Hello everyone, I am Professor Ok-hue Cho from Sangmyung University
specializing in using Unreal Engine for implementing immersive content
In this lesson, I will explain the concepts of level design and world-building, among other things
Here, the term "world-building" refers to the process of creating or constructing worlds
not the physical buildings in a city
Let's start this session by thinking about a specific topic
In Unreal Engine, one of the most commonly featured environments is the forest
Truly realistic and dense trees
Large trees, fallen leaves on the ground, rocks
and beautiful forests are prominently featured in Unreal Engine's promotional videos
There are many tutorials on YouTube
about creating forests in Unreal Engine
You might see tutorials titled "Creating Forests,"
"World Setting," or "Building Worlds" for Unreal Engine
In Unreal Engine, one of the most frequently depicted environments is
forests, followed by grass and similar natural elements when aiming for realistic representations
Let's take a moment to consider how we might represent these elements in Unreal Engine
and then we can proceed with this session
It's something to think about if we need to know how to use programs
like 3D MAX or Maya
If you look at the sample image on the screen now
you'll see that it's densely packed with small grass
If you click on each of those small blades of grass and zoom in, you'll see that the quality is really high
Take some time to think about how we can arrange such a large number of these elements in a specific area
and how we can effectively manage these elements
and if anyone has experience with similar tasks in other programs
comparing that could be helpful too
Let's each take a moment to consider our thoughts, and then we'll begin this session
Let's explore three topics
First, level creation and blueprints
Here, "level" refers to
the game environment, and of course the characters level or high-level and low-level maps in a game
which can indeed refer to ranks or levels of proficiency in various contexts
In Unreal Engine, each individual scene is referred to as a "level"
"New Level" appears instead of "New Scene"
when creating a new scene in Unreal Engine
Creating a single scene or space within Unreal Engine
And the concept of Blueprints
I've only told you about what you can do with Blueprints
or what is possible with Blueprints
Here, we'll also explore the concept of Blueprints themselves
Next, we'll also delve into terrain creation and the concept of polygons
which are essential for building this world
Terrain creation literally involves creating land masses or landscapes
Let's take a closer look at terrain creation and the concept of polygons
"Polygons" is a term many may have heard before
and for those who have tried Unreal Engine, some might have firsthand experience with it
If you've used a paint tool in other programs
to brush over an area
and objects start appearing
that's exactly the concept of polygons, for those who have tried it
So, it would be good to understand that this is what polygons are all about
But when creating a level, there are design principles to follow
It's not just about creating terrain, planting trees
having hills, and a sea
There are certain rules and principles to follow depending on the situation
Additionally, there are strategies for optimization
We'll take a look at those as well
Level creation and Blueprints
As I just mentioned, if you go to the menu under "File"
you'll see "New Level"
In Unreal Engine, it's called a "level," but in most other programs, it's referred to as a "scene"
You can think of it as the same concept
If you saved your level work
and you want to work on that level (or scene) again
you just need to reopen that level
That's how it works
Here are the menus related to levels
Open Level
Opening an asset refers to accessing a single source file
Saving the current level saves the ongoing work
If you save it with a different name, you'll have two separate scenes
When you use "Save all," which is a commonly used shortcut
it saves everything in the project
including assets, Blueprints, and the level you were working on
all within that project
There are also a "Save all" function available
Additionally, there are options like Export
various ways to Open projects, Compressing files, and more
And when you select "New Level," it typically presents you with four basic options
When creating a project in Unreal Engine, you'll often see options like Game, First Person, Third Person
and Broadcast under the Virtual Production category
Similarly, when starting a new level in Unreal Engine, you also encounter four main options
Open World is the one I use the most
Realistic default settings like sky, skylight, and
various sky presets are
well-designed with high quality in Unreal Engine
There's Open World
and there's also a completely empty Open World
with noting in it - a blank level with no content
