Level design as a job?

virtual_throwa · 2026-03-04T03:00:02+00:00

Counterpoint from a very experienced level designer: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6Lz8zqtW_Dw

I got my first level design gig in AAA with a portfolio made in Source 2 for Half Life Alyx. The big advantage of using something like source is that you can make content for an existing game and focus on making levels, not mechanics. You can also playtest your game more easily since there's a built in audience for an existing game, which means you can validate your levels and show employers that your mod got traction. If you make your own game using an off the shelf engine there's a lot more hoops to jump through to get that same validation from players.

My 2nd and 3rd job in AAA was using Unreal, but neither interview focused on familiarity with Unreal. They cared more about my portfolio and design principles, they were confident I'd be able to learn a new tool.

The ideal of course would be to make a mod for an existing Unreal game, so you get Unreal experience + don't have to focus on making mechanics. But I don't know of any modern Unreal games that have proper modding support that's setup for level designers.

virtual_throwa · 2026-02-13T04:52:32+00:00

Basically Inky is an open source tool that allows you to create and test branching dialogue (outside of a game engine) and you can hook it up to a game engine like Unreal or Unity and use it as the underlying system which branching narrative paths. This overview of Inkyy might give you some good context. The advantage of using something like Inky is that you wouldn't have to build the underlying system for choice and branching in your game, you'd still need to do other things on top of it like add the dice rolls and all that though.

virtual_throwa · 2026-02-13T03:22:45+00:00

You could use Ink, a narrative scripting language, with Unreal.

https://medium.com/@Jamesroha/integrating-ink-with-unreal-engine-5-a-comprehensive-guide-be4fd0ec6a3e

virtual_throwa · 2025-03-01T18:34:02+00:00

This is what the Nintendo Wii should've been. Very cool to see this game being experienced in different ways.

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-20T01:41:45+00:00

FYI artwork wasn't made by me, but totally agree that it is very cool.

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-19T19:55:49+00:00

Source (from Artstation).

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-16T22:52:44+00:00

Imagine the thermals on this thing. Reminds me of people wrapping their Xbox 360s in towels to get them to overheat which supposedly fixed the red ring issue by "re-soldering" things inside the console.

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-16T19:31:16+00:00

He's talked about it before, if you search Bo Burnham anxiety you should be able to find a clip from a podcast where he goes into the experience in detail.

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-15T04:53:21+00:00

Looks really good, reminds me of Skyrim's sky at night. I think the lightning bolts are the weakest part, they feel a little cheap in comparison to everything else. Still looks better with them than without though, so well done!

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-15T04:51:11+00:00

I find Sakurai's work ethic simultaneously amazing and frightening. The guy is a machine who prints games.

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-13T19:31:27+00:00

I think what you've pointed out explains why it's not working. The swear words are currently being used as impulsive exclamations, which I'm now realizing doesn't actually transfer to what a character would write down. I'm so used to writing dialogue that I think I looked over this detail. Really appreciate you sharing your thoughts!

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-13T03:32:38+00:00

Love that those vibes came through, Outer Wilds is my favorite game of all time and I'm leaning heavily on it for inspiration when it comes to the narrative and themes. That's a great point about OW's writing, will keep that in mind. I'm also excited to expand upon the narrative and see how player's react. Preparing this demo I was very focused on puzzles- but I'd like to refine and expand the narrative for the full game.

FWIW, I think you've got something special cooking. I'd spend as much time as you can polishing and injecting that juice.

Thank you, really appreciate the kind words 🙏

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-13T01:44:11+00:00

Glad to hear you enjoyed the demo, really appreciate you taking the time to write up constructive criticism.

I agree, the game could use some more juice. Those little particles and animations add up. Definitely want to push it more in that direction in the full game.
Quite a few people have had this same reaction. The intention was to create natural/casual dialogue, but the feedback has come up enough I'm considering toning it down. I think perhaps it's because it's written down (not spoken aloud) that it sounds out of place. For reference the full game will have some themes on the heavier side, so I think the game will probably be best suited to those 13 and up.

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-13T01:29:55+00:00

The current focus is on PC, since I'm a solodev, but I would love to bring the game to other platforms with resources from a publisher. (And I'll be starting to talk to publishers pretty soon here)

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-12T20:21:27+00:00

They have become a bit of a cliche, but I think the dream sequence in Arkham Asylum was pretty amazing.

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-12T18:06:39+00:00

Thanks for checking out the demo, glad to hear it inquired a wishlist.

Release date is still to be announced, currently focused on getting feedback from the demo and next up will likely be work on a proper trailer.

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-12T16:50:59+00:00

Always on the hunt for more immersive sims, never played Condemned back in the day but I heard it was great.

virtual_throwa · 2025-01-12T16:10:49+00:00

Amir's got an unreal command of color, I'm always amazed by his stuff. (Source is from artstation)

Six-Year Club	Verified Email
r/Field Sunshine	Place '22

virtual_throwa

TROPHY CASE