«
Sarah Andrews
Level Design
Lost Home
My Direct Focus Study project , “ Lost Home ,” aimed to create a narrative space that relies heavily on embedded narrative and exploration , with little dialog from NPCs and light combat . I also wanted to challenge myself to create a space that didn ’ t rely on other nonplayable characters ( NPCs ) being in the environment , as I wanted to try my hand at building a small town that had been abandoned for some time before the player ’ s arrival .
I wanted to do this project because , in my own experiences playing video games , I ’ m always drawn to the environment around me and the clues left behind that help tell a story . I wanted to build up my skills in environmental design practices and practice my narrative skills more by using written journal entries left throughout the level so that the player could find out what
happened in this space that caused it to be abandoned .
From January 2024 to April 2024 , I spent approximately 300 hours making this level in Creation Kit for Fallout 4 , which included project conception , building the level , and iteration based on feedback .
This project gave me a chance to refine my skills in set dressing and building small towns , as well as the chance to learn how to reconfigure code in quest logic in a way that allows players to obtain essential quest items without having to pick them up in a particular order . This gives players more freedom to move around the space and collect the story in the order they want . Overall , I believe this project helped me to grow as a level designer and has helped me to further prepare for working in the industry .
22 LEVEL DESIGN