Who I am
My name is Darya. I am a Level Designer, Environment Artist, and Game Designer for the project «AUKA».In this project, I am responsible for making the forest not just a decoration, but a living, breathing antagonist. I believe that a level should teach the game’s rules without a single line of text on the screen.My responsibilities include developing the game loop, level layout design (blockout), and creating procedural environment generation (PCG).
FEATURED PROJECT
Horror games teach players to trust two things: what they hear, and what the game calls «right». Sound always warns honestlt. Honestly, always pays off. Once learned, neither is scary anymore.
Other games ask: who is lying?
AUKA asks: can you trust yourself?
IDEA
MECHANICS
CYCLE
RESULT
How do I design space?
When I start working on a level, I ask myself one question: «What should the player feel here?»If the goal is to scare, I don’t add jump scares. I work with the space itself: I narrow the path, limit the view with trees, and create a sense that someone is watching the player. My approach is «Intent → Structure → Feel»: from intention to structure and sensation.In «AUKA», this is especially important because the core mechanic is silence. The forest has to be dense enough to make breathing feel terrifying, yet clear enough for the player to find their way back.
What exactly did I do in «AUKA»
- Game Design and Balance
I participated in developing the night loop (from the patrol to the report) and the mechanics of the gauges (noise and breath). We were looking for a balance where the player feels in control, yet understands how fragile it is. I calculated the starting noise values so that every mistake felt like a risk.2. Level Design and Blockout
I designed the layout of the forest area: the placement of the cabin, forks, paths, and anomaly zones. The goal was to create a «labyrinth without walls» — the player should lose their orientation but always see faint landmarks (light, sound). I built a grey blockout to test the pacing of the chase at an early stage.3. Procedural Generation (PCG)
To make the forest look dense and frightening, I set up PCG generation for the trees. Using a node-based system, I defined the density parameters so that the trees would not block the pathways but would still create a sense of claustrophobia. This allowed us to quickly change the look of the forest to meet gameplay requirements.
Additional experience
Project «Wormwood Star»
Role: 3D Modeler, Game Designer, Art-Coder, Concept Artist