And besides Open World, there are basic options
that provide adequate settings for working
although they might be somewhat lighter on features like lighting
However typically, Open World is the option that is used the most
When glossiness, reflections, or realistic lighting aren't necessary
many prefer to work with the basic options for their projects
Anyway, when you select it, a new scene appears
and since it's a file concept
you can simply go into the folder and duplicate it
or copy the level and bring it to another project
When bringing a level to another project
it's important to bring along all the resources used to create that level so that it appears exactly the same
For example, if in project A you used certain trees in scene A
but you only bring scene A to project B
without bringing those specific trees
then in project B, there won't be the trees necessary for the connection since they weren't included
Just be mindful of those details
Level is a unit that constitutes the world of a game
You could also consider it as a concept of a scene
It's the spatial environment where players explore and interact
And because it's a virtual space
it can be implemented in VR, AR, or
even as a simple puzzle game using only basic elements
There are essentially no limits in the workspace
It's a virtual space with limitless possibilities until the end
The ground is terrain; you can create hills
or dig deep to make seas
Buildings and various objects, along with how they are presented
are significantly influenced by lighting
Lighting is so crucial that it deserves separate study and attention
Sound is crucial as well; when entering specific spaces, you might hear firefly noises
or near a waterfall
many games feature waterfalls
so the sound of cascading water becomes important
All elements that the player can experience can be included in the level
A specific location or scene can be represented
and structured into multiple levels as the game progresses
Depending on the game
everything can be contained within a single level from start to finish
or it can be divided into various levels
However, large-scale games often cannot be completed within a single level
Especially in MMORPGs
for instance
starting from a scene and
traveling across the entire landscape
can take characters in the game months to achieve
given the vast scale of such games
Therefore, in many games, there are not only single levels
centered around specific locations or scenes
but also dozens or even over a hundred levels with diverse environments and challenges
which is a critical part of the game development process
Level creation refers to the process of creating the world where backgrounds and players interact
It's important for developer designers to visually construct
and modify levels
And in Unreal Engine, one of the most important advantages when creating games is that
you can build your own spaces
create rooms, decorate them, design terrains
create oceans, set up everything
and then immediately playtest it
As a designer, one of the biggest advantages in Unreal Engine is that
you can not only design but also playtest you creations directly
which is significant benefit
This is a scene created in an open-world format
one of the four options I showed earlier
There aren't many icons above
There are also small menus that you can find in other basic 3D graphics programs
You can also turn the lighting on and off
and there are features like stepping available as well
On the right-hand list, you'll see the menu named "Outliner"
What is Outliner?
Let's say I just created an empty scene
but because I selected the Open World option
lighting similar to the sun has been set up
various settings such as directional lighting
and basic landscape ground have been set up
This Outliner list shows
all the elements present in the sample Open World scene
from the default lights
to the terrain
As you can see, it's just the default scene, but there are a lot of elements
There are various elements present, such as directional light, skylight, terrain, and so on
That's not a lot at all
Because these settings are in place
the basic default scene has reflections on the sky and ground
making it feel somewhat realistic
There was also a completely black scene with nothing in it
If you generate a level with that, there is really nothing there
Because there's nothing, even if you place objects
you can't see them without light and such
Just for your reference
in Blender, Max, or Maya, you can set up lighting separately
and view the scene in a mode with the lighting turned on
or in a mode with the lighting turned off
Even if lighting doesn't exist
you can still see the objects in other 3D graphic programs
Like cubes, spheres, characters, etc.
I don't pay attention to lighting when I work
but I can see objects
and in the case of Unreal
I hardly work in completely dark places
The existence of lighting is particularly crucial
in Unreal Engine
Why?
