What I Did This Week

This week, I focused on clarifying my design direction for the project through research and a thorough study of the GDD.

Firstly, I completed Shaping Direction to understand the responsibilities and functions of this role within the game.Whilst reading Shaping Direction, I began to realise more clearly that a World Designer is not merely responsible for the appearance of the environment, but must also consider the relationship between gameplay structure, environmental storytelling and player immersion.

Secondly, I conducted an in-depth reading of the GDD for Soul Keeper, focusing on two key sections:
• Narrative World
• Sound design and music direction

Having completed my preliminary reading, I am beginning to gain a clearer sense of the direction my future research into world design should take.

Rather than continuing to expand on new setting details, I would prefer to first establish the fundamental logic linking the ecological structure and the environmental atmosphere, before considering how narrative and player immersion can be integrated into the world design.

At the same time, I have compiled a preliminary audio checklist in preparation for the subsequent production phase:

This planning slide is primarily intended to organise the relationships between different habitat regions, animal species and gameplay resources, and to help the team gain a clearer understanding of the current direction of world design and environmental structure.

Development Process & Direction

Upon reading the section on narrative world, I ‘ll noticed that the game in its entirety has a dream-like feel to it that is light-hearted but also has deep meaning behind it. Simultaneously, I also found that the current world framework is already fairly complete, with clear fundamental settings and consistent styling direction. Whilst reading the GDD, I began to consider how narrative, environment and soundscape support one another from the perspective of the overall experience, rather than simply viewing the setting in isolation.

With this in mind, I have decided to move beyond simply adding content. Instead, whilst maintaining consistency in tone, I intend to explore design extensions and optimisations to further refine the world design in terms of both structure and expression.

In the sound design section, I noticed that ambient sounds and animal sounds have been incorporated into the world-building process. The images on the webpage provided an excellent reference for my Audio Checklist, enabling me to plan the checklist in line with our team’s project progress and development stages.

Based on this understanding, I have divided my work into three phases, progressing step by step from structure to narrative and finally to experience. This sequence allows me to first establish a logical foundation and then gradually enhance the sense of immersion.

Reflection & Learning

Through this week’s research and study of the GDD, I have gained a clearer understanding of my role.

I have gradually come to realise that a World Designer is not merely about ‘designing environments’ more importantly, it involves connecting different systems, including ecology, narrative and player experience.

At the same time, this reading has deepened my understanding of the importance of ‘designing within existing frameworks’. Rather than creating from scratch, knowing how to build upon an established direction—or ‘designing within constraints’—is equally an integral part of the design process.

Furthermore, whilst compiling the sound effects list, I began to think ahead about the game’saudio planning. This will enable me to make more targeted choices during subsequent production, rather than scrambling for assets at the last minute.

This week’s research and planning process has made me realise that World Design is not merely about creating new content, but about how to build a more coherent environmental experience within the existing framework.