DeadForce: Redemption
About
DeadForce: Redemption is a third-person shooter in which the player takes on the role of a gunslinger making their way through the streets of a town, fighting enemies along the way in an attempt to reach a nightclub.
Project Info
Role(s): 2D & 3D Artist, Game Designer, QA Tester
Team Size: 4
Timeline: Nov 2017 - Jan 2018
Engine & Tools: Unreal Engine 4 (C++), Autodesk 3DS Max
Tags: 3D, Action, Simulation, Third-Person Shooter
Updated: Mar, 2026
DeadForce: Redemption was developed by a team of four as part of the Computer Graphics & Game Systems (DAC415) module during my undergraduate degree in Computer Games (Indie) at Southampton Solent University. The project served as a tech demo for level streaming in Unreal Engine 4, while also showcasing the assets we made and our approach to building environments within a game engine.
Each team member was responsible for designing and building their own section of the level, creating custom assets in 3DS Max and populating their environment accordingly. Once complete, all sections were combined and streamed together to form a single, seamless level. Although the project was not released publicly, it was submitted for assessment and received good marks.
On this project, I contributed as a 2D & 3D Artist, Game Designer, and QA Tester. As a 2D & 3D Artist, I modelled and textured a variety of assets in 3DS Max, including a car, a leather chair, a stool, a table, a fire hydrant, and an air conditioner, helping to bring detail to the environment. I also designed a modular bar set made up of three interchangeable pieces, allowing for more flexible level layout and placement.
Alongside this, I created six seamless 2D textures (leather, metal, wood, wallpaper, brick, and fencing) to ensure visual consistency across the environment. On the design side, I developed a short narrative for the tech demo and produced a storyboard to help communicate how the story would connect with the gameplay experience.
I also implemented VFX, such as fog and lighting, to enhance the mood of the nightclub and the streets. Finally, as part of QA, I collaborated with the team to stream the final level together, integrating each student’s work into a cohesive, playable experience.
Working on this project taught me a great deal about level streaming in Unreal Engine, particularly when it came to combining multiple environments into a single playable space. It was also one of my first real experiences modelling and texturing 3D assets for use in a game engine, which meant learning how to optimise assets and prepare them correctly for import.
More Polygons than Smaug
I still remember that my first version of the bar had more polygons than Smaug from The Hobbit, which was a quick lesson in why optimisation matters! Looking back now, there are definitely areas that could have been more polished, and some of the assets feel a little inconsistent. However, this project was an important starting point for developing those skills and helped build the foundation I’ve continued to improve on since.
Collaboration across the team was also not as strong as it could have been, and if I were approaching the project again, I would place far more emphasis on aligning our vision early on so that each section of the level felt more connected. Even so, the project was a valuable learning experience and an important step in developing my technical and collaborative skills.