Blocked out the macro terrain and main route to test scale, sightlines, and pacing.
Case File // ARC_01
Ancient Valley Level Build
A personal environment-design portfolio project focused on gameplay-readable terrain layout, landmark composition, and guided exploration beats for a third-person action game.
01
项目背景
This project was built as a portfolio scene study for a third-person action game. The goal was to create a valley map that felt explorable at first glance while still clearly guiding the player toward the main combat route and key landmarks.
02
设计思路
I started from player readability rather than visual detail. The layout was designed around one primary route, one secondary loop, and several landmark moments so the player could always understand direction, destination, and reward expectation.
03
制作流程
Placed large landmarks first to establish orientation and long-distance visual goals.
Built combat and traversal beats between landmarks, then adjusted cover, elevation, and rhythm.
Added modular environment dressing and lighting polish only after navigation readability was stable.
04
难点
The main difficulty was balancing visual richness with navigational clarity. Early versions looked atmospheric, but players could misread which path was critical and which spaces were optional.
05
解决方案
I reduced clutter near route decisions, exaggerated silhouette differences between landmarks, and used terrain framing plus lighting contrast to strengthen the intended path. This let the environment stay dense without making navigation confusing.
06
最终效果
The final scene presents a stronger case-study piece: the route reads clearly, the environment tells a consistent story, and each vista supports both presentation quality and gameplay comprehension.