DYING LIGHT
INTENTION
Personal portfolio project
An skill showcase of Unreal Engine BP systems
Exploring survival, parkour, adventure genre
DESCRIPTION
Your mission is to find the other outpost and fix its UV lights in order to clear the area out of zombies.
DURATION
Softwares
2 weeks
Unreal Engine 5
GENRE
Survival- horror, Action-adventure
PLATFORM
PC
This project is set in the world of Dying Light. I chose to work on this project for several reasons:
Firstly, I wanted to showcase my skills in Unreal Engine's Blueprints by creating dynamic, action-oriented mechanics that were missing in my previous projects.
Additionally, I was eager to experiment with fast-paced gameplay, pushing myself to design fluid and responsive systems.
Finally, my personal interest in Dying Light made this project an exciting and inspiring challenge.
For the level design, I applied Steve Lee's text-based design method, carefully outlining all sequences step by step in a document. This approach helped me stay organized and focused throughout the creation process. By planning the gameplay flow in advance, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve at every stage.
However, the plan wasn’t rigid. I made several revisions along the way, the most significant being due to the scope of the project. With a tight two-week deadline, I had to scale down the design and cut unnecessary elements to ensure the project could be completed on time.
Next, I moved on to gathering references. My goal was to make the blockout as close to the Dying Light game world as possible, so I sourced almost all of my references directly from the game. This helped me ensure that the level's atmosphere, architecture, and gameplay elements stayed true to the original game's design.
After gathering references, I needed to ensure that I could successfully implement the mechanics and that they were fun to play. I dove into Unreal Engine and began building them one by one, testing each mechanic as I went. To evaluate how they fit together, I created small chunks of gameplay that showcased these mechanics in action, refining them based on how they felt in-game.
Once I had created several fun, playable chunks, it was time to design the overall layout for the level, defining where it would begin and end.
I carefully arranged these gameplay sections in an order that would create a balanced and engaging pacing throughout the level. This step was crucial to ensure that the action flowed smoothly and that the level provided a satisfying experience from start to finish.
In the final phase, I focused on completing the remaining aspects of the gameplay and environment. This included implementing AI behavior, creating sequences, adding foliage, and handling all the other elements necessary to bring the project to completion.
There were still a few areas I wanted to improve, such as refining the zombie trapping encounter and expanding the level to create a return path to the starting point with a fresh playstyle—without relying on backtracking. However, completing this would have required at least another week, so I made the decision to cut these features in order to meet the project deadline.
