GETAWAY

A magical realist 3D level exploring storytelling in Unreal.

Developed: December 2020
Team:

• Joseph Henry Stadolnik IV (myself) - Programmer, Level Designer, & Artist
• Issa Shulman - Writer & Artist

Tools:

• Unreal Engine
• Blender
• Gimp
• Reaper

Programming: Unreal Blueprints

My Role: Programmer, Level Designer, & Artist
My collaborator and I worked together to create this level and the narrative it tells. We worked in stages, first pitching the concept, then building a greybox version, and finally populating and refining the level.
My specific achievements on this project included:

• Designing the full level layout.
• Grayboxing the library rooms.
• Modelling the slide, labeled books, and giant book using Blender and texturing them with Gimp.
• Implementing interactable objects:
  • Readable notes with a screen popup
  • Keys with a pickup animation
• Implementing and animating cutscenes and map transitions.
• Creating particle effects for interactable objects and dust motes.
• Implementing sound effects using Unreal sound cues, including footprints with variations by material.
• Editing sound effects in Reaper.

Other Notes:

• This level was made as part of IMGD 4700 Advanced Storytelling: Quest Logic and Level Design, a course at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
• This project used a wide array of free assets from the Unreal Engine Marketplace, freesound.com, and various 3D model sites.
• This level would benefit from further refinement, particularly in the form of revised lighting, voice acting, music, and general polish.