Escape from tarkov
Embedded Files
Dark souls 3
Portal
Spiderman
Blasphemous
Paper design tasks
This was cs-go circus map
Our task was to design a map for a CS:GO/COD game map. Our idea was to create a castle with multiple lanes, towers, and a layout suitable for both Domination and Capture the Flag modes. We started with a very basic layout in Unreal Engine, although some assets disappeared. Our goal was to incorporate various types of cover and multiple access points to ensure that we cater to all playstyles, making it enjoyable for a wide range of players.
pros:
-good layout
-good map size
-balanced map
-creative idea
Cons:
-to open
-some corridors too narrow
-needs more linear routes
Competitive players .
Players that like to be the best out of there group and want to be top of their leaderboards ,these players like maps with lots of different attacking options and dislike maps with little cover and few attacking options as they always to prove to everyone that they are the best by using the best option to attack.
This is terminal(MW3) and crisis(BO1). Terminal is quite loved as it very simple 3 line design with cover and multiple actions to attack the other team while crisis is very cluttered and not a good simple 3 line design which is what many competive players like.
Tactical players
These players like relying on strategy to take advantage on there opponents and executing a well planned attack that the enemy cant counter they almost like playing metaphorical chess with the other team or enemies to make sure they win and have a good plan.
These maps are Tom Clancy ghost recon wildlands and shipment . Tactical players will like the wildlands map as it offers strategy and multiple ways to attack the enimes whereas something like shipment has no strategy is just mindless killing with not much thunking going on.
Sniper players
these players like to sit back and pick of enemies from distance , they enjoy maps with a long lines of sight and multiple ways to snipe the enemies in elevated positions and dont like forced close quarter encounters.
These maps are Afghanistan from metal gear solid 5 an rust from COD (MW2).Snipers would like Afghanistan as is present multiple ways to attack the enemies with different positions you can take up to take out the enemies with a sniper whereas rust is more of a fast paced map with forced close quarter encounters that snipers don't like .
Rush players
These players like fast paces maps with fast rotations and to get quick kills and then leave quickly they like fast and satisfying movement and like being in chaos they don't like slow-paced maps where you have to be more methodical.
These maps re nuketown and the uncharted 4 DLC map. Rushers would like nuketown as it is a fast paced map that encourages closequarter combat with quick movement whereas the uncharted 4 DLC map is more slow paced and promotes more exploration with multiple objectives on the map.
Tank players
These players are durable and resilient and capable of absorbing high amount of damage they like tight corridors and chokepoints they don't like maps that don't have defensive cover or that encourage long range engagements.
These maps are kings row from overwatch and the world map from dragons dogma one . Tank players will like kings row as it has a lot of chokepoints and defensive cover whereas they wont like dragons dogmas map as it is open and design for the player to explore and no chokepoint or defensive cover.
Support players
these players like maps that encourage teamwork , healing opportunities and that provide ample cover with strategic positions they dislike maps with lack of cover and no opputuinties for teamwork.
These maps are district union arena from division 2 and Suez from battlefield 1. Support players will like the division 2 map as it has ample cover an abundance of support opportunities while the battlefield 1 map is open with a lack of cover and few support opportunities which the support players wont like.
Objective point
This is locations where players have to interact with a point to complete objectives like capture the flag.
Verticality
This provides a different way to attacking the opponents and gives the players different advantages depending on what level the player is on this adds depth and complexity to the level.
Line of sight
This is the un obstucted routes that player can see each other these LOS affect how comabat is played out in the game .
Flanking routes
These are alternate routes that provide the chance to surprise the enemy and get behind them to catch them off gaurd and get an easy kill on the enemy.
cover
This objects or terrain that protects the player from enemy fire and provides the building blocks for the player to create a strategy for the map and work for as a team and crucial to survival .
Choke point
These are narrow pathways where it limits the movement of the player and this creates specific areas for fights and conflict.
