Mayan Temple
Project Type:
Level Study
The Mayan Temple is a playable level study. It was built in Unreal Engine 4 and is a first person platformer. The goal of the study was to look into the history of Mayan Temples and create an environment based around them
This study is a first person exploration platformer. The goals of this level study was to create a level derived from the Ancient Mayan world. The core mechanics of the study are movement based gameplay along with coin collecting system. The player's goal is to explore the space while collecting coins. The coins are spread out throughout the level, giving the player a reason to explore the whole space.
Level Design
Above, you can see a top-down view of the level and its assets. It flows from the top down towards the main temple. The level is split up into 4 main types of spaces. The left path, the right path, the main temple, and the connecting paths in the middle that allows the player to travel between the left and right.
During my research on Mayan temples, I learned that the main temples were built to be seen from a distance over the tops of the tallest jungle trees. They were tall so as to be closer to the gods. These temples were visual guides to those looking to worship these deities. I attempted to recreate this feeling of importance through my own temple. The main temple is visible all throughout the level. The temple is over 3 times the unit size of any of the other assets, meaning it can not be missed.
When trying to create an interesting space, I realized that many video games use different elevations to add depth to a space. These varied elevations take a simple space and makes it more complex. By adding the choice of taking a higher path or a lower path, many players feel as if they are exploring new spaces. This way, I was maximizing the areas I had.
I wanted the space to feel bigger than it was in reality, which is why I used the pillars throughout the level as not only an obstruction but also as a platform. With these pillars, you are able to weave in between them, climb them, or jump onto the top of them. The added complexity of the pillars creates a more exciting challenge for the player and encourages exploration.
Besides the visual guide of the towering main temple, I also had coins to lead the player. These coins were spread out intentionally, each coin leading the player to explore a new path. I used the coin to teach the player about the vertical depth of the level with coins on different levels of elevation. This varied from coins in the tunnels to coins on the tops of pillars.
These tunnels were created to allow the player a different experience from the regular jumping and ascending experience the rest of the level offered. These tunnels are harder to navigate and based around crouching and slow movement, a strong contrast to the movement in the rest of the level. This different experience creates a fun challenge for the player.
The coins are bright gold and are the only moving assets in the level. The goal of this was to have the coins stand out as a contrast to the level. The player sees these coins from a short distance and will want to figure out how to traverse the space and collect the coin. This motivates the player to explore the level.
While this was a simple study and I mainly used basic blocking techniques with simple colors to identify the different assets, I did want to experiment with adding visual depth. My main resources I used to do this were working with lighting and assets in the background. The goal with the lighting was to create a different atmosphere in the tunnels compared to the surface world. The lower the elevation, the darker and harder it was to navigate.
On the other hand with the background assets, I added trees and mounds from a distance. Such a simple addition made the level feel bigger and made me feel as if I succeeded in creating an interesting space.