This is not a separate rendering program like Max or Maya
it's real-time rendering
so I can change the camera angle
or change the lighting
You can see it more clear in play mode
However, even if it's not in play mode, it continues to calculate
I'm placing a stainless steel bottle here
And as you rotate the camera to look at it
it continues rendering
Therefore, lighting becomes even more crucial in this context
Let's take a look at the key stages of level creation
There are broadly six main aspects to consider
Level creation step 1: Level design
Each person's process may differ
but this stage involves planning the basic structure and layout of the level
to align with the game's objectives and story
Some companies employ concept art designers separately for this stage
while others consider it part of level design
where individuals autonomously establish the layout
Depending on whether it's a fundamental game or an animation we're creating
there will be a concept
There could be a scenario
storyboard
or concept art depending on what we're making
We have to create actual 3D spaces, terrain, buildings, etc. depending on that
and also create and place assets accordingly
The stage of planning that layout is precisely level design
This stage involves a lot of considerations, especially in the case of games
Scale needs to be considered
If I place a cool building here, for instance
with animation, I can capture it beautifully with the camera
However, in a game scenario, I need to consider
if the size of this building matches the characters appearing in gameplay
or if a character enters this building
I need to plan whether to make the doors larger or smaller
among other considerations
Considering the main event points and challenges
planning all of these things
and the layout accordingly
is what we refer to as level design
In the case of games, it's quite different
For MMORPG games, particularly, key points often include
various towns
where players frequently move between engaging in hunting activities
This gameplay style is one of the most common in MMORPGs
In each town, there are specific locations where items are sold
and teleportation points allow for
quick travel between different towns
You need to carefully plan these points
and ensure the visual design
and interior graphics
around them
match their function
Level creation stage 2: Terrain generation
The terrain you saw earlier has
this beige-colored ground
To check the size
there is a grid pattern resembling graph paper
The terrain includes
hills, fields, valleys
and narrow paths
If such a terrain creation system didn't exist
you would have to model everything individually
In programs like Max, Maya, or Blender
you'd have to create each piece of land individually
Of course, that's how games weren't made in the very early days
But now, you can use brushes to quickly sculpt the terrain
With a few strokes, the ground can instantly take shape
and if you press again, it can easily sink back down
Through brushing, terrains can be created very conveniently and delicately
allowing even beginners to produce
high-quality landscapes
That's one of the reasons why games engines are used
It's really easy to create
Even on a very large terrain, you can zoom out a lot
use a large brush click
and quickly create hills over a broad area
You can also increase the intensity to create a tall mountain with just one stroke
Valleys, plains, and more - there's a variety brush shapes available
There are circular brushes
but here, we're referring to brushes
similar to those used in Photoshop or Illustrator
So using brushes that resemble those in Photoshop or Illustrator allows
to quickly create various terrains
like uneven or hilly landscapes
Level creation step 3: Object placement
Placing objects such as buildings, vegetation, furniture, and other elements in the level is
also a crucial function in creating the world system level
Here, when placing buildings, plants, or furniture
you can import your own creations
using fbx or obj files and place them as needed
You can also place characters as needed
However, in this Unreal Engine
one of the biggest advantages and appeals is
the ability to import assets from the Unreal Marketplace or using Quixel Bridge
which makes asset acquisition very convenient
So these objects are used to create the atmosphere of the game
and serve as elements for interaction with the player
While there are plenty of free assets on the Marketplace
it's important not to indiscriminately use them
During learning and practice, though, experimenting with various assets can be beneficial
However, when you release it officially somewhere
or use it commercially
in which case even free sources can be entirely acceptable
some free sources may require
notification to the company if used commercially
so it's important to check
these details carefully
Level creation step 4: Adding lighting and sound
I showed you the open world scenario earlier with images
Basically, there's natural light like skylight
followed by directional light that illuminates
the scene from one direction, and so on
But in Unreal Engine, if you go into the light menu
you'll see various lights
that you've seen in other 3D graphics programs before
Lights are also considered as objects in their own right
so you can copy
clone, move them side by side
and adjust their color and intensity as needed
But in other programs, lights typically have an intensity concept
where you can adjust the intensity
