Workflow

When working on the Level Design for Ascent, I started by doing small metrics tests, by placing simple blocks to test and see what could be possible. I then started drafting my layout on Illustrator then searched for visual inspirations and then set up a moodboard. The inspirations I chose mainly came from fantasy art or other games, which I think is now a flaw when we link that to the context in which we did set up our game narratively. The next step after that was to start the blockout part. We decided to go with landscape in Unreal Engine, which, after the project ended, I think wasn't our best choice. We encountered great difficulties to merge both parts of the blockout, as we were two Level Designers working on this project. Due to production difficulties, I couldn't push the Level Design part of the project any further and had to switch to UI Design.

The intention for this sequence was to make the player learn the climbing mechanic progressively and with slightly longer sequences each time. Since the ambiance wished for the game is a chill one, there is no fail condition. The player can't fail but will take more time to reach his goal.
To further emphasize that vision of the project, we decided to give the objects needed for all the climbing sequences just before said ones. That way, even if he hasn't collected all the needed items in the chests placed throughout the level, he can still continue and won't be softlock.
Lastly, collectibles were placed at specific locations, to give the player a double reward for going to collect them : a vista of the landscape, and some lore of the game.

Intentions