Level Design
The catalyst for my pursuits into games design was my early exposure to modding communities. The idea that I could modify games to create my own environments, tell my own stories, and then share my creations with friends and fans online was, and still is, captivating. For many years now, I have used the renowned ‘Source’ game engine to experiment with and build maps and mods from the ground up for four different titles (Hl2, TF2, CSGO, and Gmod) through the 'hammer world editor'. My usual process involves finding inspiration from the real world, drawing concept art, establishing a blueprint, and building and scripting the level - playtesting throughout to ensure everything works as intended. My most popular map currently has over 20,000 downloads.
Every now and then I'll be working on a mod through which I've learned a lot about both hammer editor specifically and more broadly what makes compelling worlds. Whilst I now generally work with Unity and C#, I continue to use the Source engine in my free time out of passion. You can see me play through what I have created so far of the aforementioned mod for Half-Life 2 episode 2, titled 'Comburied', below.
Comburied - my product and process
During a trip to the Arctic circle, I was fascinated by numerous forgotten coal mines seemingly abandoned and left to rust. I sketched the littered structures, inspired by their simillarity to the ethos of architecture found within the Half-Life franchise, and then blueprinted my own interpretation - one which ultimately became the tower seen in the above screenshot. This prompted me to envision and begin working on a mod which found the player lost in a similar environment, guided by the promise of salvation within the mines to encourage their exploration. Having taken screenshots at various stages of development, you can gain insight into my level-creation process from a couple of angles:
Early stage
Basic blocky outline of key geometry
largely untextured - Dev textures used for most of the landscape except the ground since that won't change so much
Incomplete lighting
sparse detailing, only enough to establish the environment / key story features. ie: crashed car
Tuning and detailing stage
Most geometry the player can interact with has been sculpted and textured, complex displacement terrain replaces many of the initial blocky structures.
Additional detailing - grass sprites, more realistic ground texture, broken wall to imply backstory.
Improved lighting
Polishing stage
Background detailing has been created; areas unreachable to the player - therefore the areas with the lowest priority for development - have been sculpted now that the level is largely completed.
Additonal details in playable space such as clusters of rocks and extra vegetation
Lighting is almost final
Two screenshots from a different area of the map in middle and late stages of development
When creating a mod, it is important to build a narrative to guide the player's thought process such that they won't be left unsure of how to progress. To aid in making short-term goals more obvious, I employ the use of light and sound cues to guide the player's next steps. For example, in viewing distance from the spawnpoint, there is a small shed which regularly shoots out hissing, glowing sparks from inside. This tempts the player towards it because the rest of the environment is largely static. Inside is a crowbar, an item essential to progress through the level. I also use iconography such as the 'lambda' logo to tell the player where they want to be, as fans of the Half-Life series will know that it is associated with a friendly force. Albeit subtle, a directive such as simply following a symbol or a light is often the only thing stopping the player simply exploring without motive.
Sparks guide the player inside the shed
A row of lights inside a tunnel suggest the player should investigate. An ammo crate visible through the barricades confirms it.
The symbol of the friendly 'resistance' is painted on the front of this large door, prompting the player to search for a way inside.
Nothing interactive works like magic, of course. Be it a zombie waking from slumber, a collapsing bridge, or a battery-based puzzle, scripting is required for most interactivity. Above you can see an example of a 'trigger' which detects when a specific item has made contact and executes consequential commands.
Being a mod means getting to grips with some coding, too. The process of programming the fundamentals of a Source mod is readily taught online, but I enjoy playing around with the SDK (software development kit) outside of the necessary requirements to gain an understanding of what makes Source games tick.
Other maps - screenshots from my standalone Source maps
Pl_Cove
Completed as part of my second year of studies at Falmouth University, I developed a map for the 'payload' game-mode in Team Fortress 2 over the course of 12 weeks. A Steam workshop submission is still pending but a zip folder containing the files will be uploaded here soon. The project gave me invaluable insight into how I work on levels under external pressure and strict deadlines; unlike the freedom and strictly self-motivated nature of my personal projects, completing this map showed me how I feel about mapping as a job. Conclusion? I still loved it! Front-managing scope and breaking down my process into manageable, specific chunks is an approach I will carry forwards into future work.
Ph_Bunker_Final
Released in 2017, this map was created for the 'prop hunt' gamemode in Garry's mod, a renowned sandbox game. Despite being my first map, it has over 20,000 current subscribers.
You can download it from the Steam Workshop, here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1184790441
gm_fort_wars
A map created for sandbox / roleplay purposes in Garry's mod where two large, complex forts stand at either side of a dried up ocean.
You can download it from the Steam Workshop, here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2925585624
pl_silo_Beta_3
A map for the 'payload' gamemode in TF2 wherein one team pushes a cart along a track whilst the other tries to stop them reaching the end.
de_shale_a3
A map for the 'defusal' gamemode in CS:GO aimed around competitive 5v5 FPS gameplay.
