Capstone - Advantage

PREFACE:

Welcome to the first of two Preliminary Updates featured on this site! These preliminary updates will talk about what to expect in the accompanying Major Updates. That said... 

 

This first update will feature the history of the level, alongside visual themes of the surface. 

 

Originally, this level piece was designed to be a more earthly, dull, overgrown location that featured a center military base for players to contest or migrate towards. The size of the level was quite large, rivaling the size of what it is now. However, the theme felt generic and not quite experimental. Given that I enjoy level design and envisioning environments, I wanted to try something that involved materials interacting with lighting. I also wanted to incorporate the feelings of alienation and yearning so closely associated with discovery.

 

I decided to focus on a desert location to bring forth the contrast between shining gold and sprawling sands against canyon rock. While the theme is seen in many games and science fiction worlds, I pulled my inspiration from two major golden structures across the globe: the Shwedagon Pagoda from Myanmar and the Grand Palace Temple from Bangkok.

 

The gold contrasting with the sand and rock was not my only visual goal, as I wanted to include jewels and crystal to bring an extra layer of flair to the structures. The visual aim is not to create highly ornate spires out of gold, but rather geometrical structures that hold some kind of power or significance not readily apparent. I want to entice the player or viewer through simplicity of form, so that they are compelled to investigate and enquire further as to the meaning of this virtual world.