Unreal Engine 5: Lab Level Design

University Year 1 | Semester 1 | Game Creation (Assessment 2)

A first-person horror experience set within an abandoned laboratory, engineered to balance technical systems with atmospheric level design. This project focuses on resource management, interactive physics puzzles, and AI-driven tension.

🔗 View the full technical breakdown on my Portfolio

📺 Video Showcase

Click the image above to view the gameplay walkthrough, featuring the flashlight mechanics and AI encounters.

🕹️ Project Overview

"The Lab" provides a curated horror experience where the environment serves as both a hazard and a guide. Developed with total creative freedom, the project highlights the integration of custom Visual Scripting (Blueprints) and modular 3D assets to create a cohesive, high-stakes atmosphere.

🛠️ Key Technical Features

Resource & Material Systems

• Dynamic Flashlight Mechanics: Implemented a toggleable flashlight system with limited battery life. The battery passively regenerates when deactivated, forcing strategic resource management.
• Advanced Material Management: Visualised battery depletion directly on the torch model using a Dynamic Material Instance, transitioning the texture from yellow to black in real-time.

Gameplay & Level Logic

• Physics-Based Puzzles: Designed environmental puzzles requiring the player to manipulate physics actors (crates) to access elevated areas like air ducts.
• AI & Combat: Developed enemy AI utilising Unreal’s NavMesh System. Enemies chase the player upon detection and deal progressive damage. Players can defend themselves with close-range combat (R), with defeated enemies dropping life-syringes.
• Hazards & Health: Implemented electrified water hazards and a dynamic HUD health bar. Reaching zero health triggers a level restart, with health restored via collectible syringes.
• Character Controller: Modified a custom controller to support more complex mechanics, including crouching logic that dynamically adjusts the player's hitbox and movement speed.

Level Design Strategy

• Intuitive Guidance: Used lighting and environmental geometry to narrow player choices and guide them toward objectives without explicit markers.
• Mechanical Foreshadowing: Introduced hazards (electrified water) and items in safe zones early in the level to teach mechanics before high-tension encounters.

🎨 Asset Pipeline

• Modular Environments: Modelled a suite of modular assets in Autodesk Maya, including padded walls, desks, air ducts, and medical props (syringes).
• Texture Workflow: Reused and adapted textures created in Substance 3D, including a custom glossy glass texture and environment-specific materials.

💻 Technical Specs

• Engine: Unreal Engine 5
• Language: Blueprint Visual Scripting
• Core Systems: UMG (HUD), AI Navigation (NavMesh), Event-Driven Logic
• Tools: Maya, Adobe Substance 3D Painter, GitHub, Trello