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Alexandra Kervefors

Level & World Designer

A first-person open-world factory building game with a dash of exploration and combat.
Play alone or with friends, explore an alien planet, create multi-story factories, and enter conveyor belt heaven!
Also a winner at the Golden Joystick Awards 2024 for the PC Game of the Year!

Construct


Conquer nature by building massive factories across the land!

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Automate


Construct your factories with gracious perfection or build intricate webs of conveyor belts to supply all your needs!

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Explore & Exploit


Venture on expeditions to search for new materials and be sure to put everything to good use. Nature is yours to harvest! 

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Get it now on pc

MY role

World Designer 

My position at Coffee Stain Studios began in late August 2022 as a World Designer for their game project; Satisfactory. I contributed to the content development for Update 8 and the forthcoming 1.0 release as a member of the design team. I undertook the following responsibilities:

  • The polish and set dressing of various locations, such as caves and biomes. My focus in working with the foliage and assets at hand was to help create an immersive experience with environmental storytelling.
     

  • Providing polish to transition areas between different biomes in order to help them blend together.

 

  • Replacing and converting old blueprints and assets in order to improve the game's performance.

 

  • Participated in the planning of biome updates, foliage set decisions, and foliage variations.

World & Biomes

Satisfactory is set within a singular world, carefully designed, with no use of procedural generation in its crafting. Every element within the world is thoroughly hand-placed with thoughtful consideration.

The world features diverse biomes, encompassing deserts, forests, lakes, grass fields, mountains, and caves. 

My work includes the biomes:

Abyss Cliffs

The Abyss Cliff features a compact and rugged mountainous landscape adorned with a multitude of stone bridges and an assortment of buttes situated at different heights.

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The Abyss Cliff biome underwent layout adjustments, focusing on organic foliage placement due to abundant stone. 

Dense foliage clusters were impractical, leading to dispersed foliage, with added roots and rubble for a natural look on the rugged surface.

New assets replaced the old foliage set to better suit the area. The slideshow below illustrates the biome's appearance before and after the rework.

A gameplay adjustment was implemented by me in the biome, introducing a jump shortcut accessible to players who have unlocked a jetpack.

Before

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After

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Crater lakes

Crater Lakes is a highland characterized by multiple craters and serves as one of the primary pathways leading to Bamboo Fields.

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As part of my work in this area, I developed a foliage set that would complement the existing assets in the biome, aiming for a somewhat fantasy appearance with pastel colored foliage.

Additionally, I smoothed the landscape as necessary, so that the crates do not have jagged edges.

Below, you'll find a slideshow showcasing key highlights in this region, along with a glimpse of the small transition area that leads to the Rocky Desert

Desert Canyons

Located between the Spire Coast and Northern Forest and Titan Forest, Desert Canyons is a relatively small area that consists of a long canyon filled with indestructible stone mushrooms.

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It was my task to:
Assist with the transition from other biomes as well as re-paint the landscape painting with a clearer pathing.

Update the existing assets by replacing them with more recent versions.

Landscape the hills and the roads to make it more accessible with vehicles.

Modify the material or reconstruct cliffs as required.

Colors indicate areas where the foliage has slowly dried out to fit arid conditions.

As you approach Desert Canyons from Titan Forest, lush vegetation thins out, replaced by sporadic greenery and dry bushes.

The cliffs changed material, as logically, the sand would not be able to reach that altitude.

The Northern Forest transition area underwent an overhaul, incorporating replaced foliage and landscape painting. The transition shifts from lush green to dried sand rocks as one approaches the Desert Canyons.

The prominent main road was recoated with a more suitable material. The cracked surface suggests that water once flowed through this area, but has now dried up.

Additionally, the bumps on the road were smoothed out, and more space was created in the tight turn corner to facilitate easier vehicle navigation.

Several cliffs were replaced in the area with better-suited assets.
During the installation of the new cliffs, I tried to maintain the shape of the previous ones to minimize disruption to structures or factories built by players in the area.

The bumpy hills were smoothed and spaced out for better vehicle navigation. A new foliage set and landscape repainting were also done to depict the gradual drying out of foliage towards the desert.

