteration. I was going for varied terrain and elevation by introducing floating islands. At this iteration, there were some issues:
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The first encounter with swordsmen wasn't challenging enough
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The location for the first encounter was too constrained
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The climb up to the third island took too long
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The fortress on top of the third island constrained the long-range combat it was intended for
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The archers at the gate to the boss fight occupied what could be a good break area
Start area
First encounter
Fortress/archer area
(long climb)
Gate/more archers
In the next iteration, I decided to double down on what was already working well
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Floating island theme
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Fighting areas that enforce certain types of combat
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Monuments/ruins
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Dynamic platforms
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Less stairs
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To de-complicate the layout, I got rid of the fortress on the third island and went back to the drawing board for how to design the archer combat.
For the boss area, I enclosed the arena with walls and stairs to keep the player committed to the fight. The threshold before the gate was now going to be a break area before the player dives into the final encounter
Blueprints Actors & Triggered Events
I got feedback on this level suggesting I implement enemy waves. I decided to act on that feedback to give the level a sense of scaled difficulty. Here you see a wave of archers spawning after the player kills most of the swordsmen.
Here's how I did it
The torches are interactable environmental pieces are that hang from the wall and set enemies on fire when the player knocks them down with arrows.
Here's how I did it
When hit by arrow, call "fall" event
When hit by arrow, call "fall" event
I wanted the environment to be interactable, so I made the flying boulders to deter the player from entering the Mage's arena at the end of the level. They are capable of killing the player on contact, but the player can destroy them as well.
Here's how I did it
I start with a destructible mesh and ensure it's able to take damage
When it takes damage, call event "explode"
Once fractured, apply physics effects
I start with a destructible mesh and ensure it's able to take damage
The boss fight features a mage that towers over the player and is accompanied by two eliter archers.
Here's how I did it
Lighting, Set dressing, and Depth
Since the level had to feel epic, the lighting had to be epic too, while the set dressing had to sell the fantasy theme. The prototype didn't have any kind of intentional lighting scheme or set dressing. The first round of foliage and lighting looked like this.
First lighting pass
Here I've created and painted a landscape using moss and grasses.
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However, the lighting still galls flat.
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Second lighting pass
Here I've adjusted the directional light and implemented godrays for effect.
However, feedback from a lighting artist (thank you Adria), showed me how the lighting was still too white and bright. The sky sphere also could use more color to it and the entire scene could use floating rocks so that there's a greater sense of the depth in the level
Final lighting pass
The height fog enhances the godrays at ground level
Here I've implemented floating rocks and height fog to give the scene a sense of depth.
