1.
The Modular Level
Design of Fallout 4
Joel Burgess & Nate Purkeypile
Bethesda Game Studios

2.
Modular Kits 101

3.
We’re Doing a Sequel!
● Original Talk: 2013 @ LD in a Day
● We’ll show URL on the end slide
● Today’s Talk:
● Recap Core Ideas from 2013
● Updates & Examples from Fallout 4

4.
Who We Are
● Nate Purkeypile
● Environment Artist
●The tall one
● Joel Burgess
● Level Design
●The one talking right now (hi!)

5.
plus
DLC
plus
DLC
plus
DLC
Bloodrayne
2
Aeon Flux Metroid
Prime 3:
Corruption
TESIV:
Oblivion
Fallout 3 Skyrim Fallout 4
Shivering
Isles
Mehrunes
Razor
Point
Lookout
Operation
Anchorage
The Pitt
M. Zeta
Dawnguard
Dragonborn

6.
Bloodrayne
2
Aeon Flux Metroid
Prime 3:
Corruption
TESIV:
Oblivion
Fallout 3 Skyrim Fallout 4
Shivering
Isles
Mehrunes
Razor
Point
Lookout
Operation
Anchorage
The Pitt
M. Zeta
Dawnguard
Dragonborn

7.
Who We Are
● BGS as a studio

8.
Technique
Context
Process
Studio & Game
Goals
Culture
Values
Priorities

9.
What Came Before

10.
Daggerfall (1996)

11.
Morrowind (2002)

12.
Bloodrayne 2 (2004)

13.
Bloodrayne 2 (2004)

14.
Oblivion (2006)

15.
Fallout 3 (2008)

16.
Fallout 3 (2008)

17.
Skyrim (2011)

18.
Skyrim (2011)

19.
Skyrim (2011)

20.
Fallout 4 (2015)

21.
Modular Kits 101

22.
Fundamentals
● Begin by Defining Footprint

23.
Slide taken from 2013 session

24.
256
2
5
6

25.
256
5
1
2

26.
Fundamentals
● Begin by Defining Footprint
● Be cautious with Non-Uniform Tiling

27.
Slide taken from 2013 session

28.
Fundamentals
● Begin by Defining Footprint
● Be cautious with Non-Uniform Tiling
● Build Within Footprint extents

29.
Slide taken from 2013 session

30.
Fundamentals
● Begin by Defining Footprint
● Be cautious with Non-Uniform Tiling
● Build Within Footprint extents
● Pick a Pivot, and stick with it.

31.
Fundamentals
● Begin by Defining Footprint
● Be cautious with Non-Uniform Tiling
● Build Within Footprint extents
● Pick a Pivot, and stick with it.
● Use Standardized Transitions

32.
Techniques
● Use Layered Inserts w/Base Kits

33.
Slide taken from 2013 session

34.
Fallout 4 – GNN Plaza

35.
Techniques
● Use Layered Inserts w/Base Kits
● Local Snap Parents aka Custom Grids

36.
Slide taken from 2013 session

37.
Slide taken from 2013 session

38.
Slide taken from 2013 session

39.
Techniques
● Use Layered Inserts w/Base Kits
● Local Snap Parents aka Custom Grids
● Pivot-And-Flange kits for organic areas

40.
Slide taken from 2013 session

41.
Slide taken from 2013 session

42.
Always Look Forward
● Be willing to experiment w/Process
● ...but be deliberate.

43.
Preparing for the Future

44.
Fallout 4 Family of Kits
● Retail
● Institutional
● Church
● High-Tech
● Industrial
● Public Space
● Steam Tunnel
● Cave
● House
● The Institute
● Neo-Classical
● Office
● Vault
● Quarry

45.
Allocating Time & Attention
Retail
Institutional
Public Space
Neo-Classical
Office
High Tech
Church
Steam Tunnel
Cave
House
The Institute
Other
Shack

46.
Kit-Building Overhead
● Each Kit is time-consuming to create
● Lead Time
● On-boarding
● Iteration & Maintenance

47.
Studio Allergies
● Identify Time Sinks
● Avoid Redundant Work
● Get to Playable Faster

48.
Consolidating Like Kits
● Retail
● Institutional
● Church
● High-Tech
● Industrial
● Public Space
● Steam Tunnel
● Cave
● House
● The Institute
● Neo-Classical
● Office
● Vault
● Quarry

