LeVEL DESIGN
Before creating my own level, I played a couple of games of Team Deathmatch and Capture The Flag to get a better idea of the different layouts for different game modes.
I played both my matches on Unreal Tournament and this is what I took note of as I played:
I played both my matches on Unreal Tournament and this is what I took note of as I played:
Team Deathmatch consists of:
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Capture The Flag consists of:
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My Mindmap for my 3d environment |
My MOODBOARD FOR MY 3D eNVIRONMENT |
top down views of map ideas
uNREAL tOURNAMENT
Saving a Level
File Open level Restricted Assets Tutorials Level tutorial map Save as Restricted Assets Maps Change name to DM-Jessica (deathmatch) Geometry
Click "Place" (Top left box) Go to "Geometry" Click what geometry you want Place geometry Go to geometry editing (top left (Shift 5)) Click the faces you want to manipulate on the object and move them with the arrows When done, click build geometry in the drop down arrow next to "Build" |
Player Start
Search box (top left) Type player start Choose UTT Team (Click and drag onto screen) Choose what team spawn it is in the box on the right hand side ((0 or 1) which is red or blue) Jump Pads
Search "jumppad" Drag and drop jump pad Position anywhere Drag the diamond in the direction you want the pad to throw you in. Weapon Bases
Search "weapon base" in search bar along the bottom Drag and drop base Drag so the base is above the floor and press "End" key, to snap base to the floor Go to details panel on the right Go to "Weapon" Go to "Weapon type" Choose gun type If you right click the mouse you can "play from here" to spawn next to the items you've just placed and test them. |
My own Level design
First I'm going to create the center building and area around it. Then I'm going to create the outer walls around the playable area and hollow out the middle building. Here you can see I've hollowed out the building and created a border around the edge creating the playable area, I've also added some textures to give it some life. After doing this, I realised it would be way too difficult to achieve what I wanted in such short time, and I don't think it will be a good map by the end anymore; So I've decided to scrap this idea and start a new map completely fresh. I'm not fully sure how this map is going to plan out yet, but I'm getting inspiration as I go along and I'm keeping in mind bits and pieces from other top down maps I've created. This here is pretty much the final block out for my map. It is completely different to my first map, but I know it will work much better because it always leads back into itself (like a figure of eight) keeping the flow of the map really nice. As I say, this isn't the final map, it's just a block out, but all I need to add to it now is final touches like adding textures, lighting, guns and some different objects. This is a view from the inside of the map on the top floor, it's still not finished yet, but I've added textures, lights and also some jump pads. This is a view of the opposite side, each side is exactly the same but mirrored, so no team has an advantage. I have added a barrier to guard a staircase on each side so you won't get head-shotted every time you walk up them. I've also extended it along so it acts as a wall the players can crouch behind and snipe to the other side. I've also added doorways in the striped pillars, so you can go through them or around, and on the other side of each pillar there are different guns. The whole map always leads back into itself, so it consists of many choke points where lots of action will take place. When you go upstairs, there is a small thin room you can go into which gives you a perfect place to snipe players coming towards your spawn from multiple ways. It also means you are easy to snipe though, which is good, because it means you won't be able to just camp there and win the game. The finished level The far rooms on each side of the map are the main spawn points, they are small cube rooms and you walk up the corridor ahead to get into the main map. Once you get out of the main spawn you can go three ways. Straight ahead, that leads you to centre of the map where a green column is and some weapons, and left or right which leads you to some stairs and other powerups. The map always leads somewhere else, there are never any dead ends (except from the two main spawns) which means when playing my game, you can enjoy it more, rather than trying to figure ot whether you're going to hit a dead end. I changed the appearance of the upstairs, because I thought it was too dim with all the spot lights, so I give the walls an emissive texture to light the room instead. I think it's much easier to see now and looks a lot neater, as all the spot lights looked quite messy and unproffesional. Also, as you can see I have incorporated jump pads, power ups and crates that you can use as cover, the post in the middle also acts as cover, as well as a the walls covering the staircases on one side I mentioned earlier so you're not constantly getting head shotted. Once upstairs there are also doors to the right and left, if you go through them there is ammo in the centre, but this area is a long stretch, meaning once you've started running down it, there is limited cover, except for the one big post to one side, so this will be a good open area for shoot outs. Through the doorway to the side of sniping point is another room that has a weapon in it, and also a teleporter which takes you to one of the long side rooms, and spawns you next to the post so you can take cover if there are people shooting around that area. I also imported a particle system and put it by the teleporter to make it stand out more and look more interesting. Once in this room there are three doorways (including the one you came in), you can go out to the other side, back where you came in from, or you can go through the middle doorway, whichlleads you to the good sniping point. In this room I also used an emissive texture on the eiling to light up the room, but also added spotlights above each door to put emphasis on them. This is a view from the sniping point, you can see people on the floor below running towards the side your on clearly when you're at the very edge, and you can also see across to the other side of the second floor. Advantages are that the green post hides you from the opposite sniping point so the other sniper can't get you, and the chaos happening on the floor in front of you should distract most people from even looking at tyour sniper point. The disadvantages are that because you can see lots of areas, that means players can also see you from a couple of directions. This is the view from the bottom floor looking up to the sniper point, and ahead leads to one of the main spawns. I have 16 spawns throughout map, as well as many powerups, weopns and also ammo and health pickups. I have these spread thoughout the map so people aren't constantly running out of ammo and having to die to gain more and losing there killstreaks in the process. |
Peer Review
I think the map is good, as it flows really well and there are a lot of guns to pick up along with ammo and power-ups. I really enjoyed playing it because there are plenty of places to hide behind and get good kills from without it being too easy. I did really enjoy the map, but I do think it could be bigger so there is more open space to battle, but that would mean adding a lot more to the map. For what it is, and how long she's had, I think she's done well. - Max
I think the map is good, as it flows really well and there are a lot of guns to pick up along with ammo and power-ups. I really enjoyed playing it because there are plenty of places to hide behind and get good kills from without it being too easy. I did really enjoy the map, but I do think it could be bigger so there is more open space to battle, but that would mean adding a lot more to the map. For what it is, and how long she's had, I think she's done well. - Max