Catherine Booth
Level Designer
LOS.jpg

Blackreach Rescue: Skyrim Mod (WIP)

 
 

KEY INFO

Platform: PC
Release: Portfolio piece, eventually available as a mod for Skyrim Special Edition on PC
Timeframe: Several months so far!
Tools: Unity, Skyrim Creation Kit
My role: Level Designer

Blackreach Rescue (WIP)
ESV:Skyrim Mod

Click the image to go through to the brief presentation!

 

In this piece, I worked under the mentorship of level designer Max Pears, to concept and plan a level that could show my ability to create a level brief, take this to a blockout in Unity and then execute the final look in Creation Kit. This piece is focusing on showcasing my ability at executing the whole process, incorporating environmental narrative and exploration. So far, I’ve done the brief, and the sketch and blockout for the Surface area, and am now preparing to bring that into Creation Kit.

 

THE BRIEF (VIEW THE Full PRESENTATION Here)

I started by working with Max to develop a brief for the level, outlining the overall plan for the scenario. This included:

  • Overall summary

  • Narrative brief

  • Location breakdown

  • Reference images for each location

  • A flow chart of the player’s experiences in the course of the level

  • Pacing chart

  • 2D maps of each location (Interior and Encampment to come)

 

Sketches

After getting a tick of approval on the brief from Max, I went ahead and did a 2D map of the first area - the Surface. This had a few revisions as we wanted to show various approach options, taking a wider view of the encounter to show how it fits in with the greater landscape and showcase exploration opportunities. It was challenging to translate my ideas of a 3D space into a 2D format!

It includes these important elements:

  • indicators of start points for the player (realistically they could approach from any area, though these are most likely, with the addition of the centre southward path)

  • Quest initialisation point

  • Entrance to the cave interior area, the goal of this part of the level

  • Indicators for clues to help the player find the cave entrance

Cave Interior and Encampment maps are to come.

 

Blockout In Unity - Surface

  • I started with a terrain piece which I then manipulated into three to four basic elevation levels. This was quite challenging and I tossed back and forth between using the terrain and using blocks, but I think it worked out well.

  • I used ProBuilder to create any custom elements, and an existing third person character controller setup to test the level

  • I created the forested area, and used placeholder assets to signify the encounter start and clues

  • I built a hut to contain the clue to look east (signified with a coin for now), and oriented it in a way that the player is incentivised to go check inside it to find the clue. It’s only partially visible from the point where the enemy trail ends on the path.

  • Creating a lead for the player to follow east without directly giving them a line of sight to the next clue was challenging. I achieved this using some leading lines created with fallen logs, and also played around with the elevation and orientation of the hill in the northeast to help occlude it

  • I had to diverge a little from the sketch in the leadup to the cave entrance - this section was too straight and uninteresting. I didn’t want the player to be able to see the entrance from the start of the gully, rather I wanted them to follow it, seeing evidence of enemies (Falmer) along they way, knowing they were heading toward them. I also ended up needing to elevate the walls of the gully a lot more to hide the forward path from the player more.

Next Steps

With the blockout done, I’ve taken some time to learn the Creation Kit systems, starting with the Creation Kit tutorial series, and working with other modders in the Arkane University community. You can see the current status of my practice level, Lokir’s Tomb, here. I’m excited to have this part done soon, so I can continue working on my mod!