The geyser pools underwent a foliage overhaul, implementing a more suitable foliage set, along with landscape repaint and shaping to address the rough edges.

Eastern dune forest

A sandy forest located at the East of the world, patches of sand dunes are separated by thin grassy areas.
 

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My primary responsibilities in this domain included:

A basic overhaul of the sub-biome known as Coin Forest. I planned and implemented new pathways, polished the foliage set, and added gameplay adjustments around the cliffs.

Refine the Dune Forest with a pre-planned foliage set, interconnect all dunes, and implement additional pathways through dense forests.

Coin Forest

In the Coin Forest task, I focused on planning new pathways in the sub-biome for improved navigation.

The green areas mark locations where foliage needed to be added or increased in density to create a denser forest.

While working on the paths, I strategically implemented framing elements using foliage and cliffs, to guide players more effectively, providing clearer visibility along the routes leading to the Blue Crater and Abyss Cliffs.

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This slideshow briefly presents the redesigned pathways in the sub-biome, highlighting the most significant changes.

I implemented additional pathways around the cliffs, enhancing accessibility to the higher grounds.

Overall slideshow of the Coin forest rework.

Dune Forest

The Dune Forest underwent a less comprehensive transformation compared to the Coin Forest. While a significant portion of the foliage had been tended to, the pivotal task ahead involved:

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Enhancing its spaciousness by implementing connecting roads and paths for both pioneers and vehicles.

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Refining the foliage with its latest replacement assets.

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Complement the landscape by repainting certain parts to achieve a more natural appearance.

These slideshows shortly depict the modifications and alterations made to the paths and roads in the area.

Overall slideshow of the the Dune Forest.

Red Bamboo Fields

Red bamboo fields is a dense highland with pastel themed foliage consisting of a maze with tall trees and flower plants.

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The biome underwent a thorough redesign, my tasks was to divide the biome into four distinct regions, each featuring a unique sub-biome, characterized by its own tailored foliage set, but all including the same iconic pink bamboo trees.
Additionally, I was responsible for landscape sculpting & painting to enhance both navigation and immersion within the biome.

bamboo Forest

In the Bamboo Forest, the primary tasks included:

Enhance the terrain pathing to help navigation for both pioneers and vehicles.
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Redesigning and refining the sub-biome's personalized foliage set.
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Complement the landscape by replacing the old terrain material with the new red grass and smooth out rough edges.

This sub-biome takes inspiration from a classic forest, focusing on preserving the natural density of a typical woodland. The design carefully integrates placed open clearings, filled with bushes and low ground foliage, to add variety and visual interest while keeping a natural flow.

This slideshow briefly presents the improved pathways in the sub-biome, highlighting the most significant changes.

Overall slideshow of the Bamboo forest sub-biome.

Bamboo Pond Garden

In the Bamboo Pond Garden, the main tasks included:

Smooth the rough terrain edges around the ponds.
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Repaint the landscape to the correct material, and sculpt when needed to enhance the sub-biome.
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Redesign and revamp the sub-biome's personalized foliage set, and replace the round rocks with a newer model.

This sub-biome draws inspiration from iconic Japanese gardens, featuring interconnected ponds with overflowing water.
Smooth, polished rocks are abundant throughout, and the area is less dense than others, with the ponds serving as the central focus.

This slide represent the overall changes, highlighting the refinement of the ponds' shapes and the increased density of foliage between the river and the ponds to improve visual coherence and natural integration with the landscape.

Overall slideshow of the Bamboo Pond garden sub-biome.

Bamboo Rocky forest

In the Bamboo Rocky Forest, the main tasks included:

Reshaping & repainting the pathways to enhance navigation for both pioneer and vehicles.
 
Repainting the terrain with fitting materials to align with the changes, and smoothing uneven landscape edges for a more cohesive look.
 
Redesigning and refining the sub-biome’s custom foliage set, while filling the area with appropriate assets, such as scattered rubble.

This sub-biome is inspired by forests and woodlands with a rockier habitat. It maintains a natural density but features more acidic foliage due to the numerous gas pillars scattered throughout the area.