Spawn point
This is where players start or respawn in the game and they are a placed in a fair spot so no one gets spawn peaked and get to the objective at the right times.
Environmental Hazards
These are dangerous elements in the level that affect how the players plays the level like explosive barrels and random events that can occur.
Line of defenses
These are areas that can be easily defended by players often with advantageous cover a LOS.
Level idea (dark fantasy ) camp Mood board.
This project will help me advance my skills using software that is un real engine , as it will give me valuable skills like modeling in un real , importing assets into unreal , making an affective level that is good for player engagement , help me learn different players styles and why they play certain types off games.
The dark fantasy theme is the essence of gritty with unsettling themes often portrayed and shown through the characters / plot /world. it usually tackles themes like war , politics , famine , politics , religions. There is usually no villain's or hero's in this theme just people who are less evil then each other.
Feedback
pros:
-lots of places to hide
-very detailed
-a lot of choke points
-lots of cover
-good theme
-a lot of flank opportunities
-good point location
-good elevations (height)
cons:
-a bit cluttered
Mostly positive feedback with good themes and lots of cover and and an array of flank opportunities with good elevations. Minor cons with the map being cluttered but would be decluttered when map is actually made as cover would be more spread out .
This is a very basic first design for my map using unreal engine I focused on building the main tower at the center so it gave me an idea of the size of the map so i can visualize where everything else would be. This extremely basic layout gives the idea of where the tower would be and a partial idea of how big the map would be.
Some examples of games from this theme are: Blasphemous ,Diablo , Elden ring , Warhammer vermin tide , the Witcher
The target audience for Dark fantasy are mainly adults and more aimed towards men too as it explores mature themes like war and famine.
Interactivity features for a level:
These are things like explosive barrels , ammo refills and cover you can wall bang through below there will be examples of these features also you can have ziplines as well these can be used in my level as it will help engage players into oyour level.
secondary research
-This is when you research on something that is already published and that someone's has already made and that you borrow.
reviewing game reviews
-this is analyzing and studying reviews written by game critics , players or industry experts. These reviews include various aspects of the game like talking about the gameplay.
pros:
-Easy to access .
-A lot of them avaliable to look at.
-Player insights
-Diverse perspectives
cons:
-Unreliable.
-Different opinions.
-Bias
-Subjectivity
-Limited data
Hogwarts legacy
These are some review from this game on meta critic as you can see they are quite varied and there is some 9/10 and 0/10 which really show how indecisive people where on this game as there was quite a bit of controversy over this game as the creator of harry potter has said somethings people don't like. In terms of level design while Hogwarts is very well done most complaints are about the open world and how bland it can feel to go around.
Game walk throughs
These are when people record themselves playing through a game usually start to end for people to watch and to help people navigate through the game by usually using step-by-step instructions to complete the game and strategies to complete the game challenges and understand the game mechanics.
pros:
-can understand what people do and don't like about games.
-can get a first hand experience of the game.
- lots if information .
-visual example .
-player perspective.
cons:
-can give the player spoilers.
-limited to existing games .
-lack of control
this video is done by a youtuber called rad brad. this walk through is a decent walkthrough as he is showing the different gameplay and talking about how cool this looks even though he wasn't very good at the game but still shows a good example of the game that is bieng shown.
Primary research:
This is research that you do and find yourself by playing a game or going out and asking people yourself. I could not take screenshot of the map in game but I still played on this map and this is map from the game Krunker and is a small and close range map with quick and fast encounters with spawn that encourage engagements with a short time to kill so you can kill people quick and get into the next fight .
Primary research 2
This is research that you do yourself like forms , interviews and questionnaires to find out information firsthand information directly from sources rather than relying on information that is already out there.
Level prototyping:
This is research that involves creating an early simplified version of the levels or environments to test and evaluate gameplay mechanics , design concepts and player experiences. This is used to gather insights and help gather information to help make the final game.
