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Day 69 — Grayboxing the Campus Layout

Cozy GameFortnite / UEFN

Context

After several days of asset creation and landscaping, I decided to step back and gray box the campus layout. Having the buildings in place made it clear that the overall flow and spatial relationships needed more attention before committing to further landscape work. This phase is about ensuring the foundation is right before investing more time in details.

Grayboxing Campus GIFGrayboxing Campus GIF

Grayboxing for Layout Clarity

I used simple shapes to represent buildings and key areas, testing different arrangements to optimize both gameplay and visual clarity. This process surfaced several layout issues that would have been costly to fix later. It also reinforced the value of iterative design, especially for large, interconnected spaces.

Landscape Planning

With the gray box layout established, I paused further landscaping. Previous attempts had required multiple reworks, so this time I wanted to be confident in the layout before moving forward. This approach should save significant time and reduce frustration in the long run.

Summary

What I accomplished:

  • Gray boxed the campus layout for better spatial planning
  • Identified and resolved layout bottlenecks early
  • Deferred landscape work until layout was validated

What I learned:

  • Iterative design prevents costly rework
  • Grayboxing is essential for large-scale environments
  • Planning before detail work saves time and energy