XB3001 GAMES PROPOSAL #21: Preproduction Stage 7: Focal Points

This is the seventh of a series of eight posts detailing the preproduction process of my own level. This one focuses on the Focal Points stage.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, Focal Points are incredibly important parts of levels. They make the level aesthetically pleasing, draw the player's attention and help them orient themselves. A good example is the massive woman statue that appears as a recurring set-piece in DMC: Devil May Cry (example images below)

As you can see, this large asset draws the eye towards the path forward.
For my own level, I came up with the following ideas for a focal point:-


Large statue-like structure in distance

• Player gets closer as they proceed through the level
• Possibly custom model with basic texture
• Maybe have 3 of them, representing Good, Evil and Neutral/ Moral, Immoral and Amoral/ Right, Easy and Indecisive. Maybe another in the middle of the level as well

The last stage of Preproduction is the Top-Down Map, which I'll cover in the next post