Fundamentals of Level Design with Unreal Engine

Depending on the level you are creating, the way you apply level design theory can change. Single-player levels apply the same theories differently than multiplayer levels or open-world levels. This content will look at different types of levels and discuss how the theory might be applied, and how to represent that theory in a design document. In this module, learners will think of a level as a set of key locations or destinations connected by paths, and will learn simple ways to shape those paths in a paper design. In the end, the learner will be able to take what they learned and create a small level on paper for their design document.

When working in a team setting, you will most likely be working with multiple developers on a single level. In order to plan the level out, and make sure everyone stays within the same vision, you make a level design document. This document holds all the information that anyone working with the level would need to know. This content will cover creating a level design document, defining what it is, walking the learner through the steps and process of creating one from scratch of a level of their own choosing.

Before a level is made or even art is created for it, it first needs to be drafted and tested. Taking a sketch of a level, this content will walk through the steps of greyboxing the level. Learners will take a level sketch, and translate it into a real level in Unreal Engine. They’ll use built-in Unreal Engine tools to create the level while following best practices for level design with Unreal Engine. At the end of the content, they should have a lit, transversable level in Unreal Engine based on the sketch they made.