Shooter level Prototype

Platform: PC
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Duration: 1 week
Team size: 1 (me)
Role: Level design

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It is widely know that shooters are one of the most (if not the most) popular genres in videogames, so I decided to design a level for a team based competitive shooter.

This would allow me to learn more in depth how the process of creating levels would be for shooters and help me refining some skills that I would need for my Game Design Career.

Furthermore, this would challenge me trying to do a non-symetrical level to improve my balancing and creating a detailed zone with 'final art assets' in order to enhance my abilities to see if what I imagine during blockout could have any sense when the project reaches the 'final art' state.

Level Overview

The design process

Design goals / objectives

In the list below there are the main criteria followed in order to design what I can consider a good level for the kind of videogame of the initial premise. These parameters help me taking decisions in order to know where to place elements, how to check if they are following a purpose and if the purpose has any sense at all.

Each 'zone' has to have at least 3 ways to enter/exit, to avoid trenches
There should be no 'camping' spots
Heat zones should be reached within the same amount of time for both teams
Flanking opportunities
Loops in orded to not get the player bored or give more movement freedom

High places should get flanked without noticing easily. Avoiding the overpower of being in a higher postion than enemies. It should be powerful, but not flawless
Non-linear map
Heigh differences
Map references
Easy to remember and distinguish zones

Circulation

Highligting some of the more common pathes players would take and what they will see.

'A1': Path to the clash zone into cover

'A2': Flanking option with some covers

'A3': Way to tunnel where 'cover fight' may start.

'B1': Path to the clash zone into cover

'B2': Flanking option to nullify most of the enemies covers

'B3': Tunnel way where 'cover' fight may start

Heat Map

The term 'heat map' as used here is a prediction of what would be the heat zones once the level is playable, due to the elements of the level will guide players into that particular area.

Looping Zones

Looping Zones as used here are to define zones that don't have any 'start' nor 'ending' and can be walked indefinetly with a variety of cover options rather than just run in circles over an object.
I consider this extremly important on a shooter to avoid any kind of trenches and give to players a great range of moving options these skill based games require, in order to not make any PVP scenario boring and predictable. Also this helps to fit many different play styles.

Here's a GIF showing the looping zone at lower left corner in the map. It shows a huge variety of options of going to the same places without passing by same points.
As can be seen as well, there are variances between heights and cover options within the loops.

Changes done to the level

Below, there will be shown two different examples of some changes that have been made during the process of designing this level. Throughout an explanatory process to understand why those changes have been done. There were many other changes as well which barely follow the same kind of mentaly on applying them.

Change one

Problem

In front of the building there was a kind of empty area and it was a "little open space" (maked in pink). Players of A-Team had not enough covers nor positioning options, they would be an easy target for B-Team players. Moreover, it must be kept in mind that that area is a zone where both teams would clash straight out of their respective spawns, so it is also a heat zone.

Solution (in progress)

To avoid creating such a plain and empty corridor, I did add some small elements which would modify the level enough to get a greater range of possibilities for covering and not to be an easy target at this early stage of the game, as it is the adjacent corridor to the spawn.

In the images shown the pink marked zone indicates where was the previous 'empty zone' and the changes done to it. Marked in green it indicates a zone which has been moved from its initial place.

Solution

In this third set of images it can be appreciated that there are some extra covers easy to acces by A-Team inside of the building as well.

From the first set of images to the third, the cover options and versatility of pathes/movement are way more.

Change two

The problem:

There was a zone which allowed to kind of camp without being punisheable at all. That spot could've been considered overpowered since also was in height with many cover options. Moreover, there was only one way to enter to that spot.

Getting out -> killing/revising the zone -> Getting in again to the safe place

There was only an entrance to the upper floor.
This didn't fit with the Design Principle of having a variety of entrances/exits per zone.

The process of finding a solution

Identify why it's a problem that can not be countered via gameplay
Decide which kind of aproach should have the solution. For instance decide either it might be solved via modifying the whole zone, move the objects already added, add new objects, etc.
In this case the kind of aproach to the solution was decided to be via outdoors and not indoors because there are less indoor zones and the indoor zone isolated itself presented no further problem
Sketch out some ideas that may solve the problem
Test out some of the best ideas, not discarting all of them without having a little test
Check that the new proposed solutions fit the Design Principles

1st option: To climb

'Solution': Set a climbable asset on the wall in order to get from outdoors directly to balcony.

Problem: To climb exposes players for a while. Furthermore, due to the angle of the wall and window, that way into the balcony can be camped from inside as well.

2nd option: The ramp

'Solution': A ramp between the closest block to the balcony. This creates a way to enter/exit direct to the upper floor.

Problem: Verticality gives more power to the end of the ramp which is in the balcony. Since a direct way with no obstacles may be an even solution for both sides, having it tilted up provides more power to the player on the balcony, even if the ramp got some obstacles on it to aid with this problem.

3rd option: Jumping

'Solution': Go to the balcony with small jumps by creating some blocks between the big block and the balcony.

The 'solution', actually: Jump is as fast as walking, but this option gives also cover options to the players outside the camping zone and doesn't provide any advantage to the 'camper' players. In addition, the height of the block and the perspective don't allow the players on the balcony to have advantage from above.

How to access from outside the building directly to the camping zone, which already has two options to enter, via window or door, where the players will be on the same levels of advantage since no one has a better position or covers.

Would the players on the building jump and shoot the ones who are trying to access it, they couldn't take any advantage of it if the outside players are crouching behind the cover. (In this gif it's barely distinguishable a player which is standing)