Warden of Raal
Warden of Raal is a third person action game where players delve deep into an underground temple to protect ancient relics as “The Warden”. “The Warden” is the last of an archaic race and is the only remaining protector of the temple. As intruders invade the temple to steal the valuable relics, The Warden must use his powers to place unique traps to purge the temple of the intruders! But it gets tricky when the Warden must manage multiple tiers of the temple that extend deep underground…
- Technology: Unity Pro, Maya 2011, Zbrush, Photoshop CS4, XNormal
- Development Time: 8 Months
- Team Size: 28 Team Members
Role:
Level Design Lead
Design – 2D drawing, Maps and Flow of the level.
Research – Reference Photos, Ancient Temples, Ruins, Caves, etc.
Documentation – Level and Setting Overview, Level Structure.
Blocking Out – Scale and Gameplay Flow.
Prop Placement – Replaced Whitebox Geometry with 3D Props.
Refinement – Gameplay Testing and Level Tone.
Warden of Raal can be downloaded here.
Design Commentary
The design of the levels in Warden of Raal was challenging and exciting for me as one of the leads. On the level design team we were given the “paint,” (the systems design) with this we create the “paintings”(the level.) Making sure the core gameplay or “color palette” is solid, we created interesting and meaningful game spaces, which translated to the “painting” itself.
The level team started by creating top down sketch proposals and then began whiteboxing the levels within Unity. After prototyping the levels and testing them with the game systems that were available, we chose 3 levels which became the 3 tiers in Warden of Raal. It has been an iterative process so far, the levels have changed extensively from the initial whiteboxes, but this allowed for growth and better level design.
The levels in Warden of Raal are maze like with clear lanes and pathways. Unlike open world environments, our game has clear paths that help the player anticipate where enemies will walk. Trap setting is the core game mechanic of Warden of Raal and the level design must compliment it. The claustrophobic lanes guide the player throughout the map as they place traps and avoid or hunt enemies. Although the levels are mazelike, they are designed to give the player easy access to other pathways without confusing them or causing them to lose track of enemy positions. Interception is a big theme in Warden of Raal and the levels were designed, initially on top down sketches, to allow the player to intercept an intruder quickly, without having to trek across the map.