The Lost Ark

The Lost Ark is a level design project inspired by Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. I followed the introduction scene where Indiana Jones explores and escapes a temple avoiding various traps and obstacles.

For this project I completed research into level design techniques that were used in initial concepts, pre-production and implementation stages of development.

The final prototype was iterated on multiple times in Unreal Engine using the blueprint system. It includes a rope swing, light traps, swinging logs, floor puzzles, and a boulder that chases the player.

Development

2020 (Solo)

Platform

PC

Software Used

Unreal Engine 4

Game Download GitHub Repository

Level Walkthrough

Pre-Production

In the pre-production stage, I worked on a more film accurate design. While this would likely need adapting to better suit gameplay, it allowed me to break down the traps featured which can be used in later designs

Cobweb Tunnels

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Boulder Drop

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Light Traps

3 / 6

Rope Swing

4 / 6

Floor Puzzle

5 / 6

Idol Room

6 / 6

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Mechanics Development

After seperating what traps I would need to create, I began developing them in a seperate level in Unreal Engine. This allowed me to test the traps in a clean environment and figure out any limitations or impacts they may have on the level design.

Mechanics Development Level (1)

Mechanics Development Level (2)

Level Design Iteration

The level was implemented in Unreal Engine and was iterated on many times with different variations of the traps and layouts trying to make it feel more natural and cohesive.

Level Layout v2.0

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Level Layout v2.1

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Level Layout v3.0 (1)

3 / 6

Level Layout v3.0 (2)

4 / 6

Level Layout v4.0 (1)

5 / 6

Level Layout v4.0 (2)

6 / 6

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Final Renders

The level was implemented in Unreal Engine and was iterated on many times with different variations of the traps and layouts trying to make it feel more natural and cohesive.

Temple Entrance

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Tutorial

2 / 6

Light Traps

3 / 6

Rope Swing

4 / 6

Swinging Logs

5 / 6

Floor Puzzle

6 / 6

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Project Portfolio

My full portfolio for this project can be viewed below. This further breaks down my design and iterations of the level. This also includes some code samples of the blueprint code in Unreal Engine.

Project Portfolio