Cult of the Moon
Solo Project ● Unreal Engine Block-out
About the Level
Responsibilities: Designed, scripted, sequenced, iterated, and playtested a side-quest level for Borderlands 4 based in the Cascadia Burn region of the map
Software Used: Unreal Engine 5.6, Photoshop, Perforce, Miro
Asset Packs Used: FPS Starter Kit (enemy AI and weapons), Stylized Rocks | Classic Rocks and Cliffs (rock models), Ultra Dynamic Sky (sky box)
~6 minutes of gameplay with varied pacing and combat encounters
Design Intentions
Complete a side-quest level with multiple combat encounters, a boss fight, and a complete story
Significantly improve scripting and in-engine modeling skills
Utilize composition to have multiple visually striking moments throughout my level
Design a complex boss arena that complements the simple AI of the FPS Starter Kit enemies
Create a believable side-quest story that fits into the world of Borderlands 4 and communicate that story through the environment and story beats of the level
Make the level play as much like Borderlands 4 as possible by scripting mechanics from scratch, such as creating a grappling hook mechanic and an axe-throw ability
FULL Playthrough
Layout
Design Process and Area Breakdown
Blueprints
Crane Activation (Level Blueprint)
Spawn Enemies during Boss Fight (Actor Blueprint)
Update Quests Throughout Level (Level Blueprint)
Enemy Health Bar (Enemy Actor Blueprint)
Prison Area Wave System and Check if Enemies Dead (Actor Blueprint)
Prisoner Cages Open when All Enemies Killed (Level Blueprint)
Grapple Hook (Actor Blueprint Components)
Open Loot Chest (Actor Blueprint)
Axe Throw Ability (Actor & Player Blueprint)
Metrics
After creating my map and Miro board, my next step was finalizing the metrics of my level, such as player movement speed and cover height. To do this, I created a metrics gym to help establish the measurements I would be using.
Some metrics include:
Player walk speed - 4.2 m/s
Player run speed - 6 m/s
Player jump velocity - 7.5 m/s
Max sprint jump distance - 9 m
Half cover - 1.2 m tall
Full cover - 2.1 m tall
Crouch doorway - 1.2 m tall x 1.2 m wide
Regular doorway - 2.2 m tall x 1.2 m wide
Giant doorway - 3.5 m tall x 6 m wide
Max jump height with no mantle - 1.75 m
Max double jump height with no mantle - 3 m
Max double jump height with mantle - 4.5 m
My goal for this level was to design and blockout a side-quest level for Borderlands 4 based on the Cascadia Burn region of the game map. I first created a Miro board with both in-game and external references to inspire the level’s setting, narrative, and overall flow. When designing the top-down map, I took into consideration Borderlands 4’s design pillars and existing missions to build out the spaces from open combat areas to advanced movement opportunities.
Initially, I wanted players to be able to move freely around the level, as the initial rendition of the prisoner side quest required the player to move back and forth throughout the level. I found that this amount of backtracking took away from the great pacing that Borderlands 4 levels have, so I deviated from my first map as soon as I got in engine.
I also iterated on the individual combat encounters multiple times to make their gameplay more exciting and support Borderlands 4’s design pillars more. Below, I compare and contrast early versions of my combat encounters to their finalized counterparts.
Combat Encounter 1 - Compound entrance
Old
Somewhat small
No easy way to access the left lane at the start
Only one elevated section
No easy way to get from one outer lane to the other
New
The entire combat space is larger to better match the size of most Borderlands 4 combat spaces
The left lane is more accessible at the start
The left lane now has an elevated section
Added a grapple hook point (indicated by yellow circles) in the middle lane that allows easy traversal between the outer lanes
Doors Open to Loot Room on Boss Death (Level Blueprint)
Combat Encounter 2 - Inner Compound
Old
The lanes are very short and tight
Can enter space through the tower grapple hook point or the entrance on the right
Only one elevated section
Doesn’t do much differently compared to the first combat encounter
New
Made the entire area bigger, as Borderlands 4 rarely has tight lanes in combat spaces
Removed one of the entrances, as one entrance allows for a more controlled and intentional player experience
Significantly more elevation changes to utilize the many movement abilities of Borderlands 4
Moved the tower to the middle lane
Being located in the middle allows the player to get good cover within the middle lane, and it gives the player easy access to the outer lanes by acting as a grapple point in addition to allowing the player to jump to it from either the left or right lanes
Combat Encounter 4 - Boss Fight
Combat Encounter 3 - Prison/Worship area
Old
Tons of cover in a small area
Maze-like layout, no clear lanes
Minimal asset variety
The entrance is very close to the exit
Very similar gameplay compared to the previous combat encounters
Does not act as a good gameplay climax before the boss fight
No grapple hook points
New
Significantly bigger space with three distinct lanes and varying elevation to give the player more options
Lots of asset variety
Exit is a lot farther away from the entrance, which forces the player to engage with the area more
Climbing the terraces to the main space of the combat encounter builds tension
The combat encounter consists of three waves of enemies and is designed to be more arena-like rather than have a linear layout, which not only differentiates it from the previous encounters, but it is also more challenging
The crane now dangles above the lava pool and acts as a central grapple hook point, allowing the player to easily grapple all around the area
Thematically more interesting
The area now features a lava pool, a statue, and people praying towards the statue
Visual storytelling: the prisoner cage already floating in the lava, with the crane above it, tells the player that they need to act quickly before the other prisoners get dropped in the lava
Old
Small arena
Completley flat
Only two small points of cover
Rectangular shape
No basic enemies are present in the fight
No grapple hook points
No loot boxes
New
Significantly larger arena
The arena is more circular and now has three distinct lanes, which gives the player options on how they want to deal with the encounter
Lots of cover and varying elevation
The high elevation points also do not give the player too much of an advantage, as the enemy can still get to/shoot at the player from at least 2 different points while at the high elevation points (seen in the annotation below)
Basic enemies now spawn every few seconds, so the player would be able to revive themselves if they get downed
Added a grapple hook point in the middle lane
There are now loot boxes present in the arena
Better theming - there is now a telescope pointing at the moon and speakers playing music near the dance floor
Killing the boss now opens a loot room with money and guns