Week 2 at DVNC has come and gone, and with that, I’ve continued to work on level designs and game design documents for Monochrome. Having the responsibility of expanding the world of Monochrome has both been enlightening and a bit of a challenge.

This week, I focused on updating some of my earlier level designs and took on three more. Currently, I have created 5 main level locations for the game, and each level consists of one to three floors. My personal favorite is the Town Inn, which I spent most of my time fidgeting around with and expanding.

The more I work on each level, the more I realize how intimidating interior design can be, virtually and physically. Before these projects, I had only a basic knowledge of 1920s interiors, so learning a handful of basic styles and layouts was essential for me. Luckily, I’ve come across a few digital copies of housing manufacturer brochures from the 1920s that have become increasingly handy. With a game with such an intricate and specific type of visual style, it’s a fun challenge to find a balance between realistic level designs and ones that provide a greater game play experience.

Next week, I plan on updating and finishing up three of the levels before moving onto important documentation tasks for the game. For now though, I must struggle with the finishing interior design elements on my most recent levels. As much as I’m a game designer, I didn’t think I would be practicing my own interior design skills through little colorful squares on a diagram. It’s been good practice for my own visualization skills though, but it can be daunting starting out.