This journal takes an in-depth look at the design and iterative process creating my Quake level "Edge".

10-1-2020

Why Quake?

As a young designer/developer, I think it is critical that I understand I am standing on the shoulders of giants. We wouldn't have the games we have today with the legends at ID who developed Quake. To further that point, if I am to create gameplay for increasingly complex games that involve narrative, new technology, and most recently hundreds of players; I had better first understand the basics. Quake boils down to two things, running and shooting. If I can't master these core elements, what kind of developer would I be?

Research

Like every good project, I started with some research. I have never made a competitive FPS level (or let alone fps level) and my experience with the genre has been mostly limited to my middle school years of playing Halo 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. I wasn't really processing level design at the time so I decided to take a step back and figure out what it was about Halo 3 that had me consistently playing until the witching hours on school nights.

With the core gameplay of running and shooting already created, I simply need to understand what map layout promotes enjoyable and healthy gameplay. I chose to analyze a map of Halo 3 called "Guardian". I remembered it vividly because it was so distinct from the rest of the game.

(Further research indicated that it was part of a campaign level that was cut to reduce scope)

I booted up Halo 3 on the Master Chief Collection and played a couple of rounds until I got into a 4v4 deathmatch on Guardian. Once I had finished playing through the game, I gathered some footage and after referencing some incredible articles (linked at the bottom of this entry), I was able to pick up on some crucial elements of competitive fps level design.

The biggest features that stuck out to me were concepts of Flow, Focal points, Verticality, Line of Sight, and item locations. These elements are going to be the basis of how I inform my design decision from here on.

You can find my analysis on Halo 3's guardian here

Sources that imparted the key elements of competitive fps level design

Mike Stout - Designing FPS Maps Part 1

Mike Stout - Designing FPS Maps Part 2

Emil Glans - Level Design Key Terms

10-3-2020

A closer look at Quake

Now that I feel better about my understanding of competitive FPS levels in general, I think it's time to look more precisely at Quake. It is, after all, the game I'm going to be making the level for. I took some time to watch some multiplayer videos and I noticed two important things.

It is fast... like really fast

Compared to games like Halo and Call of Duty, moving throughout the game space feels unnatural. You're moving at a speed that seems inhuman, you accelerate so quickly that I can't imagine beginner players going more than 10 seconds without crashing into a wall (I booted the game up myself and affirmed my hypothesis).

But no matter! It was a gameplay decision from my predecessors that feels fresh and, once you master it, empowering. This was an important piece of information to learn however because now I'll know I need to adjust the scale of my level to match the gameplay design. While bigger isn't always better, I'll make sure that the player isn't staring at walls with each input.

Weapons and pickups seem to resemble Halo 3!

In Halo 3, weapons and other pickups are scattered throughout maps at set locations. These weapons are powerful and completely shift your gameplay. To my delighted surprise, Quake does the same thing. I feel as if this gives me as a developer more control over the gameplay pacing and balance. In the videos I watched, I noticed how powerful splash weapons such as the grenade launcher were. I've made note that I can use the pickups to create artificial tension or ease later. As I mentioned in my analysis of the Guardian level, these pickups can act as focal points themselves.

The first iteration of a top-down map

After all my research I think it's time I make a quick mock-up of what I want Edge to look like. I'll post the images and describe my thought process below.

I'll try to sum up some of my decisions briefly.

I liked the idea of keeping the map at 2 floors for now and separate the map into two sections. The bottom floor is meant to be dangerous and offers high risk and high reward. The large central room is open from all sides and from the platforms above. I plan on having a key pickup in the center to encourage players to brave the treacherous lava-filled abyss to obtain substantial power. Using this power, they can either head up above and take out opponents on a more open arena, or move into a close-quarters area that aims to be a point of high action.

My goal is to move players dynamically, by placing pickups around the map, I can adequately suit them for rushing into battle and obliterating their foes. That is what Quake is about at the end of the day, right?

10-11-2020

The first iteration of a grey box

With a 2D mockup complete, it's time to create a grey box level to rapidly test the flow of the map and ensure there are not any fundamental flaws before I start texturing, lighting, and balancing pickups. Without further ado, let's take a look at some pictures

The upper level of what I like to call the "Lava atrium"

A look down below at the perilous crossroads

The lower level open room nested in the center of Edge

I'm rather content with how the Lava atrium turned out to be. The open space and view down below are the exact angles of attack I was looking for. I decided to place a Grenade Launcher pickup directly in the center of the room to urge daring players to make a run for what I consider the level's most powerful tool.

