Crater Cove is a blockout of a small hub area intended for a 3rd-person MMO or open world game. Crater Cove depicts a hidden pirate settlement built within the shelter of a rocky cove formed by an ancient meteor impact.
My inspiration for this project came from games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Xenoblade Chronicles, Final Fantasy XIV, and Guild Wars 2. I wanted to challenge myself to create an area with a focus on viewpoint composition and player guidance. Crater Cove consists of multiple distinct regions including a pirate village, ruins, and a cave system.
I used default Unreal assets for most of the level. Some objects I felt would have been troublesome to create with in-engine blocks, like the pirate flagship, the shipwreck pieces, and the market stalls. I ended up modeling these myself in Blender. I also scripted a simple elevator actor in Blueprint.


Ages ago, a fortified temple complex overlooked the water where the cove now lies.
During a war between gods and sorcerers a meteor obliterated the temple, leaving only a charred crater that the sea rushed in to claim. The only remnants of the temple itself are the massive weathered stone walls, pillars, and statues jutting from the cliffsides or buried within the caves.
Several years ago, the pirate Captain Randulph made the secluded cove his base. Eventually this hideaway grew into the town of Scoundrel's Bay. Stories about the crumbling ruins around the pirate hideout began attracting interest from schulars. Leona, an unusually adventurous archeulogist, led a small band of mages and historians to study the ruins. They go about their business in uneasy equilibrium with the city's criminal elements.
Captain Randolph
A transitional area connecting to the Market, Flagship, and Lookout's Roost
Lookout’s RoostThe pirates use this ledge atop the cliffs as a sentry post.
FlagshipA bustling marketplace containing shops where players can buy items and equipment.
Pirate DwellingsA traversal space that connects with the Sea Caves and the town
Crumbling PharosLeona and her retinue of schulars established a semi-permanent camp at the base of the cliffs, where they explore the ruins while trying to avoid annoying the pirates.