I started this project for two reasons:
- to expand my knowledge creating levels in video games
- to have an initial testable prototype for my bachelor thesis
As reference i looked at castles and medieval structures in general from multiple video games such as the Witcher series, Kingdom Come Deliverance and Baldur's Gate 3.
- to have an initial testable prototype for my bachelor thesis
As reference i looked at castles and medieval structures in general from multiple video games such as the Witcher series, Kingdom Come Deliverance and Baldur's Gate 3.
Castle story and mission ideas
This castle, once a great and mighty structure, has since fallen into ruins. Only a small town peacefully resides next to it now. This peace however was broken the day a group of bandits invaded the town and took the ruined castle as their own. Now the towns inhabitants live under a constant oppression having to supply the bandits with food and goods.
It is now your mission to take back the villagers freedom and drive out the raiders. Will you face them head on in battle or will you suprise them with an ambush?
(You have multiple entrances to apporach the enemies with different strategies.)
After having a rough landscape shape and castle location i sketched out the layout of the castle walls, gates and buildings.
I kept in mind how it would have been built over a longer time period and how the bandit takeover would have affected the layout of pathways and building restorations.
While sketching the castle layout in photoshop i also started creating a blockout atop the landscape to get a general feel of scale and layout. This led to some landscape adjustments to accommodate height based sections.
After having the general layout i started with the first detail level: the surrounding walls, towers and gates. This was followed by the second detail level including the general buildings.
In the second to last detail level i painted the folliage inside the castle and added props such as barrels, chests, ladders and more finer detail items. This was also followed by some general touch ups.
Final in game screenshots
In the very final step i added mechanics to make it a playable demo. It includes basic movement, a changable time of day and changable weather states.
Level design points of interest
Center section general layout
This image displays different pathways accessible both through regular traversal and through parcour such as climbing and jumping. Enemy and potential loot locations are also marked in blue and yellow.
Enemies are placed at logical positions such as the gates, towers and storage areas for guarding.
Loot locations are placed in both normally accessible places and ones reachable through parcour.
Traversal layers
This image displays multiple potential routes to get to the different levels. The player can climb the stairs of the tower, take the stairs or climb their way up at specific spots.
Multiple pathways
There are multiple pathways to access the same locations to avoid repetition. In this example the player can either run up or climb the stairs, or take either of the gate tower stairs.
This way when in a fight, there are also multiple escape options to avoid locking a player between enemies.
Loot locations
It is important to reward the player for traversing the level and using all available movement options. In this example loot has been placed at locations only accessible through more advanced movement after jumping over a gap or climbing up to the tower.
This example also showcases using traversal options to avoid multiple enemies. To access the storage building one can either go through the front door - guarded by enemies - through the gap in the wall, or climb up at the back.
Avoiding backtracking
In locations such as this castle "island" with only one exit, players want to avoid backtracking the same way they came from. In this example one can walk in a loop around the castle walls with only having to backtrack across the bridge.
This example also showcases rewarding the player with loot in harder to reach areas such as the tower in the back.
Narrative points of interest
Castle Repairs
The bandits have started to rebuild sections of the castle - parts of the walls, towers etc. to regain access to certain locations
Storage areas
The bandits use some of the castle ruins to store their stolen goods
Well and kitchen location
Due to wells taking many years to dig out it is located on the lower part of the castle to reduce build time. Furthermore in case of a siege it is behind the second gate and gives easy access to both the kitchen and the upper section. (For further water supplies in the upper section a cistern has been built - not yet in the demo however)
Stable restoration
To accommodate horses the bandits have added a wooden roof and stable sections
