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PEATLE Analysis for RECLAIM

P – Political

• Urban abandonment in RECLAIM can be seen as a metaphor for post-industrial neglect or state withdrawal from public spaces.

• Subway decay mirrors real-world consequences of budget cuts or mismanaged infrastructure.

• Could spark discussion on public investment vs. decay.

E – Economic

• Use of modular workflows and trim sheets reflects industry demand for cost-efficient asset creation.

• The abandoned subway setting mirrors economic downturn — what happens when spaces lose value?

• Your pipeline reflects an indie or solo developer mindset — making more with less.

A – Aesthetic (or Social)

• RECLAIM visually blends urban brutality with natural beauty, inviting players/viewers to feel haunted calm.

• Reflects post-pandemic themes: isolation, regeneration, memory.

• Influences from media (The Last of Us, Annihilation) align with rising audience interest in climate-anxious art.

• Emotion-driven composition taps into universal feelings of loss and hope.

T – Technological

• Uses Unreal Engine 5’s real-time rendering, Lumen lighting, Nanite — showcasing next-gen workflows.

• Also integrates VR compatibility and cinematic sequencing.

• Demonstrates technical autonomy (no third-party coder or team), fitting for solo/indie industry standards.

L – Legal

• All assets are original or sourced from licensed databases (e.g., Megascans).

• No IP infringement — not based on real-world locations or branded spaces.

• AI tools only used at concept level, with full disclosure and academic integrity maintained.

E – Environmental

• Central theme of RECLAIM is nature reclaiming human-made structures — highlighting climate narratives.

• Invites reflection on sustainability, urban decay, and the consequences of ecological imbalance.

• No artificial life forms or machinery — just slow decay and quiet takeover.

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Blog Post 45: Submitting the Pre-Production Document

I submitted the conclusive Pre-Production Document for RECLAIM yesterday.

It feels surreal. Many past iterations of myself combined together to form this project starting from Place of Mind through APACHE and the R&D and testing stages that followed. The design reveals the clearest version of my identity which consolidates into being a world-builder who tells stories through visual design alone.

The true agricultural phase of work has started with production activities.

And I can’t wait.

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Blog Post 44: Narrating Without Words

The main challenge of creating RECLAIM centers around narrating a story which lacks both characters and spoken words. The experience has forced me to dedicate additional attention to defining environmental storytelling properly.

All damage to benches alongside sign vegetation and dimming lights must contribute to advancing the storytelling. The experience I intend to share with viewers consists of sadness and peacefulness together with the slow build-up of optimism delivered through acoustic and visual elements.

The work I have been doing through RECLAIM represents the type of artistic pursuit I intend to continue past graduation.

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Blog Post 43: Gantt Chart and Time Planning

I completed my Gantt chart before the deadline for the Pre-Production document arrived. The document outlines twelve weeks of labor starting with modeling techniques and texture development and ending with sequencing processes and rendering tasks.

In my project planning I have included buffer weeks along with risk mitigation phases and set aside distinct periods for polish work. The experience of APACHE has shown me the potential dangers of escalating problems so I am implementing realistic detailed scheduling.

A strategic plan offers more than deadline completion since it enables creativity in my work.

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Blog Post 42: Scene Assembly and Lumen Testing

Today I imported the modular subway kit into UE5 before starting with its construction. The pieces of modular subway kit combined beautifully under the illumination of the lighting system.

I performed repeated Lumen global illumination tests to analyze both the wall tile reflection of light and the shadow patterns on the debris. Using post-processing volumes I managed to modify both contrast and saturation and fog density settings.

RECLAIM gained the distinctive look of its name after seeing its development from a structural perspective alongside its emotional character.

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Blog Post 41: Blocking the Subway in Blender

The first step in my subway structure modeling process happened in Blender where I started building the foundation of the structure. I paid attention to my earlier sketches while concentrating on modular building approaches which include walls floor platform pieces and pillars. The UE5 interface had exact grid alignment which enabled perfect mesh positioning.

The most beneficial approach proved to work with fundamental proportions without adding detail or bevelled edges since it focused on profile and spatial relationships. The scene already had a cinematic appearance during greybox rendering.

A whole lot of composition work starts well ahead of the time when lighting is being added.

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Blog Post 40: Building My Trim Sheet

The initial version of my trim sheet material began with Substance Painter. The material includes concrete panels together with tile strips and edge wear and painted metal which will enable me to texturize multiple modular pieces using a single asset.

My chosen method enables me to maintain a constant level of optimization together with consistency throughout every prop and modular wall.

The experience pleased me deeply because it brought together my analytical and artistic mental abilities.

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Blog Post 39: Moodboarding the Foliage

The subject of my work today revolved around natural elements such as ivy together with moss and root systems.

My reference collection included more than 30 items obtained in forsaken greenhouses and green tunnels together with ancient stone structures. Plants in my project serve more than decorative purposes since they belong to the main storytelling elements. Nature invades ruined areas by threading itself through spaces that people have forgotten and in this way it takes back what urban decay stole.