Pros: Rapid iteration , Early Feedback , Resource efficiency , reduced risk and flexibility all these pros are useful as if develops further insights into you level and how you can improve you level.
Cons: Limited completeness , resource allocation , scope creep , player misinterpretation and testing bias. these cons are bad as they can mislead the player in your level and and can cause bias as the person who is testing it might have an understanding of the in complete.
Interviews with gamers :
These interviews allow for one on one or group discussions where you can ask about there opinions and preferences on games. these can be done in person , over the phone and online.
Pros: Rich qualitive data , flexible and adaptable , human connection , exploring emotions and holistic understanding these help as you can ask a variety of questions to find what people dislike and like in person and from all over the world from different cultures to gather lots of different opinions and views.
Cons: Resource intensive , Limited sample size , subjectivity , logistical challenges and social desirable bias these are al negatives as people can give opinions from how they have been brought up and there world view it is also resource heavy to sort through all the information you will receive.
Player surveys :
Are a research tool that gathers feedback and insights from gamers about there experiences with video games. these surveys usually have questions to help understand player preferences and behaviors in games and game levels.
Pros: Wide reach , Cost effective , anonymity , Quantitative data , customization these are all useful as it allows you to gather lots of information while being anonymous and the questions can be tailored to your needs and what you want opinions on.
Cons: Limited depth , Response bias, Limited context , sampling issues and closed ended questions these are all negatives as some people might not always provide accurate responses and depending on the question it might not get the information you want out of the person e.g. write a paragraph and the person answering only puts one word.
https://forms.office.com/e/rGitPCmaVK (link to my survey)
These are my responses to my questionnaire and they are quite mixed in what people like and while there was some recurring answers like Elden ring , Minecraft , dark fantasy and narrative based games this shows what people generally like in common and what type of games people like to play.
This is a PowerPoint we made by matching up questionnaires to games and describing why the certain questionnaire links to that certain game after analysing what people answered the questions in the survey.
How the level design in Spiderman 2 contributes to player engagement :
The first level with sandman help with player engagement because it is big boss straight when you get in the game and has lots of different mechanics like sandman being venerable to water and to miles electric powers , also mixing in smaller enemies to help the player learn the game and debrie to throw at sandman too.
What role does the city of new York play in level design of the game :
New York is the home of Spiderman and it makes it relatable to people so it help people immerse themselves in the game more to feel like it is real and to feel like Spiderman.
How does the game mechanics impact level design and player engagement :
it has tall buildings you can swing off for web swinging and has wind tunnels to boost your web wings to traverse the water and t he city and miles ahs electric powers which gives the player variety when switching between spidermen.
This is a PowerPoint we made on the theme space exploration:
Interactivity in games
Hogwarts legacy puzzle's:
what are the interactive elements shown?
how can this engage a player into the game ?
is this interactive element crucial to the game?
how could you adapt this into your own level?
In this puzzle you had to use simple math's and symbol's that match up to a number when you find the the correct number you open a door for a reward , this puzzle is aimed people who want to collect everything in a game as it is not a necessary puzzle and is not crucial to the game . This puzzle is interactive as it has the player engage in the game by figuring out what certain symbol match to certain numbers and forces them to actually think about the puzzle .you could incorporate this puzzle into your level by having a locked door with a reward behind it and giving the player a way to open it.
Portal 2 puzzles:
what are the interactive elements shown?
how can this engage a player into the game ?
is this interactive element crucial to the game?
how could you adapt this into your own level?
In this puzzle you interacted with boxes and moved them , you used a portal gun to interacted with level , you also had a laser and a puzzle to solve to engage the player. this puzzle is crucial to the game as the games premise is based around puzzles so it is crucial to progress the game. you could adapt this into your level by adding different mini puzzles in to give your player and advantage like unlocking an elevator to allow the player to get places they couldn't get to before letting them progress through the level.
