Summary

This level began as an exploration of how museum architecture could naturally guide players through a space of discovery and tension. Even without combat or scripted encounters, the environment itself carries the pacing — each hall, atrium, and display area is positioned to control how players move, look, and anticipate what’s ahead.

Layout Philosophy

The museum is organized around a central exhibit hall, designed as the primary focal point of the experience. Four side wings extend from this hub, each with its own visual rhythm and thematic identity. From a level design standpoint, that structure provides clear spatial hierarchy — the player always knows when they’re in a major space versus a transitional one, and every return to the hub feels like a narrative reset point.

Sightlines are deliberately long in the main hall and short in the wings. That contrast sets a cadence: openness for orientation, compression for curiosity. The tighter side rooms also help frame different color and lighting schemes for each thematic zone while keeping traversal readable at blockout stage.

Spatial Composition & Readability

At greybox scale, I focused on clean navigation lanes and consistent vertical proportions. The museum’s walls and pillars are laid out to form clear silhouettes from multiple approach angles — helping the player intuitively understand scale and spatial boundaries even before materials or props exist.

Large doorframes and window cutouts act as framing devices, pulling attention to the next area or to points of interest within the exhibits. Even the ceiling height changes subtly from one section to another to influence player tempo — lower in corridors to compress movement, higher in the atrium to reestablish a sense of grandeur.

Flow and Player Guidance

The player’s route follows a loop that reinforces natural exploration. From the entrance, subtle directional cues — aligned lighting strips, floor inlays, and framing arches — pull the eye toward the center. From there, the layout radiates outward, allowing players to branch off, explore, and return without getting lost.

Each side room is distinct in shape language and proportion, ensuring players can reorient instantly when they re-enter the central space. That’s crucial in a setting where multiple points of interest exist; you never want the player asking “where was I?” at greybox stage.

Spatial Intent by Wing

The four wings are differentiated by their geometry and implied tone, inspired by the conceptual masks from the document:

• Baron Samedi’s Wing – Tall and formal, with vertical columns that emphasize symmetry and weight.

• Papa Legba’s Wing – Intersecting corridors and doors that create layered sightlines, evoking decision and crossroads.

• Erzulie’s Wing – Softer curves and flowing paths that open gently into wider spaces, evoking calm.

• Ogoun’s Wing – Angular, forward-pushing geometry that naturally accelerates player movement.

Even without textures or props, the blockout communicates these traits through form and proportion.

Reflection

This build was a study in environmental rhythm and legibility — proving that even in a static museum setting, spatial pacing alone can drive engagement. Every angle of the blockout was designed to read clearly in motion capture, and every transition was tuned to make players feel guided, not forced.

The result is a level that stands on its own: a museum that tells its story purely through architecture, composition, and flow.