05. The first zone

Today's topic is about the first zone, also known as the Forgotten Plane. Due to other assignments and poor scheduling, I have not been able to create more content for it at this time. The first zone serves as an introduction to the game, providing players with a tutorial-like experience. It includes basic mechanics such as movement and combat skills, as well as a few enemies, chests, and puzzle elements.

The first part of the map is an island with one exit, and the player begins the game next to a campfire. This area is designed to teach players basic movement controls and how to open chests and fight against basic enemies. The area is shrouded in fog to keep the player focused on the immediate area and not the surroundings, which is crucial for learning the game's basic mechanics.

The first island - the starting point

The second part of the map is where players will encounter a variety of enemies, including both melees and ranged types. This area is designed to continue training players in combat skills and also includes the possibility of finding secret chests. Unlike the first part of the map, this area has less fog but more enemies, making it a more challenging starting zone. Additionally, this area also includes a sandstorm particle effect, which can make it even more difficult for players as they navigate and spot the enemies through the map.

Middle island - the combat zone

Middle island foggy volume and a sneak peek from the enemy

The final part of the tutorial zone is the boss arena, where players must face off against the plane guard in order to progress and leave the cursed zone. This boss battle serves as a test of the skills and knowledge players have acquired throughout the tutorial zone, and will require them to utilize all of the combat mechanics they have learned thus far. The boss arena is designed to be challenging and will require players to think strategically and make use of all the tools at their disposal in order to emerge victorious. This is the ultimate challenge that players must face in order to advance in the game and continue their journey.

Boss arena

Aerial map from the first zone

How?

Creating these landscape elements is easier than it looks, maybe it is hard to believe but the foundation for this is this video where the author shows how to use the displacement Modifier, and tweak the settings that you need to achieve similar patterns that I have.

Landscape mesh with and without displacement modifier

As you can see, the modeling I created is relatively basic and straightforward. The main focus was on using the displacement modifier and managing the polygon count, as this landscape could reach up to 200-300k triangles, which is not ideal for performance. However, by using this method, it is easy to create lower poly models for level of detail (LOD) optimization.

Thank you for reading!

- Bence (Oliminor)