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Frozen Echoes

Skills: Environmental Storytelling, Puzzle Design, 3D Modelling, Whiteboxing, Programming, Audio Design, Music Composition, Scene Composition, C#​​

Programs: Unity, Reaper, Maya, MuseScore

Results: Created a solo walking simulator with simple puzzles, enabling players to uncover the ruins of a bygone civilization.

My Process

Planning

My first step was to establish a clear vision for the world and atmosphere. My core goal was to enable the player to feel uneasy, lonely, and reflective, yet enthralled. It is as if they happened upon a reality they were not supposed to find, but can't help feeling compelled to explore further.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Environment, Tone, and Symbolism

  • First, I created a mood board to refine my vision for the color palette, environmental design, and tone

  • I decided upon a snowy environment paired with dark temple ruins, as the isolated yet historical nature of such reflects the emotional tension of my vision, while also providing me with significant color contrast for effective framing and guidance design

  • I designed the map in the shape of a crescent moon, matching my concept for the world to have an otherwordly sky that never appears to reach daylight

Progression, Pathing, and Framing

  • Next, I asked myself several questions regarding how the player might interact with such an environment:

    • Where will major scene compositions be viewed?

    • How will that affect pathing?

    • What will the player learn and how does the world evolve as they get deeper?

    • How can I lay out these pieces to increase the player's sense of discovery?

  • I decide​d on a progression where the temple ruins grow more intact the further the player descends, allowing them to feel as if they are growing closer to the heart of the civilization

  • Further, I hid several striking compositions behind sudden turns to heighten the awe of discovery and encourage players to progress toward such landmarks

BUILDING THE LEVEL

Mood Board

map.jpg

Early Map Sketch

Verticality Map

Scene Composition

  • The first major composition lies in the opening shot of the game. I positioned players to start facing their travel notes in a cave, allowing them to turn around and discover the striking architecture on their own, while also contextualizing the player character themself

  • I continued hiding composed shots behind quick turns and fallen debris throughout the level to sell the impact, while also designing the surrounding environment to create leading lines toward these focal points to draw the player's eye toward them

  • I also took advantage of the muted mood and coloration of the space to make the ancient technology stand out through its teal glow

  • Further into the level, once the civilization has become more intact, I began to lean into using the technology itself to create intrigue through animation and partial obstruction, allowing players to notice, investigate, and theorize about the strange activity within the site

Opening Shot

Quick Turn into Composed Reveal

Animated Technology Reveal

ASSET CREATION

Environment

  • In order to create the level assets, I worked in Autodesk Maya, where I built all models from scratch before learning to import them into Unity 

  • Within Unity, I got practice creating materials to add color and lighting to enhance the environment

  • The project overall is a study in level design and environmental storytelling, which took priority over visual fidelity

Music and Sound

  • To bring the level to life, I wrote an atmospheric song in MuseScore, and created sound effects for footsteps on different terrains, item collection, technological hums, and door movements using foley and REAPER

  • I spent a lot of time considering how to create music that would be mysterious, intriguing, and impactful, while still remaining inoubtrusive enough to not distract the player. As such, I ended up combining dynamically shifting synths with a simple yet unnaturally high harpischord melody

Early Models

A Look at Different Sounds

Music Sneak Peak

Full Walkthrough

I Learned About:

1

Level & Software Pipelines

I learned about the process of planning and then producing a 3D level, gaining experience with Maya, Unity, MuseScore, and REAPER, as well as how to combine all of the different software into one cohesive workflow. It helped me understand what factors I need to consider to create an emotionally engaging level while also granting me the practical skills to bring the level to life.

2

Environmental Storytelling

The project pushed me to think extensively on how to create meaningful storytelling and player-world interactions without relying on text or any non-diagetic elements. I learned to create striking scene compositions and integrate them fluidly into the pacing to maximize intrigue. I further practiced utilizing colors, sound, verticality, and simple puzzle design to convey guidance, worldbuilding, and symbolism.

3

Holistic Design

Designing an entire solo project around the established emotional theme of feeling unsettled yet enthralled by an otherworldly environment pushed me to think about design from a deeply holistic perspective. I built elements across level, audio, art, systems, and UX from the ground up to complement and reinforce each other rather than serving as isolated pieces of design.

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