In Unreal Engine, there's a concept of temperature for these lights
So, it allows you to adjust the warmth and coolness of these lights using the concept of temperature
which can shift between reddish and bluish hues
This can be very useful at times
Of course, you can set the light to any color, like rainbow
but the concept of switching between red and blue hues
is also often used effectively
Even in the same space, the atmosphere changes significantly
depending on the lighting
But this is also true in real life
There is the same square room
Depending on how you set up the lighting
it can turn into a club
or change to look like a library
The same goes for 3D graphics
The same goes for sound as well
There is a flatland where the wind blows a lot
You need to catch a lot of monsters
but the wind effect is graphically set to move only when you go there
I think adding wind sound there
would make hunting more immersive
And sound is important too, of course
Level creation step 5: Adding gameplay elements
Gameplay elements related to the game are naturally crucial
when creating this level and designing the game itself
This involves a significant role for developers
Level creation stage 6: Testing and optimization
It can be said that everything is done in this level
Let's take a look at the concept of blueprints this time
There are a wide variety of items on the menu
In animation, there is also the concept of animation blueprints
If you look at the top four main menus
you'll see the fourth one called "Blueprint Class"
If you go into the blueprint menu itself
you'll see a list that includes structures, enums, and so on, like this
In Unreal Engine, the concept of blueprints refers to
a visual scripting system
I've shown you various forms of blueprints in other topics
It's coding where you connect nodes like blocks along lines to create a flow
So, it simplifies the game development process significantly
and because it revolves around the concept of nodes
you can work on tasks by examining the structure
You can develop in a truly systematic and intuitive manner
The biggest advantage is that
compared to scripting in text-based environments like Visual Studio
the volume of code can be massive
However, the amount of code can be enormous, especially in games
that often exceed several hundred thousand or even tens of millions of lines of code
But, blueprints are structured in a way that simplifies this complexity
Because blueprints are categorized into different types
such as action blueprints for actions
play blueprints for gameplay-related functions
and so on
even non-experts can understand
and work with different parts quite effectively
This can be considered a significant advantage
So, in the game development process
another important aspect is
the feedback among various participants and developers
Using blueprints can facilitate clear communication
and understanding among graphic designers and programmers
allowing them to collaborate smoothly
It can be said that using blueprints is highly effective system
for communication and collaboration
among people working on effects, animation, and motion capture
So, the blueprint system is precisely a visual scripting system
that simplifies and accelerates
the game development process significantly
So, even if someone has limited programming knowledge
or is a novice without any knowledge at all
game designers and artists can implement
and understand complex game logic to a certain extent
By analyzing a few nodes
they can grasp and understand what has been created
although not necessarily comprehending every detail, they can still realize how it works
This works really, really well
In Visual Studio, if you're coding purely in text for things like textures
it often requires a lot of comments to fully understand what's going on
Visual scripting, like this
allows you to visually see the structure of nodes
making it much easier to understand and thus increasing comprehension significantly
So, you can easily create interactive elements
and even beginners can implement
gameplay-related interactions
by simply right-clicking to choose and connect nodes in blueprints
Instead of writing C code, using blueprints allows you to
use drag-and-drop
where you can just place elements without needing to write code in C
And if it doesn't work out, then you can delete nodes and swap them out
If you connect it here and it doesn't work
and try connecting it elsewhere and it works, then
you can visually confirm what's happening
You can also temporarily drag it to another monitor and play it to see
'Ah, this node is executing right now'
allowing you to visually confirm
the execution order in real time
This can be considered very important as well
Alright, if you right-click on Blueprint
then select Blueprint Class from the main menu
here are some typical parent classes you can create
Typically, when making a game, you would choose one of these blueprints as a parent class
and create many instances of it
First,
for most elements in a game, you would create an Actor Blueprint
If you go into the details of blueprint menu inside
there exists a viewport for graphic design
There, you can place objects like static meshes
and connect them in this graphical viewport
In general, most elements appearing in games
are represented as actor or character blueprints
Of course, when simply decorating backgrounds
you can just place static meshes or character meshes
which are 3D objects themselves
You can think that in actual games, entities that
