Filip
Pogodziński

COMPLETE PIECES

BLOCKOUTS

silent streets

Unreal Engine 5 with AGLS

Step 1: Idea

The idea was simple: to capture the overall atmosphere of Silent Hill 2, especially the empty, foggy streets of a small American town. I had a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve and the kind of emotions I wanted to evoke in the player.From the very beginning, I felt the level needed a stereotypical American diner, as well as that uncanny ravine that occasionally cuts through the streets in Silent Hill.

As for the gameplay, I aimed for a mix of action and light puzzle-solving, but most importantly, a strong, unsettling atmosphere and careful, slow-paced exploration.

Step 2: Engine, Assets, Tools

My main tool of choice was, of course, Unreal Engine 5. To speed up the process, I decided to use AGLS v1.6 by Jakub W., which allowed me to focus on the level itself rather than building all the gameplay systems from scratch. It provided a solid player controller along with a range of useful features.I still made a few adjustments along the way, mainly to the camera settings and movement feel, to better match the experience I was aiming for.

The next step was choosing the assets I wanted to use. My go-to tools were Blockout Tools and the Blocking Starter Pack. The first one is perfect for a fast initial blockout, while the Blocking Starter Pack helps add more detail and shape the overall geometry.I also used the Polygon City asset pack, which allowed me to populate the streets with vehicles and additional urban elements. In some areas, I incorporated assets from a Low Poly Nature pack as well. By sticking to the materials from the Blocking Starter Pack, I was able to keep the entire blockout visually consistent.

Last but not least, I used 3D Letters to create simple signs that help guide the player through the environment.You can get mentioned assets from here:
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This is also a good place to mention the other tools I used: Figma and Photoshop, which were especially helpful when designing the overall layout of the level and managing entire content needed for this post.

Step 3: References

When it comes to references, I mainly searched for them on Pinterest. Of course, watching gameplay from Silent Hill 2 Remake was also an important part of the process.

I decided to break my references down into a few key categories: direct atmosphere references from SH2, the vibe of a small American town, an American diner, and a small hotel serving as the player’s main destination.

Step 4: Top View Sketch

I'm gonna be honest - I am not a huge fan of pen 'n' paper. I believe that I can skip this part and jump straight into the engine where I can test geometry, scale and other things on the go and also not spend much time on it.This time though, I decided to sketch my level first. I started with the rough sketch using a pen and some paper. I didn't pay much attention to it as I just wanted to draw something fast and then remade it as a digital version.

The other thing I did here is a small and simple graph that shows the connections between major areas of the level. This element will also be transfered into digital version later.

Step 5: Digital Layout

Text

Step 6: Blockout - Iteration 1

First overall blockout, sense of scale. Blockout tool

Step 7: Blockout - Iteration 2

Adding details to the blockout using Blocking Starter Pack, Low Poly Nature and Polygon City.

Step 8: Blockout - Iteration 3

Detailed Interiors, experimenting with fog and lighting. Adding atmosphere to the level. More details. Additional lights with disabled shadows and inverse squared falloff for smoother blend.

Step 9: Custom blueprints

Breakable Glass, Padlocks, Keys, Doors, Pushable Bin

Step 10: Blockout - Iteration 5

Changes in flow, adding more thinking to getting the final hotel key.

Step 11: Blockout - Iteration 6

Clear Guiding

Step 12: Blockout - Iteration 7

Even though enemies are a very important part of both the gameplay and the level, I decided to introduce them closer to the end of development. Since there are no traditional enemy paths and the encounters are more scripted, I wanted the level to be nearly finished so I could better shape the tension and overall sense of fear.

Step 14: Blockout - Iteration 8

Polish and additional details

Finished Piece and Walktrough

Polish and additional details

old mine camp (Blockout)

Unreal Engine 5 with AGLS

WIP

Unreal Engine 5 with AGLS

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