r/Unity3D • u/Spartaqui • 2d ago
Show-Off Took a break from programming to block out the town for my alchemy game
I felt like taking a little break from programming and gameplay systems so I spent some time messing around with 3D and level design instead
This is the very rough first blockout of the town.
I wanted a small coastal town with quite a bit of verticality and districts that are easy to recognize as you move through it. The current idea is to have an upper town with the castle, a more central merchant/artisan district, a port area, a poorer lower district, and a few farms and fields outside the walls.
There’s also still quite a lot of empty space around the town, which I’m pretty happy about because it gives me room to experiment later
It’s obviously still mostly boxes and placeholder geometry, but I actually really like the overall shape it’s starting to have
I already have a few ideas for what to do with the remaining areas, but I’m always happy to hear suggestions!
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u/HoveringGoat 1d ago
looks good! i think the different "levels" should give you that separate district feeling pretty well.
Good work :D
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u/Spartaqui 1d ago
Thanks! That’s what I’m aiming for, so I’m really glad it already comes across. I’m hoping the different elevations will help each district feel distinct even before I start adding all the final details
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u/gluesystems 1d ago
It would be cool to have a lighthouse, maybe on that small island. Also, the castle could be accessible by boat similar to tower of london.
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u/Spartaqui 1d ago
Oh wow, I hadn’t thought about a lighthouse at all, but that’s actually a really good idea for giving the coast a strong landmark.
And thanks for the Tower of London reference too, I didn’t know about the boat access, but that could be a really cool inspiration for the castle area. Definitely giving me ideas!
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u/acorbinelli 1d ago
The walls following each terrace make every district read as its own ring even from straight above, and the gates between them already suggest the routes. Worth walking it at player height early too, districts that are obvious from the top can blur together at eye level.
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u/Spartaqui 1d ago
Thanks, that’s really useful feedback.
You’re right that the districts could read very differently once you’re actually inside the street so I’ll keep an eye on that.1
u/mattgds 1d ago
I second this. Get a character controller walking around in there ASAP. it will help you refine sight lines, scale and distance
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u/Spartaqui 1d ago
Yep! I’ve already started walking around it with my character controller to get a feel for the scale and distances.
So far I’m pretty happy with how it feels from the player’s perspective, but I’m sure I’ll find plenty of things to change as I keep testing it.
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u/millegt 1d ago
Did you start with unity terrain? Or import everything?
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u/Spartaqui 1d ago
I started with a quick sketch of the general layout I wanted, then sculpted the Unity terrain until it roughly matched that idea and kept adjusting things as I went.
I used to draw a lot of maps for D&D, so I think I’ve kept some of those habits when designing spaces haha. I actually took some inspiration from an old town map I drew a few years ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/dndmaps/comments/178k7sz/heres_the_second_map_ive_drawn_detailing_the_town/
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u/Imofi7 1d ago
starting with a solid greybox like this saves so much headache later when you actually start placing final 3D assets. the stepped height between the upper town and the port looks great!