Blocktober Task 1: Single-Player Narrative Map Blockout

The first milestone of Blocktober challenges participants to create a whitebox blockout of a single-player narrative map. This task is designed to introduce the fundamentals of level design, helping participants understand how to build engaging spaces that tell a story, guide player flow, and set the mood of an environment before any final art or textures are applied. No prior experience is required—just curiosity, creativity, and the willingness to explore game design concepts hands-on.

Your blockout should present a “slice of life” playable level, showing how a player might move through the space and interact with it. Key elements include placing enemies, treasure, or other interactive objects in ways that encourage exploration, reward curiosity, and challenge the player. This is your opportunity to experiment with scale, depth, and pacing to make your map feel alive. By focusing on whiteboxing, you can iterate quickly on gameplay ideas without worrying about visuals, proving that good design always starts with solid fundamentals.

By the end of this milestone, participants will have a playable prototype level in Unity that captures the spirit of a single-player experience. This exercise will strengthen skills in spatial awareness, player guidance, and interactive placement—all essential for any aspiring designer. Whether your map leans toward exploration, combat, or storytelling, the emphasis is on making deliberate choices that shape how the player feels and moves within the space.