Hub Level - Bifrost: Through the Realms
This is the V.R.D.C., or Valkyrie Recreation and Deployment Center, from Bifrost: Through the Realms. The V.R.D.C acts as the game's hub space where the Player starts each level, can see their collectible progress, and serves as an organic way to have downtime between levels. I did the initial concept drawing for the layout of the level but the first blockout and the initial stages of development were done by other team members. I returned to the V.R.D.C. when the previous strike team lead had to step away from the project and so I became the strike team lead from then to the end of the project. The first two images after the concept are what the V.R.D.C. looked like just before I became the strike team lead, I had no hand in getting the V.R.D.C. to that point, but everything after is what I was in charge of and what my team and I were able to accomplish. I coordinated with artists and engineers to make the V.R.D.C. come alive and fit the purpose we needed it to serve for the player.
My overall design philosophy for the V.R.D.C., when I did the initial concept and became the strike team lead, was to have a stress-free space for the Player to be in after levels. Bifrost is a very fast-paced game, and the story has high stakes, so making a space for the Player where they can momentarily get away from those sides of the game was important to me. I also wanted there to be a mixture of nature and technology throughout the space. The most prominent example of this is the centerpiece of the room where a hologram of the World Tree sits in a circle of grass surrounded by rocks and one of the many datapads that can be found throughout the game. Also in the V.R.D.C. are the Monolith hallways which take the Player to the corresponding level. Those are made up of assets and materials that are representative of what the level looks like. I wanted the space to have a feeling of the old and new, to evoke the feeling that the V.R.D.C. was built around these Monoliths and not just placed there.
The V.R.D.C. changed from the initial concept to the final version in a few big ways. Originally, the V.R.D.C. had a second level which would have provided some vertical space for the Player to explore and provided us with room to include diegetic storytelling through the use of data pads and environmental storytelling through objects and posters throughout the rooms. The idea for a second floor was ultimately scrapped and everything that was going to be included on the floor was moved to the first floor instead. This was done in order to save time and resources for more important aspects of the V.R.D.C. In my original concept, the Monoliths were in the main room with everything else and surrounded by a patch of grass with a grass and stone pathway leading to it from the center of the room. This was where I originally wanted to bring nature into the space. It later evolved into the Monolith hallways with scenery from the respective realms the level takes place in. I still wanted to have an area with grass and stone, however, so I made the center area with the holographic World Tree include those elements.
You can play Bifrost: Through the Realms and explore the V.R.D.C. on Steam or itch.io for free.
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2386970/Bifrst_Through_the_Realms/
itch.io: https://bifrostgame.itch.io/bifrost
This is the initial design concept for the V.R.D.C. This concept included a second floor which would have had other elements of diegetic storytelling. The Monoliths are also not in hallways but instead in the main chamber surrounded by grass.
What the V.R.D.C. looked like just before I became the strike team lead. The level Monoliths are on the right side and the DEFCON screen is on the left; these will be swapped.
A better view of the lounge area in front of the DEFCON screen. When I became the strike team lead, I removed this section because I felt it gave an overly laid-back feeling to the entire space.
From here on out, I am the strike team lead on the V.R.D.C. I swapped the locations of the Monoliths and DEFCON screen so the Monoliths and final level door were continuous along the wall.
New location of the DEFCON screen. Holograms of a shield and axe flank either side of the screen.
This is the trophy room, which will turn into the Data Log Repository, a space where the Player can see their collectible progress. Originally, it had the holograms of weapons inside, but I moved them out to be in the main chamber.
Original block out of the Monolith hallways. A 3D modeler on my team wanted to know what size he should make the hallways, so I blocked it out for them.
Functioning doors now lead to every room, and the Monolith hallways have been created. I made the World Tree area have a bit more personality. It now sits in a bed of grass with normal rocks and Rune Rocks around it.
We changed the floor tiling to circular instead of square to fit with the space better.
The Rune Rocks are the three tall rocks on the left. They signify a special area. There is a data log sitting beside one, detailing some history of the V.R.D.C.
The final version of the V.R.D.C. We worked on the lighting to make it feel cool and calm inside. The roof now has a moving material behind it with runes displayed on it. The doors now change from red to blue to signify if it is locked or not.
The DEFCON screen cycles through images of the realms to give a feeling of a security camera. There is also now a difficulty select under the screen. Holograms now sit on pedestals that were modeled by me.
The Data Log Repository. Approaching a case will tell the Player how many logs remain in its corresponding level. When the Player has collected all logs the shield will turn rainbow!
Heimdall's (AI voice companion and Director of the Asgard Initiative) office. Originally, the room felt a bit empty so I added holograms of the enemies the Player faces throughout the game.
The hallway for Monolith 1 (the first level). The level takes place in Muspelheim, the realm of fire, and Jotunheim, the realm of ice. The hallways all have a section dedicated to each realm's natural environment.