Castle Island - open-world landmark location (Bus Simulator 27)
Castle Island
I was tasked with designing Castle Island as a supplemental area for the Old Town district, which was developed by another designer. The project presented several challenges: the site had to be fully drivable by bus and engaging gameplay-wise; the castle itself needed to serve as a visible landmark across the district, acting as a navigational aid; and the island was positioned in the river’s mouth between the historic districts and the massive, modern industrial port on the opposite bank.
To address these requirements, I designed an organically shaped island that was compact enough to be dominated by the castle, yet large enough to contain a miniature road network, allowing for more complex driving paths than a simple loop. The island’s elevation rises sharply toward the industrial bank, offering players sweeping gallery views of the structures across the water. I completed the design with a semi-natural wave-breaker, encouraging on-foot exploration and creating a literal crossover point between the old and new.
This mini-area remains one of my favorite designs for the game, especially that later on in the project I got to create the aforementioned industrial districts themselves - directly providing the vista view from the castle walls I have imagined earlier.
Beauty shot of the island as viewed from the ocean side.
View of the castle’s premises from the lowest part of the island, originally used as a logistical hub for the castle.
View of the level in its release-ready state, bathed in soft early-morning lighting.
View of the castle blockout from the Old Town district’s bank. Shots like that were made to ensure the island's silhouette is properly composed from all key angles.
Alternate side-view beauty shot of the island and the castle’s outer walls, highlighting the contrast between the historic architecture and the modern industrial installations across the water.
View of the wave-breaker’s bower against the industrial port in the background. By design, this spot acts as a symbolic transitional point between two completely different historical periods.
View of the castle’s main courtyard in finalized art and lighting. The art team preserved the medieval style throughout the castle, incorporating abundant vegetation and the island’s exposed rocky terrain.
View of one of the “gallery routes” that leads players outside the castle’s external walls, offering a clear, vista-like perspective of the industrial port across the water.
View of the wave-breaker from the castle’s upper walls. Players can descend to the lower ground via a steep stone staircase connected to the walls.
View of the castle’s lower courtyard illuminated by bright, sunny lighting.
Close-up view of the bower at the end of the wave-breaker, with a staircase leading up to the castle visible in the background.