Rayman Legends: The Design Process Within the UbiArt Framework

The speaker introduces themselves, mentioning it's their first time speaking at GDC and expressing gratitude that people are attending. The central topic is the challenge of harmonizing artistic vision and gameplay direction in game development, specifically within Ubisoft Montpellier's workflow for creating Rayman Legends. They mention a tool, UV art framework, developed to streamline the process, allowing for rapid, intuitive, and flexible production.

The speaker shares their background as a game and level designer at Ubisoft Montpellier, working primarily with the UV art framework to build Rayman titles. They outline the plan to discuss their design process, the technology used, and specific tools and systems from Rayman Legends, ending with a sharing of insights from post-mortem analysis and a sneak peek into other games using the framework.

Key design philosophy: 'rapid iterative failure,' where failing quickly and often is part of the process to eventually achieve a successful idea. They emphasize that no idea is sacred, suggesting a culture of flexibility and adaptability in design. The idea is to quickly prototype, prove or disprove concepts, and only then involve more team resources if necessary.

Workflow involves simultaneous but separate collaboration between artists and designers, with each handling different aspects (level design layer vs. art layer). The approach allows for continuous work without significant downtime as updates are seamlessly integrated. Emphasizes designing with the artist in mind, adapting gameplay to fit aesthetic constraints which promotes creativity and harmony in the design.

The process to design artistic and gameplay elements in Rayman involves creating solid gameplay toplogies with artistic considerations. The speaker showcases how certain levels were conceived, integrating concept art into level design without artist-driven concepts initially. They stress the importance of iterative prototyping and flexible tools in allowing rapid creativity and problem solving.

Rapid prototyping leveraging the UV art framework, which allows for easy asset integration and manipulation. The tools enable designers and artists to build complex elements quickly, use visually complete geometry for level design, and make adjustments in real-time, enhancing efficiency and reducing the cost of discarded ideas. Highlighted the ability to sketch and iterate directly within the engine.

The talk highlights the use of specialized tools within the UV art framework, such as the ability to quickly manipulate 'freezes' or level geometry, and Lua scripting for more customizable gameplay prototyping. These tools support the philosophy of rapid prototyping and flexible design, leading to efficient development cycles.

Case studies demonstrate the application of the UV art framework in Rayman Legends production, showing how rapid iterative testing and prototyping using the engine’s tools led to successful gameplay innovations. These include stealth levels maintaining flow and experimenting with combining gameplay mechanics.

Details technology advancements and tool use, such as the development of the UB art framework for Rayman Origins and its evolution. The tool's adaptability is showcased through video examples demonstrating speed and efficiency in level design and prototyping. Some challenges and solutions in maintaining the tool's functionality across titles are also discussed.

The speaker recollects the development process, highlighting successes and areas for improvement. While rapid iteration enabled creativity and prototyping, clear documentation and communication presented challenges. They emphasize the small team structure that allows for efficient problem-solving and knowledge sharing.