move, fight, attack, or perform roles
generally exist as blueprints
Blueprints come in a wide variety of types
ranging from completely empty blueprints to ones with complex functionalities already implemented
If you select a class here to develop from
you can consider it as a blueprint form
that already has some basic settings configured
Actors, followed by pawn that produces something
then one of the most used - characters
then players, controls, and related items
followed by game modes
actors, scenes, and so on are all divided like this
Depending on which one you choose
what is shown when you first turn on the blueprint will change slightly
Especially for characters
there's a lot to set up when it comes to movement
By setting it up with a basic character
many of those features are already implemented
so it can save a lot of time
compared to developing from an empty blueprint
Next, we will take a closer look at the actual form of the blueprint
When working on materials, you connect material graphs
which can be considered a type of code
In a blueprint
you can see concepts related to events
as well as practical nodes for actions or gameplay, connected like this
Consider this to be a normal amount
In a single blueprint
it's quite common to see more than 100 nodes
When creating an actual game
you can see various sets
and structures of nodes
within a single blueprint like this
The advantage here is that
if you want to explain a specific gameplay
or feature related to a game
instead of having to search through millions of lines of text-based code
you can simply focus on
and highlight the relevant nodes
within the blueprint
to explain that part
From there, you can swap out a node to demonstrate a different gameplay
remove a line to connect it elsewhere
and show alternative connections easily
Those concepts are indeed very important
Then let's take a look at some key features of blueprints
Blueprint feature 1: Accessibility and flexibility
As I mentioned
you can easily swap out middle nodes
or copy and paste entire nodes to use elsewhere
The ability to connect and reconnect nodes freely
is one of the biggest advantages
So, even non-programmers can use it easily
Blueprints are also one of those features
that greatly widen the user base of Unreal Engine
allowing graphic designers or artists to implement interactions
with just a moderate level of learning
Blueprint feature 2: Visual interface
I mentioned earlier that this is called visual scripting
So, you can visually notice
what's a variable, what's an event, and what's an input
Because you can see it visually
it allows you to implement various logics in a visual and intuitive way
Blueprint feature 3: Reusability
You can copy reusable blueprints
and if I have a blueprint I was using in Project A
controls and related components can be copied directly
and reused in Project B as they were in Project A
You can also make just a few changes and use it like that
which is very convenient
Blueprint feature 4: Real-time preview
You can make changes, apply them, and play
all while viewing the blueprint during gameplay
you realize 'Oh, I get where it runs until here
and then encounters an error'
'Here, I can see what action is being performed'
allowing you to confirm it visually
Usually, when coding with text-based scripts
although it does show errors on which line and which column
finding the exact error can be really challenging
But with blueprints, it's something I often marvel at too
It shows you exactly where the error occurred
Just fixing that part usually gets everything running smoothly again
That's another advantage worth mentioning
Terrain generation and polygon manipulation
Alright, next let's take a look at one of Unreal's most powerful features
which is the Landscape tool
used for creating terrains
If you look, at the top left of Unreal, there's a selection mode
By default, when you look at the menu, it's set to the selection mode
and below that, you'll see options like Landscape, Polygon, Mesh Paint, Modeling
Brush, Animation, and so on
Here, Landscape is particularly important
as it allows you to create, edit, and decorate terrains - all the tools you need are set up under this menu
That's the Landscape mode right there
But what's important is that in Landscape mode
you're focused solely on landscape editing, without the distractions of selecting other objects
Also, when you enter Polygon mode, you're focused on polygon editing on the landscape
and the modes change accordingly as you switch between them; it's something to keep in mind
Then, let's take a look at terrain creation and related features
As we saw earlier, there was a beige ground at the bottom
Creating terrain from scratch, starting with nothing but an empty space
is exactly what terrain generation is all about
And to edit it, you need to enter the Landscape mode
which is exactly what Landscape mode is for
Creating and editing terrain in Unreal is crucial because
it's about constructing the game world itself
Of course, you can plant trees on it
place buildings
or even lay down asphalt roads
but having the terrain with
hills, valleys, ups, and downs
is essential
And Landscape mode is what allows you to edit that terrain
With these tools, developers or designers
can easily create very realistic natural environments
One of the biggest advantages is that
you can easily edit vast and wide areas with these tools
Users can intuitively raise or lower the terrain
