Wulfsheim Village
Setup
Once the player enters the magical portal, they find themselves in the basement of an unoccupied house. After exiting the house, the player is greeted by the bitter cold and gloom of Wulfsheim Village.
Snowed In
The road out of the village has been blocked by an avalanche. Until the spring comes, the residents of Wulfsheim Village have no way out.
Architecture
The entrance to the fortified village is visible immediately. Braziers draw the player's eye to the walls of the village, giving them a clue as to where to go.
Environmental Storytelling
Inside the walls of the village, it is immediately apparent that some disaster has befallen the town. Several buildings lie the ruins. The streets are almost deserted. The captain of the guard approaches the player and begs their assistance.
interior Architecture
The Inn is the only place that still seems to have some life. While many of the chairs are empty, there are still a few lucky townsfolk who have managed to survive so far. Bjorn, the innkeeper, has a job for you. A bottle of rare ale has gone missing, and he'd like you to find it.
A Room For Rent
Bjorn has given you a room to help keep you out of the cold, and to store anything you should find. The room is free of charge, because it's not like anyone else is going to be renting it in the near future...
Preparing for Adventure
Wulfsheim's smithy has several powerful weapons to aid archers and assassins, but they do not come cheaply.
Mystery and Investigation
Clues from the few remaining villagers point you in the direction of the temple of Stendarr. The temple itself is locked, but many of the people that disappeared have been seen in the vicinity of the temple before they were taken.
A Hidden Path...
Players stumble upon a hatch to the basement of Tarn Yngvarson, one of the missing villagers. Upon entering the basement, the presence of blood on the floors and walls is enough to make even the most oblivious adventurer wary. Something very bad has happened here...
An Alternate Entrance
Should players follow the trail of blood, they stumble upon a hastily renovated tunnel that leads into the catacombs beneath the temple of Stendarr.
Game
- Oblivion
Description
“Wulfsheim Village” is a stand alone add-on to the Oblivion game world. I chose to create a level that catered to stealthy marksmen and assassins. As such, I set up my combat areas with plenty of bottlenecks and long lines of sight, with plenty of places to hide in the shadows.
The level places a strong focus on environmental detailing, quest design and narrative technique. Wolfsheim Village takes heavy inspiration from the “Nord” aesthetic that can be found in Bruma. I took this architectural aesthetic and applied it to as many facets of the level as possible, including the atmosphere and the characters themselves.
Story Synopsis: The player arrives through a magical portal at a village that lies on the border of Imperial and Nord territory. People have been disappearing throughout the village. Homes are broken into, and then burned to the ground, with no traces of their former inhabitants. Mildri Davynsdotter, the captain of the guard, has charged the player with uncovering conclusive proof as to the fates of the missing villagers.
Development Time
- Approximately 4 weeks
Tasks
- Created a single-player level, complete with documentation
- Initial Design and Documentation
- Area Layout using modular game assets
- Lighting and Decorative Mesh Placement
- NPC and Item Creation
- Placing enemy encounters, and balancing them for a stealth character
- Quest and Dialog Tree Scripting