All base plant assets will come from Quixel Megascans which can be placed throughout the scene through UE5 foliage tool features.

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Blog Post 38: AI in Ideation — Ethical Boundaries

Today I tried different environmental prompts within the Midjourney application. The process allowed me to develop new perspectives even though I did not utilize any direct outputs. Composition techniques alongside lighting methods became stronger emotional tools because of it.

I implemented firm boundaries which protected my work at all times:

Every final project must omit all assets produced through AI. The only permitted AI application limits itself to concept development and planning work.

The statement concerning pre-production ethics appears in my document alongside proper acknowledgments.

Reference: Midjourney (2024) AI Concept Exploration. Available at: https://www.midjourney.com (Accessed: 10 Apr 2025)

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Blog Post 37: Researching Technical Art Pipelines

The switch to technical art design led me to investigate optimal methods of integrating trim sheet workflows with modularity features and performance enhancements in UE5.

Some highlights:

Use of master material instances

Creating reusable blueprint systems enables the management of lights together with props

The process of developing a performance budget for a non-VR cinematic production

Through this research I established my approach to work: Blender → Substance Painter → Unreal Engine 5 → DaVinci Resolve.

Reference:

Room8 Studio (2018) Video Game Pre-Production Core Steps. Available at: https://room8studio.com (Accessed: 8 Apr 2025)

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Blog Post 36: Sketching Out the Environment

I started making primitive draft sketches for RECLAIM during the beginning of today. I needed to develop a cinematic sequence for the subway layout instead of thinking in terms of typical game-level design which focused on playable zones.

I arranged the subway area into multiple visual segments which I called “beats”:

Entry tunnel: darkness, decay

Main platform: light shaft and overgrowth

The broken exit resembles open roots that represent a symbolic rebirth.

I am thinking as a filmmaker instead of a level designer for this project. The whole space requires meaningful visual statements from each direction.

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Blog Post 35: Pre-Production Document Planning

I worked with PureRef for many hours by gathering references. I began collecting the emotional ambience of RECLAIM by borrowing references starting with The Last of Us and Metro Exodus and continuing with urban exploration scenes from Eastern Europe and real-life images of moss-covered train cars.

The sources I picked followed a specific pattern.

Broken man-made structures

Natural overgrowth

Soft light cutting through darkness

The composition revealed itself as much more than visual elements since it symbolized specific concepts. Decay and rebirth. Silence and survival.

[being-mughal]

Blog Post 34: Building the Moodboard

I worked with PureRef for many hours by gathering references. I began collecting the emotional ambience of RECLAIM by borrowing references starting with The Last of Us and Metro Exodus and continuing with urban exploration scenes from Eastern Europe and real-life images of moss-covered train cars.

The sources I picked followed a specific pattern.

Broken man-made structures

Natural overgrowth

Soft light cutting through darkness

The composition revealed itself as much more than visual elements since it symbolized specific concepts. Decay and rebirth. Silence and survival.

[being-mughal]

Blog Post 33: Locking the Concept – RECLAIM

Striking through subway photography in the late hours I came across an image showing a deserted platform blanketed by ivy vines together with shattered glass. That was it.

I started writing down the concept in my notebook on the following day.

A derelict subway station. Forgotten by the world. Slowly reclaimed by nature.

The development of RECLAIM began when its creator chose to build it within Unreal Engine 5 as a real-time cinematic environment. No interactivity. No dialogue. You will find only space, light, texture and time in this work.

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Blog Post 32: Lighting Artist? Or Something More?

I informed Neil about my intention to work with lighting during my major project. Based on my idea Neil sent me a few comprehensive tutorials about advanced lighting techniques and tasked me with trial and error practices.

So I did.

The process of placing different lighting setups led me to understand I wasn't content with my work. I wanted to construct the entire environment in which those lights became the main components. I felt a desire to learn shaders as well as materials alongside modular assets and cinematic cameras in order to grasp the entire package.

A spark of interest to become a technical artist crossed my mind at that moment. The discipline appeared to unify creative and technical aspects into one field.

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Blog Post 31: Searching for Direction

After finishing APACHE I discovered myself stuck in mental uncertainty. The panel suggested we should start defining our ideas for the Final Major Study so I announced my intention to develop a game design project.

I examined APACHE closely along with the features I enjoyed most including atmosphere-building and modular design; game design then made me question whether it was the right fit.

The desire to excel through rules and mechanisms failed to inspire me. Motivation came from both my environment and the ways I told stories using space and mood. RECLAIM came into existence after I started questioning my own professional goals.

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Blog Post 30: Decision Point – Leaving Game Design Behind

While speaking with the panel I decided game design would be my subject for the Final Major Study but I became unsettled with my decision.

During the previous few weeks my interest shifted toward cinematic ones alongside atmospheric lighting and modular workflow design and hardware testing. Space provided me with more pleasure as a storytelling tool rather than mechanics. I began exploring technical art together with environmental cinematic techniques at this point.

A fresh concept began developing at that moment. A metro station which was forgotten by time becomes a natural habitat. Quiet. Poetic. Cinematic.

That’s how RECLAIM was born.