DEVELOPER: KeokeN Interactive
PUBLISHER: Frontier Foundry
ROLE: Level Designer / Level Artist
ENGINE: Unreal Engine 4
RELEASE DATE: February 02 2023
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Action-Adventure, Puzzle
PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One (X), Xbox Series S/X, Playstation 4, Playstation 5
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Sequel to the award-winning Deliver Us The Moon, Deliver Us Mars is an atmospheric sci-fi adventure offering an immersive astronaut experience. Explore new frontiers on a suspense-fuelled, high-stakes mission to recover the ARK colony ships stolen by the mysterious Outward.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Designing and creating blockouts for about half the levels in the game, maintaining and iterating on levels throughout the entire development pipeline.
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Collaborating with other departments such as Art, Narrative and Game Design to account for implementation of narrative beats, mood and atmosphere of areas, as well as pacing and tension.
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Visual Scripting to implement gameplay encounters, puzzles, and other level logic using Unreal Blueprints.
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Full art pass on different levels and environments in the game. Replacing graybox meshes with final geometry and collaborating on final art pass and polish, as well as additional lighting and setdressing.
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QA, bugfixing, and polish to ensure a smooth player experience.
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Locking in metrics and exporting spaces to be used in Performance Capture sessions.
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Terrain generation and experimentation for Martian landscapes using a mix of different programs like GAEA, World Creator, and Unreal Landscape Blueprint Brushes and tools.
EXAMPLES OF MY WORK
CHAPTER 06 - ODUM HYDROPONICS
Set in the middle of an icy crater, the derelict Odum facility used to provide the Mars colony with food, water, and medicine.
Odum Final Level
Odum - Blockout level progression
WSA CAMPUS / LAUNCH SITE
The WSA Campus level is the first chapter where we get to play as adult Kathy. The level is more narrative heavy, and lighter on the gameplay. It serves as the opening act to the story, and introduces us to the characters and their relationships, the world, and eventually the upcoming mission to Mars. The level features an introduction to the laser cutter, a simple puzzle to intoduce the MPT mechanics, and sections where the player walks or rides along with other characters.
A small museum within the WSA buildings is there to provide a recap of the story of Deliver Us The Moon and some events following the first game. Players can choose how much they want to engage with this area. They are free to look around and listen to everything at their own pace, or walk past everything to get on to the next part.
The level ends with the launch of the Zephyr rocket. It was important to us that players get to experience all of this themselves to live out the astronaut experience. Inspiration was taken from from actual rocket launches, and from the 2018 movie First Man, which we went to see with the entire company. After suiting up and making your way to the rocket, players engage in the launch sequence from inside the cockpit and lift off into orbit.
WSA Campus - WIP
WSA Campus - Final Level
Zephyr
The Zephyr level is the second chapter in the game. It follows the long journey to Mars aboard the Zephyr rocket, mixed in with some flashback scenes to break up the pacing.
In the original blockout Zephyr used to have a completely vertical layout, with rooms stacked on top of each other all fitting within the round shape of the rocket. We quickly identified issues with this layout. The space was confusing and awkward to move around in zero gravity.
I proposed a new layout (seen below), turning the rocket into a shuttle like design, with the rooms in a horizontal orientation and the belly of the ship being the underside. This updated version felt more natural to move through, still providing some distinct separate segments and rooms that were connected by a central hallway going down the middle of the ship. In this version you can quickly get an overview of the entire space without getting lost, and you no longer loose orientation when moving through the ship.
Zephyr - Updated layout:
With the exception of the cockpit, the interior of Zephyr is almost entirely kitbashed from DUTM and DUM assets.
Zephyr Final Level
HABITAS CH05 + CH09
Habitas is one of the 3 massive arks built by Outward. The cramped and stacked vertical layout was a bit tricky to work with. For the level design we were fighting for every bit of extra space we could get, while at the same time the size of the ship had to be contained on order to remain believable. A large atrium down the middle not only provides an impressive view, showcasing the scale of the rocket, it was also needed so players could easily keep their orientation when walking around of the different floors of the ship.
In this level I worked on Chapter 05, which includes the Medical wing, the climbing section, and the ASE eavesdrop section. I also worked on the Panopticon in Chapter 09, which is located above the bridge at the very top of the ship. This is where council member McArthur's personal quarters reside. (Internally referred to as the McQuarters).
I also did some work on the lobby at the bottom of the atrium, cleaning up the architecture a bit and adding the supporting pillars that lead up along the sides of the atrium.
Final Level + early blockout shots:
UNISON Biodome - Mars
The Unison Biodome is the final chapter in Deliver Us Mars. In this level Kathy goes against her Opera crewmates in an effort to find her father.
Unison - WIP
Unison - Final Level
Herschel Quarry
Herschel Quarry is the 4th chapter in the Deliver Us Mars, and was also the vertical slice for the game.
In this level I did the art pass for some of the caves, and I worked on some of the climbing areas. I also worked on a puzzle that was present in the vertical slice version of this level. This puzzle building was later replaced with a different puzzle that was more fitting for this section of the game.
PROLOGUE
Chapter 00 - OUTWARD FACILITY - MOON
For the prologue chapter I did an additional second art pass over the control room. The initial art pass was done by Felix Jansen. I changed the architecture of the room to include a large vertical window and lines leading up to put emphasis on the giant Ark vessel outside the window. I also did a lot of art cleanups and polish in this area.
Johanson House flashbacks
This gallery shows the first version of the Johanson House. I wanted to provide a mix of a classic American style house with more modern elements, like a glass hallway running through the middle of the house. While providing a nice and beautiful living area alongside a lake, the style of this version of the house was ultimately too rich and fancy for the narrative. Following versions of the house were toned down and more traditional, which was more in line with the vision our writer had for this space.
I also worked on the dust storm flashback. In this scene, players control a younger Kathy caught in a dust storm int the woods outside of the house. It's a mostly linear space with some dead ends, so players feel lost while still going in the right direction.
LABOS WRECKAGE
Besides some general polish and fixes for this level, I mainly worked on the art pass for the large energy converter puzzle, transforming it from blockout to final geometry.
Credits
Deliver us Mars is a team effort. The following people have contributed to the work shown above:
Art Director: Gerben Pasjes
Environment Artists: Jérémy Diederich, Felix Jansen, Tijn Kroon
3D Narrative Artist: Anna Udding
Technical Artist: Daniel Torkar
Concept Artist: Anna Lubbers
Lighting: Nicholas Pålsson
Narrative Designer: Raynor Arkenbout