FMP - UDK - Level Build Up!

I have started to build my level now, from the previous practice, from which I was gaining an understanding of how to build and develop a level in game engine

.

I have expanded my level size resolution for extra density and then scaled that down to a smaller map for when I will sculpt on the terrain it will have a better density to get much more real depth and detail.

I was closely following my painted concept and on track to keep it as close as possible to it and at this point I made the area where rain accumulates which formed a large shaped puddle around the island where the tree stump sits.

I was still testing my old modelled grass, to see how they visually clumped together from above and when action in game. Due to them being modelled and costing quite an amount of countable tri's, I was worried about the performance significantly dropping to the point that the overall framework would not be as smooth and slow.

Here is where I have started to sculpt in my ground and the player route. The textures you see on the ground are the final terrain textures, unlike the previous practice textures that were used. I have still got a lot of painting and blending to do on the level to put the right ground textures accordingly

I have shaped more of the terrain around the puddle, giving some height to the edge and thinking about how the ground would look near the water; which would  be earth and muddy with this  transcending into the grass the further away from the water the bank goes.

This is where I started to place my alpha grass of the players route, starting with smaller grass enabling the player to have a greater view of his surroundings. I did this by using one of the UDK editing tools; I painted on the meshes on the ground allowing variation of size, scale and combining several other differences of grass bunches I had made to be achieved.

Continuing placing my grass around the level and other foliage I made, as you can see in the background. I wanted them to be much denser so, it would give a closed off feel to the player and the overall surroundings.

The skybox implemented, the clouds came out great and I was editing / tweaking in the options it's colour, rotation and cloud speed.

More spammed grass around other locations of the landscape.

Just combining and placing about more of the larger foliage like nettles, dock leaves, ferns and more.

Ground texturing in this area were looking more complete and so I decided to add more models to my level such as leaves, dandelion flowers and mushrooms.

Here is where I was placing my fungi on my tree stump to act as a platform stairs for the player to jump across and up, upon to the top of the stump.

I was adding some small filler assets such as the branch sticks and I was sizing down my rocks to be used as small stones.

As the player would gaze up into the sky it would be covered with a leafy canopy.

A birds eye view of the level the scene below shows the main playing area with the wizards house slightly offset. It is clear to see the pathways the player could take to get to the destination. I still have to finish rest of the outer boarder of the level, adding larger foliage, grass, rocks and finish sculpting the terrain and vertex painting.