Starcitizen
PC - Cloud Imperium Games
Description
Star Citizen is an upcoming space sim video game for PC. Star Citizen consists of two main components: first-person space combat, mining, exploration and trading with first-person shooter elements in a massively multiplayer persistent universe and customizable private servers, and a branching single-player campaign titled Squadron 42.
This project is still in development but has sections of the game released as early access content.
Role
As a level designer on Starcitizen I designed the base layout of all 3 stations in 2.0 Crusader. This involved establishing modular set standards with artisits, documentation, paper layouts, whitebox, initial art pass, markup and bug fixing.
I also designed a large scale section of Squadron 42, the singleplayer campaign. This involved documentation, paper layouts, whitebox, initial art pass, scripting, scripted events, markup, optimization, balancing and bug fixing.
Security station Kareah
Security Station Kareah was the basis for all three of the stations released in Starcitizen 2.0. The goal was to create a station that could be used as an FPS test space and then use the layout to build the other more passive station off it.
The station had to support multiple groups of people to enter and fight within the station, this meant that the station needed enough landing pads around it to land a dozen or so ships, I clustered these around the station interior and provided multiple entry points to prevent any camping. I attempted to provide as much protection as possible given the absense of hangars at this stage in development but building a ring around the pads preventing fast flybys.
The interior of the station has a large central chamber with the original goal of every 30 minutes becoming a king of the hill point that would be broadcast to the server, thereby encouraging people to come and fight over it to gain the reward of REC (in game credits). However REC wasn't supported at Starcitizen 2.0 release and therefore was held off. It has since been turned into a point where players with a bounty can come and remove their bounty.
A lot of the ancialary chambers were designed around the requirements for the other stations, ie Port Olisar had to have rooms that players could spawn in and therefore the requirement of a third floor, which in this station was turned into a maintenance area.
Other areas of the station allow for views out into space and the opportunity to see other players landing so that you can prepare a defence. The station however couldn't be opened all the way up and I had to provide dog legging to stop visibility throughout the station due to performance concerns.
I also worked with art to create a signage pass allowing players to properly orientate themselves to landing pads around the station. Ensuring they are able to get back to their ship and in the case of Port Olisar to find their ship once it is spawned.
As part of the process of building this station I continued my job of collaborating with the art team to create a fully featured modular set that allowed designers to create any space required with only minor bespoke pieces being added later.
Reddit User: _Litauen
Image Credit
Progress shots - As of release, has been updated since
Port Olisar
Port Olisar was based off of Security Station Kareahs layout, it used the main command room as its lobby space where players could interact with a central terminal to spawn there ships, it kept the balcony on the second floor as an observation point within the lobby and the third floor became the player spawns, with 16 player spawns available per wing.
Each wing was a clone of the other with seperate markup and signage to help players orientate themselves.
Elevators were added to the first floor for future possible expansion into hangars below. Shops have also been added since Starcitizen 2.0.
Image Credit
Reddit User: _Litauen
Video Credit
Morphologis