This slideshow presents the polished pathways in the sub-biome, highlighting the most significant changes.

Overall slideshow of the Bamboo Rocky Forest sub-biome.

Bamboo Maze

In the Bamboo Maze , the key tasks involved:

Repainting and sculpting the terrain so there is a more clear and visual path for navigation.
 
Smooth the landscape edges around the rivers so the water blends into the ground.
 
Redesigning and improving the sub-biome’s characteristic foliage set, mostly using the bamboo trees as the main asset.

This sub-biome draws inspiration from iconic bamboo forests, preserving its dense foliage while integrating a maze-like layout to create a distinct visual and gameplay experience. The rivers serve as a navigational guide, leading the player through the maze and smoothly transitioning into Red Jungle.

This slideshow presents the redesigned pathways in the sub-biome, highlighting the significant changes in navigational flow.

Overall slideshow of the Bamboo Maze sub-biome.

These slideshows depict the complete rework of The Red Bamboo Fields and its four sub-biomes.

Rocky Desert

One of the Starting Areas.
An open desert area rich with resource nodes.
Contains the world's highest point and longest cave.

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Most of the work in this area had already been completed by other team members.

My work involved finalizing one of the last shorelines, using the designated foliage set and working on the landscape painting to match the rest of the biome.

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Slideshows showcasing the shores and the reworked cliffs/landscapes.

Caves

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In Satisfactory, I refined several caves by improving the foliage and occasionally adding some gameplay elements.

The caves varied in size, ranging from small to large, whereas if it was larger, more gameplay elements could be implemented.

Revamp of four small caves.

Revamp of two medium caves.

Revamp of a big cave.

Swapped the cave entrance with an improved cave-spline tool for more space and a clearer view of the main cavern.

In the main cavern, I placed pillars to create the appearance of supporting the structure.
Additionally, given that the cave is placed beneath a lake, I implemented water streams to depict its water-filled nature.

Additionally, I added stepping stones for a quicker approach to resources.

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Revamp of huge caves.

Swamp cave that leads to Titan Forest & Desert Canyons.

A river was added from the Swamp entrance to make the cave opening more noticeable for players and to provide clarity on the path where the water from the cave flows out.

I incorporated jumping puzzles in this cave to offer a quicker route upward and to speed up the player's return if they happen to fall, minimizing the time spent on climbing back up.

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Video showcasing the jumping puzzle.

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Jumping puzzle the other way.

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Video showcasing the second jumping puzzle.

Grass Fields Uranium Cave

This cave is easily found in one of the starting areas. The tunnels were replaced giving more space, but still keeping the original layout. A river with a tear drop into the hole was also added to help navigate the pioneer to the entrance. The entrance from Eastern Dune was also re-designed for a more polished look.

The cave tunnels were redesigned to increase height, allowing smoother traversal for both pioneer and vehicles, while keeping the original tunnel layout and structure for consistency in design.

In the main cavern, the large stalactite was repositioned centrally to function as a chandelier with the luminescent foliage. A ceiling opening was introduced as the river's source, and the central pillar was adorned with luminescent mushrooms. Foliage density gradually reduces when near the uranium node, to show it's danger.

Revamp of a massive cave.

Desert cave in Rocky Desert.

The massive cave system in Rocky Desert has been thoroughly overhauled, with all tunnels reworked to feature a smoother and more optimized layout, improving both navigation and player flow. The main caverns have also been redesigned for increased scale, offering enhanced spatial dynamics and more accessible paths to high-valued resources.

The cave system's tunnels were too constricted, with some sections even submerged. All of these tunnels were redesigned, from the entrance pathways to the traversal routes connecting the main caverns, providing smoother navigation and improved gameplay flow.

The main caverns, while initially offering some space, posed traversal challenges. They were redesigned with an optimized layout, ensuring smooth navigation for both vehicles and pioneers. The redesign also includes enough space to support the integration of a train rail system, enhancing both movement and construction possibilities.

Along with expanding the main caverns for improved layout, I drew inspiration to redesign the giant rock pillars as organic structures, stylized to resemble a giant glowing tree, enhancing both visual interest and environmental storytelling.

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