The walking dead telltale puzzles:
what are the interactive elements shown?
how can this engage a player into the game ?
is this interactive element crucial to the game?
how could you adapt this into your own level?
In this game there are different dialogue options which allow you to choose there own path through the game making them fell immersed in the game. this element is crucial to the game as it is the main way to immerse the player in the game. you can put this in your game by giving the player choices like letting them choose there loadout.
Door in un real engine
This lesson where told how to make an opening door in unreal engine .Below is the process we did to create. Frist we found the assets for the door then went into the event graph and added nodes that connected up to each other to make the door work. Next we went into the timeline for the animation to start to work. Finally we went into the first person camera asset and went into its vector graph to make a tag system so the door can open.
To the right is the door that i made in unreal that open and closes. and above is the process i went through to make this door work.
Collectables in games/levels
These help the player explore and interact more with your level some examples are keys , weapons' , armor , currency , power-ups , hidden items (like Easter eggs ). Games like fortnite as they drop weapons' and the batman Arkham games have these features in in the way of chests and trophies that can be collected to keep the player engaged in wanting to play your game.
Chests in games
Chests in games are used to store items or for finding items like the collectables talked about earlier .They can also hold key items yet you don't want to lock everything behind a chest make sure there is a varitey of ways to get items in your game.
Is the chest seen frequently throughout the game or are they rare?
Fortnite - The chests in this game are common as they are the main way they provide loot in the game.
god of war - Chest are rare but hold high value items like more health and items like runestones that can make your gear more powerful as well as an array of armor.
call of duty - this chest is seen commonly in the game as it is a staple of the game mode but has the chance to change places on the level.
dark souls - The chests are quite frequent in this game.
Are there any sound effects that accompany the chest?
Fortnite - Yes there is to make it satisfying to open to make the plyer want to open a chest more.
god of war - Yes there are sound effects to the chest to make it feel more like a reward.
call of duty - Yes there is a sound affect that is like a countdown until you get a gun out of the box that makes the player in suspense of what they will get out of it.
dark souls - yes minor effects that are realsitic to what that chest would sound like in real life
How does the opening mechanism of the chest contribute to player engagement?
Fortnite - It has a nice sound affect making the player more likely to open the chest it also provides the plyer with ammo and guns to help them in the game.
god of war - The chest has a nice animation when you open the chest and has some sound effects there is also different puzzles that you have to do to unlock the chests.
call of duty - You open this chest by killing zombies and earning enough points for the threshold of opening the box.
dark souls - There is a chance that is could be a mimic which keeps the player on the edge when opening them
Is the chest significant to the gameplay?
Fortnite - Yes it is very significant as it is the main way that the player gets weapons' in the game.
god of war - Yes as the items you get out of the chest make the game easier and gives the player more ways to play the game.
call of duty - Yes as it allows you to access the rare weopons like the ray gun and the wonder weopns that provide the player with a great advantage in the level.
dark souls - Thay are not really significant as they dont have great rewards in them.
Chest in unreal engine
here we made a chest in unreal we did this by using the blueprints to make the chest open with the key E and close 3 seconds after opening it , we then applied the textures to this chest to make it look appealing with the wood and metal.
This is my final level
This is my level that I have made in unreal based of the research and the paper levels that I have made i used techniques like grey boxing , texture painting , foliage painting and landscape painting to achieve this as well as this I used assets to build my level after making the basic greybox for it as the the greybox helped give me an outline. Some of the things that i struggled on where things like working with the blueprints of the interactive system of the chest and door to make them work I fixed this by using tutorials to help me and trial an error to tech myself how to make these interactive systems.
This is the survey i carried out for my finalized level which gave me valuable feedback on my level and will help me improve my level now but also my level in the future as i gathered other peoples valuable opinions.
these are some of the improvements I made for my level based on the feedback from survey I widened the stairs and added more to the level like tents and wheel on poles to further flesh out the map.
Evaluation level design.docxPage updated
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