Originally presented by Joel Burgess and Nathan Purkeypile at GDC 2016, this presentation expands on the 2013 "Modular Level Design of Skyrim" presentation.

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

5. Modular Kits 101

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. Who We Are
● BGS as a studio

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

12. What Came Before

13. Daggerfall (1996)

14. Morrowind (2002)

15. Bloodrayne 2 (2004)

16. Bloodrayne 2 (2004)

17. Oblivion (2006)

18. Fallout 3 (2008)

19. Fallout 3 (2008)

20. Skyrim (2011)

21. Skyrim (2011)

22. Skyrim (2011)

23. Fallout 4 (2015)

24. Modular Kits 101

25. Fundamentals
● Begin by Defining Footprint

26. Slide taken from 2013 session

28. 256
2
5
6

29. 256
5
1
2

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

31. Slide taken from 2013 session

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

33. Slide taken from 2013 session

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

40. 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

42. Techniques
● Use Layered Inserts w/Base Kits

47. Slide taken from 2013 session

48. Fallout 4 – GNN Plaza

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

50. Slide taken from 2013 session

51. Slide taken from 2013 session

52. Slide taken from 2013 session

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

54. Slide taken from 2013 session

55. Slide taken from 2013 session

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

61. Preparing for the Future

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

77. The Building Kit

78. Fallout 3 Office Kit (2008)

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

81. Piece Granularity

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

83. BldWoodPSmHall2Way01
See 2013 talk for more on naming conventions

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

86. BldWoodPSmFlrOnly01
BldWoodPSmWall01
BldWoodPSmWall01
BldWoodPSmWallCorner01
BldWoodPSmCeilOnly01

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

90. Workflow For LDs

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

93. 1
2
3
5 9
6
4
7
10
11
12
8
13
14
15
16
17 18 19 20

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

95. Preserving Workflow
Old Way
New Way

96. Preserving Workflow
Pack-In Prefab
Exploded Granular

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

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

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

100. First Pass (June 2012)

101. Final Version (Nov 2015)

102. Kit Priorities

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

104. Taken From 2013 Talk

105. GENERIC
REPEATED

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

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

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

114. Kit Variation

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

122. Bldg - Brick

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

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

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

143. Other Kits

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

145. Industrial Kit

157. Utility Kit

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

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

166. Steam Tunnel Kit

174. Deco Kit

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

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

179. Building Boston

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

181. Fallout 3

185. Authenticity vs Accuracy

186. Authenticity > Accuracy

187. Process
● Coastline & Scale

189. Process
● Coastline & Scale
● Skyline

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

191. WIP Screenshot circa March 2013

192. Final Game Screenshot (2015)

193. Pre-Launch Fan Analysis (2015)

194. Process
● Coastline & Scale
● Skyline
● Thoroughfares

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

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

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

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

206. 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

207. Optimization
Gameplay Pacing
Encounter AI
Modular
Workflow

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

211. Can we
support an
alternate
route?

212. Sure.

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

216. Modular
Workflow Optimization
Gameplay Pacing
Encounter AI

217. Grab Bag!

218. Plug & Socket System

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

220. Sockets
Plugs

222. Kit-Based Destruction

223. Wall Holes
● Problem: Visual Quality vs Repetition

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

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

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

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

249. Cracks
Gross, Mold.
Greebles
Rust Stains

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

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

258. Helper Markers
● Alluded in 2013

259. Wall Edges
Ceiling
Markers
Doors/Holes

260. Prop Kits

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

268. Conclusion

271. Understand Your Team Priorities
Understand Your Game Priorities

273. Thanks!

274. ● 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