creating mountains just by raising continuously
By changing brushes, they can create rough or smooth surfaces
quickly forming valleys and uneven terrain
So, this time I've captured a simple demonstration of actually creating terrain
by clicking and dragging
and I'll show you that right now
When you switch from Selection mode to Landscape mode at the top left
the menu changes like this
I recommend trying it out yourself
When you switch back to Selection mode, it returns to the original mode
When you switch to Polygon mode
related menus are automatically set up on the left like this
As you can see here, sculpting means carving
If you've tried sculpting in programs
like Blender or ZBrush
it's the same concept here
You can make the brush raise or lower the terrain
just like you can make it protrude or dig in
But one thing to note here is that
some of you might have tried something similar in Unity
In Unity, you can't go below 0 on the Y-axis
in terms of height
However in Unreal
which uses the Z-axis for height
you an go below 0, deeper into the ground
That aspect makes it very easy to represent when creating things like oceans or lakes
by digging deep
and placing water there
You can think of it as literally sculpting
and the most important thing here is
the size, shape, and strength of the sculpting tool
Even if you're holding the same sculpting tool
the depth you carve will differ depending on how hard or soft you sculpt
That concept is intensity, size, which you can adjust
and you can also change the shape
With the outer border of brushes
when you push the brush this much
it could look like this from the side
it could look like that, or it could be more pointed like this
You can see those as options
for carving knives on the left side
In this way, with the various options
if the brush size is large, you can create a big hill in one go
If you set the brush size smaller, you can also create detailed expression
You can think of it as creating the ground in this way
It needs to come out well in the initial planning stage
That way, you can determine where the mountains should be
and where there should be deep valleys
and where things should protrude
and where there should be cliffs
You can plan all these details
So, let's take a closer look at the details
As I mentioned earlier, you just need to switch to landscape mode
which is divided into sculpting and painting tools
Sculpting is literally about sculpting
so you adjust settings like brush size, intensity, and sensitivity
related to the brush
Painting is when you need to apply color or texture once you've created the terrain
So, you can paint using texture concepts
or solid colors
Painting involves applying colors in the paint section
Just for your information
we also directly paint colors
but a more commonly used method is
through the Surface option in the Quick Edit Bridge
After choosing a material in Surface
you can directly throw it onto the ground to apply it
Then, many different fantastic materials can be applied to the ground
You can do it that way
or you can also paint directly
The most important thing to remember is that
creating and refining terrain in Unreal Engine
should be done in Landscape mode
Some people may not know how to switch modes
so they keep looking for the terrain menu
You need to switch the mode
Adjusting with the brush
creating beautiful shapes
and then painting
Think of these steps as
the foundational stages of sculpting and painting the terrain
After Landscape, there's Foliage
Foliage is used to decorate the landscape in order to enhance the landscape design
However, Landscape mode and Foliage mode are
separate and distinct in their configurations
On the right side, you'll find shortcuts as well
There are shortcuts like Shift 1, 2, 3, 4 on the right side
but you don't necessarily have to memorize them
Since you don't switch modes frequently
I wouldn't recommend memorizing those shortcuts
I mentioned Foliage initially as referring to things like
forests, fields, or grassy areas
Foliage is used to add natural plants and trees to game worlds
making environments more vibrant
and realistic
It can be said that Foliages are powerful tool
that shouldn't be overlooked when creating forests or other types of landscapes
Through the Foliage system
developers can swiftly place and manage a large variety of items
like grass, trees, bushes, and various plants in their environments
But there are also options available
For example, if you want to create a village where very old zombies come out
You want to lay down withered and twisted grass here and there
You can easily adjust options to decide
whether the terrain brushes should only recognize the ground surface
or if they should also plant on top of houses, for example
This system plays a crucial role in creating rich landscapes in games
and contributes significantly to building immersive worlds
that players can deeply engage with
The key feature is its ability to plant a large quantity of items, particularly useful for creating forests or similar environments
Foliage feature 1 Mass development and performance optimization
Foliage feature 2 Dynamic interaction, ability to work with multiple groups at once using painting tools
This can be considered its most significant feature
Foliage usage method 1 Prepare Foliage assets
This can refer to any object, without being specific to one
Typically, there are a lot of assets like grass, trees, and flowers available
in the Bridge