49.
Consolidating Like Kits
● Retail
● Institutional
● Church
● High-Tech
● Industrial
● Public Space
● Steam Tunnel
● Cave
● House
● The Institute
● Neo-Classical
● Office
● Vault
● Quarry

50.
Kits as Solutions
● What problem does a kit solve?

51.
Allocating Time & Attention
“Building”
High Tech
Industrial
Church
Steam Tunnel
Cave
House
The Institute
Other
Shack

52.
The Building Kit

53.
Fallout 3 Office Kit (2008)

54.
The Building Kit
● Traditional Construction of Varying Types
● Unified Workflow across kits
● Standard Sub-Kit Types
● Rooms
● Halls
● Stairs, Railings, Platforms, etc.

55.
Piece Granularity

56.
Breakdown: A Corner Piece
● Old System: Export from 3DS Max
● Lots of redundant work

57.
BldWoodPSmHall2Way01
See 2013 talk for more on naming conventions

58.
Breakdown: A Corner Piece
● Old System: Export from 3DS Max
● New System: Editor/Pack-In

59.
BldWoodPSmFlrOnly01
BldWoodPSmWall01
BldWoodPSmWall01
BldWoodPSmWallCorner01
BldWoodPSmCeilOnly01

60.
Higher Granularity
● Break Wall/Floor/Ceiling Groupings
● More Destruction Flexibility
● Kit Interchangeability
● Flexible layouts
● Less Dependence on pre-determined combos

61.
Workflow For LDs

62.
Granularity & LD Workflow
● More Flexibility
● More Time-Consuming

63.
1
2
3
5 9
6
4
7
10
11
12
8
13
14
15
16
17 18 19 20

64.
Old Way = 20 Objects
New Way = 123 Objects

65.
Preserving Workflow
Old Way
New Way

66.
Preserving Workflow
Pack-In Prefab
Exploded Granular

67.
Importance of Kit Readiness
● Kits are cornerstone
● Front-loaded in art schedule
● Graybox quality early
● Visual Iteration throughout dev
● Focus on “Trustworthy” Kit functionality

68.
Intelligent Dependencies
● Iterate Accordingly
● Level Design 5-Pass Iterations
● Discussed in 2014

69.
Pass 0
Concept
Pass 1
Layout
Pass 2
Gameplay
Pass 3
Content
Complete
Pass 4
Polish
Core Kit
Is
Usable
Layout
Is
Reliable

70.
First Pass (June 2012)

71.
Final Version (Nov 2015)

72.
Kit Priorities

73.
Kit Elements
● Hero Pieces
● Utilitarian Core
● Variants

74.
Taken From 2013 Talk

75.
GENERIC
REPEATED

76.
Generic = Versatile
● Common pieces are flexible
Your Unsung Heroes:

77.
Prioritizing Pieces
1. Utilitarian Core
2. Variants
3. “Hero” Pieces

78.
Unblocking Work
● Minimize LD roadblocks
● Get Real Use Cases ASAP
● Allow Maximum Time for Visual Iteration
● LD: Use Placeholders to Prove Need

79.
Kit Variation

80.
Building Kit Variants
● Brick
● Colonial
● Wallpaper
● Wood Panel
● Bare Wood
● Deco
● Concrete
● Unique

81.
Bldg - Brick

82.
Bldg - Brick
Bldg - Concrete
Bldg – Bare Wood

83.
Material Swaps
● Only changes the textures.
● Not an architecture change.

84.
Material Swaps
● Even more mix-n-match
● Takes very little time to make new ones

85.
Other Kits

86.
Let’s Create Kit X
● What is unique feature/problem of X?
● How Does it solve this?
● How Does it compliment other kits?

