Level Design
One of my favorite parts of designing for games is the process of level design. Level Design is perhaps one of the most important aspects of crafting the player’s experience of a game. I have crafted levels for both RTS and FPS style games.
star wars : Awakening of the Rebellion
Based on Empire at War, the levels designed for Awakening of the Rebellion need to provide asymmetric warfare for Real Time Strategy gameplay. One of the more complex level design processes involves creating scenarios for ground combat.
What I do:
Create paper designs for general map layout and flow
Import these sketches into a digital editing software to overlay game engine specific elements
Use a level editor to construct height maps, place objects, and construct pathfinding.
Make it pretty and tell the story of a world by placing props, terrain pieces, and textures.
Playtest! Iterate! Repeat!
Watch me take a deep dive at the process of creating one of these levels, from paper design to in engine development.
Halo Forge Levels
Over the years of playing one of my favorite FPS series, I’ve been steadily developing competitive maps both large and small. I’ve developed in total around 25 maps throughout Halo 3, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4. Each map has been enjoyed in an online environment of around 8-16 players, with one map almost making it to official Halo Reach matchmaking!
What I did:
Design overall layout via paper design
Plan objectives, spawns, and weapon placement
Use the in-game editor “Forge” in each respective game and assemble the map with assets that were available in game.
Script all maps with gametype support (Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, etc.)
Playtest the maps online, Take feedback, Iterate map flow and balance based on feedback, Repeat!
Below are some screenshots of the various maps throughout the years.
