CONNOR CREIGHTON
Game and Level Designer
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Decay: A FPS Free for All Map
"Decay" is a FPS free-for-all map designed for 1 player and 7 enemy bots. Explore this sunken gorge and hidden ecosystem while defeating enemy combatants.
Genre: FPS
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Team size: Solo
Duration: 2 weeks
Platform: PC
Role(s) and Responsibilities
Level Design:
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Created initial paper design for the level.
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Designed and built the level environment (e.g., landscape, focal points).
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Designed and whiteboxed environmental objects and references.
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Balanced map design for FPS combat.
Narrative Design
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Wrote the overarching map narrative/backstory.
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Implemented environmental storytelling (e.g., set dressing).
Design Process
Brainstorming
My first step in the design process to brainstorm ideas for the game or level I intend to create. I define the overall theme, mood, and purpose of the level. Consider how the level fits into the broader game narrative. Identify key gameplay elements and challenges specific to the level.
Paper Design
Goals:
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Create a map that facilitates constant player movement.
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Create zones of combat for short, medium, and long range.
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Provide map focal points that embody the theme of the map and provide clear references for map positioning.
Whiteboxing
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After creating the intial designs of the level on paper I then used Unreal Engine to whitebox the level directly as i create dit on the paper design. Using reference Images and documentation to create the desired environemtns and themes.
Playtesting and Iteration
After the intial whiteboxing of the level I implemented a few basic assets and textures to start to get a feel for how the game was coming together. I worked on iterating on the levels as playtesters gave us feed back on the designs.
One major challenge I faced was the design of the center of the map. Though playtesting and iteration it trasformed from a lackluster and open area that didn't acomplish the goals fo the map into a stragegic aarea composed of elevated and coceiled positions. Additionally, creating more coer objects and enclosing areas facilitated more enjoyable and fast paced combat encounters.
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Final Details and Art Pass
Once I reached the state of having a cobat experience that I felt was fun, challenging, strategic, fast paced, and acomplished my design goals I implemented all of the finalized art and assets and did final tweaks to improve the gameplay experience,