Ready, Set, Go!
Introduction
Ready, Set, Go! is a 3D, Run N’ Gun, First-Person-Shooter set in an old abandoned industrial factory/mine facility environment. The goal is to eliminate all hostiles as fast as possible to achieve the best possible time. To see how fast you were and to be able to compete against others, the player’s time will be tracked by a stopwatch. As soon as the last hostile is eliminated, the game will end.
Project Details
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Unreal Engine 4
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roughly 400 hours in 3 months (Spring-Summer 2022)
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Game Design
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Level Design
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Unreal Blueprints
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Blockout
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Environment Art
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Collaboration with Artists
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University Project
Pre-Production
The first few weeks of the project were dedicated to the project planning and preparations.
I created a rough GDD, a Planning Chart & Risk Analysis, and a Work Breakdown Structure.
First Work In Engine
At the start of the project, I created a Playground Area that I used to test my mechanics and enemies.
Creating the Testing Level for the Player
In Ready, Set, Go! the player will be able to pick between 2 levels to play in. One small playground area to practice the movement and the main big level where the player will fight the enemies hiding throughout the map.
First Playground Area Blockout vs Final Version
Main Level - First Blockout Version vs Final Version
The Highscore System
In the video down below, I quickly explain how I built the Highscore System in Ready, Set, Go! so that the best time of the player is saved if he broke his previous record.
The Spawning System
In the video down below, I quickly explain how I built the Spawning System in Ready, Set, Go! so that the player will spawn at the previously picked location.
Collaboration with Artists
In this project, I worked together with 2 artists to improve the First-Person-Character itself.
Gintoki1234, a classmate from Solent University, modeled and textured the weapons for the game.
Additionally, Miriam Gauda, a friend and fellow student at the Solent University, modeled and textured the arms for the First-Person-Character.
Top Down
With the level having the same assets in different buildings, my goal was to make every building feel different and have a different purpose.
Open World Design - Pacing
Pacing is an important part of level design.
To overcome the problem of controlling pacing in more open-world environments, I split up the map into different regions or buildings. This way, the player can mostly control their own pacing by approaching each building individually in whatever order and speed they like.
Open World Design - Navigation and Orientation
To help the player with navigation and orientation throughout the level, weenies, also called architectural landmarks, are used. These are special landmarks throughout the map that stand out from the rest. Landmarks can be parts of the level such as architecture, level layout, or special foliage.
The top-down image shows a map of all the landmarks found throughout the level:
Environment
Down below is a library of reference images used for the level and environment.
Screenshots of the Level
