Game Design, Level Design, World Creation and Narrative Design.

Benny Chan Beng Lee

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Portfolio in Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM (UE4)

Shipped : PC, Mobile & Xbox

More to come on: Switch, Playstation 5

What I can do in Game Design

Image above is final result capture in engine.

As I the only one Game Designer, I have to wear multiple hats in designing the game.

• Create, maintain and refine Game Mechanic Flow Charts for the engineer.
• Create UI Mock up (figma) & Reference for the Artist.
• Create Animation sample/mock up in Unreal Engine 4 (if needed) to demonstrate for the team.
• More importantly, refine and playtest in Engine reaching final quality product.

Gameplay Design

As this is a narrative-driven game.

• Most of the gameplay design are driven from the character activities which ties with story and immersion. Here’s how I start concept and till end product.

Gameplay Design (Before & Result) Summary.

Before (Left) – Iteration & Playtesting from Prototype till End. – Result (Right)

Gameplay System Design (Enemy Ai Behavior)

Mock up and Gameplay Flow Chart before:-

• Nailing the enemy behavior and scalability of the entire game. – Starting line of the prototype.

Gameplay System Design (Enemy Ai Behavior)

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Result from the prototype in game engine. (Left: Undetected. Right: Detecting.)

What I can do in Game Design & UI/UX

Xbox Console Controls UI

PC Controls UI

I’ve also worked closely to UI/UX Artist to figure out how to implement better in PC & Console Game UI, and goal is not being too interruptive, and changes seamlessly for the player to enjoy.

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Level Blueprint (Logic & Gameplay flow)

My responsibilities:-

• Wired everything dialogue, questline, gameplay - From New Game to the End.
• Create & Maintained, Level, Narrative, and Gameplay are unified or blend well together in player experience; cohesive.
• Play-testing the Level, and see what’s can be refine & improve.

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* However, the script, mechanic, and prototype game mechanic behavior aren’t made by me. These are made by the Game Engineers.

Level Design

Top Down View of Level Design Blockout(Result), working together closely with my Artist to do the Environment, and setting down Point of Interest of Gameplay Design, Mini Games which ties to Story Element.

As refer to the image, each blue box consider a location.

• Flow of the Environment.
• Main Questline Path.
• Side Questline Path.

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*Development Showcase only.

Environment Level Design & Lighting

My responsibilities:

• First, I’ve created a level block out shapes for Environment Artist.
• Then, I placed the assets in the environment, and refine & playtesting space, in regard of Point of Interest, Activities, Interactivity.
• This also work closely with Main Quest & Side Quest.

* Using existing assets (created from Game Artist), I put together environment objects, scene static characters, NPC at this location.

Level Design: Unique Events Block Out

This is a scene/level act like a Maze, we called it Chase Scene. Player get to choose which path to go, while the player character is running in a On-Rail Path behavior.

Unlit Blockout (Top down view)

Lit Preview (Actual Gameplay Camera)

Level Design: Optimization

Through using Level Streaming, I do Stationary and Static Lighting Bake in different Environment rather using a Dynamic Light (Optimization).

Level Design: Camera

As Camera is static movement (Not Dynamic) in this project. We (Design & Art) have decided, what we can trim down the fat of production cost.

*Development Showcase only. (Final Result: Left image | Production: Right image)

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Narrative Design

I set the tone of the story, character development, (gameplay) events and direction:-

• Where & What can player access this information? – How, when, where
• From Pre-production – Production – Finish – Shipped.
• I co-write the dialogue script with my team, let them read whether it feels alright or too much of tone and feeling. Since we want to strike authenticity of broken english in Malaysia for this IP.

Narrative & Level Design

• Responsible of Mission/Quest Design for player to progress the game.
• Create & Iterate on Quest list. Creating immersive gameplay and easy to understand questline via Quest Editor in Utility Widget.

Recognition

• Epic MegaGrants Recipient
• LevelUp KL Winner in 2020
• Grand Jury Award
• Best Game Design
• Best Visual Art
• Honorable mention in James Lewis Amazing Poem during IGF 2023, iD @ Xbox.
• Official Selection in LudoNarraCon 2023 for Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open.

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