In Brittlebone Fields, a food raid turns into a full-blown conflict with local human settlements.
The final level in the campaign, The Northern Coast was my biggest level featuring nearly 60,000 hand placed assets.
The players have to search the ruins of a lost city to locate a legendary blacksmith: The Master Scrapper.
Players are tasked with exploring an abandoned dwarven city and uncover its secrets in search of The Kind Shephard.
In the Scrapper’s Shelter, players descend underground to face the blacksmith in a controlled combat arena.
An optional (and cancelled) bounty level, Overgrown Ruins would see players track a bandit lord in a decaying fortress deep in the jungle.
OVERVIEW
MY ROLE
I worked as a Level Designer on SpellForce 3: Fallen God, contributing six full campaign levels across both RPG and RTS gameplay. From layout to scripting, my focus was on player flow, encounter pacing, and visual readability.
My daily tasks involved:
- - Created layouts, enemy placements, and environmental composition
- - Integrated gameplay sequences with scripting and quest logic
- - Balanced combat flow, resource pacing, and exploration
- - Worked closely with narrative and art teams to support tone and gameplay
- - Conducted optimization passes to ensure stable performance
LEVEL LIST
- I was on the project for roughly one year and designed and owned six full campaign levels
- The Kind Shephard
- - The Northern Coast
- - Brittlebone Fields
- - The Master Scrapper
- - The Scrapper's Shelter
- - Overgrown Ruins (cancelled)
For more detailed info on individual levels and additional screenshots, please see my Artstation profile.
LIFE CYCLE OVERVIEW
DESIGN CHALLENGES
STATIC DRAGON, HIDDEN PROBLEMS
The challenge was designing an arena for a boss that couldn’t move at all. No walking, no repositioning, just a stationary target that somehow had to stay engaging for the entire fight.
I built multiple tiers and platforms around the dragon so players could attack from different angles and elevations. The arena became about positioning yourself rather than chasing the boss. I added environmental hazards and cover that forced movement even when the dragon didn’t.
Combat stayed interesting because players had to constantly reposition themselves while the dragon stayed put and breathed fire at whatever platform you were stupid enough to stand on too long.
ENVIRONMENTAL PUZZLES
The challenge was designing a complex puzzle system with minimal communication. Players had to figure out multi-step sequences entirely through environmental clues.
I built visible pipes running through the floor that connected to fantasy “fuse boxes” players could destroy to open specific doors. The pipe routes became the puzzle instructions, showing which targets affected which areas. Color coding and visual feedback made the connections clear without words.
Players followed the pipes like a treasure map, destroying the right fuse boxes in sequence to progress through the area.
CLUTTER FREE ARENA
The challenge was building an arena where every inch was combat space. No clutter, no decorative objects that could block movement or sightlines, but it still needed visual interest to avoid looking like an empty box.
I pushed all detail outside the playable boundaries and relied on textures and flat wall assets to create visual depth. Floor patterns and wall murals provided variety without affecting navigation. Different elevation changes gave tactical options while keeping the space completely clear for movement.
Players got a visually rich environment that never interfered with combat flow or positioning.
AWARDS
INFO
- Spellforce 3: Fallen God won the Deutscher Entwicklerpreis (German Deveveloper Award) for Best Game Graphics 2020.
At the same event it also received a nomination for the Best Game Design of 2020.