They are often used extensively in Foliage after being imported from the Bridge
Foliage usage method 2: Activate the Foliage tool Activate Foliages mode through the selection mode
Foliage usage method 3 Placing Foliage
Foliage usage method 4 Editing and managing Foliage
Even beginners can implement it easily
and its biggest advantage is the ability to create high-quality spaces
If you try making a forest, mountain, or field once
you could complete it as early as your first day learning Unreal Engine
Anyone can easily use Foliage
to create high-quality spaces
So, in this way, adding pixel content
there are really a lot of plants in the 3D planche section of the Bridge
After selecting what you like, you import it
What you see on the left is the Foliage menu
Below, the detailed assets that appear
are what you've imported and can use in Foliage
From there, you can mix and match these assets to create a grassy field
Chose the ones you like, check them off if they suit your preference
uncheck those that don't
and then brush them onto your canvas
This way, you can quickly populate your scene with various types of grasses
Even if you have imported many assets
only the ones you check and activate will mix
and scatter in this manner when you apply them
As long as the terrain shape looks realistic
you can quickly plant thousands of trees and grasses
in an instant
If you hold down Shift while brushing, it will erase the plants or objects
Next, let's take a brief look at level design
and principles for level optimization strategies
Principles of level design
Level design can be considered a crucial part of constructing the game world
Good level design naturally immerses players
presents challenges in achieving goals, and offers opportunities for exploration and discovery
The most important aspect is arguably presenting clear objectives to the player
as the first step
Next, providing opportunities for exploration and discovery is crucial
and there are various ways to achieve this
It can be provided through the story as well
or it can be provided through NPCs guiding the player
or it can be provided automatically
as players continue to complete missions
And while this varies across games
generally, principles and strategies include
challenges and rewards
When progressing through each level of the game, upon completing the entire game
there should be rewards, feedback, and various elements to consider
Next, there should be visual cohesion as well as various visual elements that add fun and diversity
Additionally, providing feedback for specific player actions is crucial
to smoothly incorporate these elements into the level design
Accessibility and flexibility are also essential aspects that can't be overlooked
Finally, let's take a look at optimization strategies for levels
One of the most commonly used techniques is LOD (Level of Detail)
Level of Detail (LOD) is a technique where
when a complex element is close to the camera
it appears in high quality
when it's far from the camera
it automatically appears as a simplified low-polygon version using the LOD system
It's widely used in most games, especially in VR games
In first-person shooter games as well
LOD through optimization is a fundamental concept
Next, techniques like occlusion culling ensure that
objects not visible to the camera don't need to be rendered, optimizing performance
Also, optimizing textures
and other assets can
further enhance level optimization
Next, in cases like background elements
where lighting doesn't change often
pre-calculating lighting instead of computing it in real-time can be beneficial for optimization
In those situations
you can convert the pre-set lighting conditions into textures for efficiency
Light maps and similar techniques are
all part of lighting optimization strategies
Using level streaming and world composition are
also strategies for optimizing levels
Furthermore, optimizing particle systems
using profilers to identify bottlenecks, and similar techniques
can also greatly aid in level optimization
The primary goal of optimizing levels is
to reduce file size and improve performance speed
Indeed, there are many other methods
besides these for optimizing performance
I've highlighted some of the most common methods for optimization
Level Creation and Blueprints What is a level? A unit that makes up the game's world An infinite virtual space without limits Can include terrain, sea, buildings, objects, lighting, sound, etc.
Level creation stages Level design Terrain generation Object placement Adding lighting and sound Adding incorporating gameplay elements Testing and optimization
What is Blueprint? Node-based visual scripting in which nodes are connected with lines to create code; in games, most interactive elements are represented using Blueprints
Drag-and-drop method Blueprint classes come with basic settings pre-configured, which helps reduce development time
Features of Blueprints Accessibility and flexibility Visual interface Reusability Real-time preview
Terrain creation and Polygons Terrain creation Building the game world itself Landscape: terrain creation mode for creating or editing terrain Allows implementation of terrain features like rising or sinking using brushes
Foliage Adding vegetation like plants/trees to create lively and realistic environments in the game world Enables rapid placement and management of grass, trees, bushes, etc., across large areas
Features of Foliage Mass replacement Performance optimization Dynamic interaction Painting tools