87.
Industrial Kit

88.
Utility Kit

89.
Wasn’t really worth it
● All that we cared about were the pipes

90.
“Glue” Kit
● Mix-and-Match kit usage
● Utility kit as “Glue”
● Works well to join separate kits
● Fictionally, Functionally, Cosmetically

91.
Steam Tunnel Kit

92.
Deco Kit

93.
Roof Trim
Main Tiling Body
Lobby Trim
Lobby Level
Foundation

94.
Interior/Exterior Transitions
● Able to move freely between the two
● No longer a load

95.
Building Boston

96.
Modular Workflow & Boston
● Fallout 3’s Washington DC
● Cloistered Neighborhoods
● Separate from Capital Wasteland

97.
Fallout 3

98.
Authenticity vs Accuracy

99.
Authenticity > Accuracy

100.
Process
● Coastline & Scale

101.
Process
● Coastline & Scale
● Skyline

102.
Importance of Skyline
● General Skyline Shape
● Establish Anchor Buildings
● Determine Relative Placement
● Provide Orienting Elements

103.
WIP Screenshot circa March 2013

104.
Final Game Screenshot (2015)

105.
Pre-Launch Fan Analysis (2015)

106.
Process
● Coastline & Scale
● Skyline
● Thoroughfares

107.
Bandshell
MIT
Fenway
Park
Copley Sq
State House
Faneuil Hall

108.
Process
● Coastline & Scale
● Skyline
● Thoroughfares
● Neighborhoods

109.
Process
● Coastline & Scale
● Skyline
● Thoroughfares
● Neighborhoods
● Ownership

110.
Process
● Coastline & Scale
● Skyline
● Thoroughfares
● Neighborhoods
● Ownership
● Iteration

111.
Hard Living
● Tons of hurdles had to be overcome
● Encounter Pacing
● POI/Exploration Density
● Combat and Detection, Enemy AI
● Performance, Occlusion, Sightlines
● Iteration and Metrics
● Everything took longer than expected

112.
Optimization
Gameplay Pacing
Encounter AI
Modular
Workflow

113.
Ability to React
● Fallout 3: Isolated
● Easy to Reshape & Adapt

114.
Can we
support an
alternate
route?

115.
Sure.

116.
Ability to React
● Fallout 3: Isolated
● Easy to Cut & Reshape
● Fallout 4: Interconnected
● Everything Had to Fit
● Required More Layout Flexibility

117.
Modular
Workflow Optimization
Gameplay Pacing
Encounter AI

118.
Grab Bag!

119.
Plug & Socket System

120.
Plug & Socket System
● Predefined “Socket” holes
● Compatible with several “Plug” pieces
● Maximize Flexibility for transitions

121.
Sockets
Plugs

122.
Kit-Based Destruction

123.
Wall Holes
● Problem: Visual Quality vs Repetition

124.
Wall Holes
● Solution: Mix/Match
● Lots of small pieces
● Multiplicative effect

125.
Platforms
● Problem: Ceiling/Floor Damage
● Solution: Tile-friendly “Free” platforms
● Useful option for demanding cases
● Highly Flexible

126.
Dynamic Destruction
● Per-Piece Destructibles
● Kit-Compatible
● Location Specific Damage
● Simple Physics Simulation

127.
Decals and Greebles
● Large “Gross” Decals
● Simple but very useful tricks
● Useful to obscure kit patterns

128.
Cracks
Gross, Mold.
Greebles
Rust Stains

129.
Tool: Layers
● Just like Photoshop
● Very useful, especially in complex scenes
● Huge time saver

130.
Tool: Mouse Wheel Swap
● Ctrl+Wheel: Quickly Replace Selection
● Embracing Existing Workflow
● Another huge time saver

131.
Helper Markers
● Alluded in 2013

132.
Wall Edges
Ceiling
Markers
Doors/Holes

133.
Prop Kits

134.
The Machine Kit
● Large core library
● Greebles, Fins, Tanks, etc
● LD Blocks Space Functionally
● Artist Handcrafts Machine Swap

135.
Conclusion

136.
Understand Your Team Priorities
Understand Your Game Priorities

137.
Thanks!

138.
● Modular Level Design of Skyrim (2013)
blog.joelburgess.com/2013/04/skyrims-modular-level-design-gdc-2013.html
● Iterative Level Design Process (2014)
blog.joelburgess.com/2014/07/gdc-2014-transcript-iterative-level.html
@JoelBurgess @NPurkeypile