However, during the process of laying out the geometry, I found myself squeezed in the center and far-right room. Because of this, I was forced to make extremely long hallways which I imagine are going to pose a problem.

The upper floor's long hallway spanning from one side of the map to the other

A lower floor hallway mimicking the upper hall

Curious on how this might affect gameplay, I decided to leave the long paths in for a round of playtesting to see what effect they have. To counterbalance the Grenade Launcher in the Lava Atrium, I placed a Nailgun in the far-right room to encourage players to utilize both sides of the map. Finally, I littered health, armor, and ammo pickups in various corners and areas that would likely be unused without them.

An updated top-down perspective

The original Top-Down sketch was rather ambiguous so here's an updated one to match the proper form of this iteration.

10-15-2020

The first round of playtests

To determine what flaws the map had, I and three others loaded up Edge and played for a half-hour.

The Good

The Lava atrium and surrounding area proved to be a huge success. All four players were constantly darting in and out in hopes to get their hands on the incredibly fun and powerful grenade launcher. Everyone seemed to be having fun and laughing at the chaos. The close quarters led to some awesome outplays with wall-banging the grenades.

By the end of the first match, everybody seemed to have a good idea of the layout of the map and by the start of our final match, every player knew exactly how to get to the action-packed lava atrium.

The Bad

As expected, the long hallways proved to be exceptionally problematic. They only seemed to act like highways to the lava atrium that everyone wanted to be at. The long sights caused some really awkward fights from one side of the map all the way to the other. Strafing side to side and firing 15 shots before getting a kill or dying defeats the purpose of Edge (and Quake) and isn't inherently fun.

As an additional side effect of the long pathways, the nailgun just seemed to flop. The power in the nailgun comes from close range rapid-fire and it was simply not good enough in the surrounding area to be effective.

Finally, the central room was too small. While the cover offered some ability to outplay, it wasn't large enough to host any real battles.

Feedback

With the playtest over and my general analysis complete, let's examine some empirical evidence from my three playtesters. Albeit a small sample size, any feedback is priceless.

Pretty solid ratings for a first iteration! As expected, most feedback related to the long hallways that seemed to drag on for too long. With this playtest complete, it's time to make some tweaks.

10-19-2020

Now that I have identified some problems it's time to develop solutions. Fortunately for me, most issues seem to stem from the excessively long pathways. By breaking these pathways into other rooms we can simultaneously cease the cross-map duels, give breathing room to the center room, and empower the nailgun by making it feel more at home in close-quarter environments.

The second iteration of a grey box

Although I haven't touched on it prior, this small drop-down was just a hole in the floor before. It was seldom used so I made it into a ramp that accelerates the player downwards. No longer does a player smack their face into the wall to drop down below.

The lava atrium, now with curves! Grenades should be able to wrap around the edge and I think it gives a more natural feel from the boxiness of Edge. While the long pathways were a concern, a shootout over the treacherous pit of lava was a trope I liked and wanted to keep. I've added a little window into a nearby room that also lets you drop down from a new angle.

The central room is now much more wide open but still has its cover to enable outplays and outmaneuvers.

The long paths are no more! A simple wall breaks up the long sight and corrals players into the central room for more battles.

Top-Down perspective

Lastly, here's an update on the top-down layout. There are a few new pickups on the upper floor to encourage players to explore every room.

10-22-2020

Round two playtests

During the second round of playtests, everyone playing found themselves fighting each other much more in the central room and the nailgun seemed much more powerful in the tighter corners. When comparing player feedback from the previous playtest, there is a noticeable increase in both the ease of finding players and their perception of strategically placed weapons.

By breaking up the long hallways, players naturally move towards the center sparking lots of fighting. The nailgun becomes much more relevant and as such encourages players to move back to that side of the map. The primary desire for the grenade launcher hasn't changed so players find themselves moving back and forth for a dynamic session of gameplay. Edge has solidified its identity and now only needs the treatment of lighting and texturing. This will help make each room more distinguishable and gives me a better chance to manufacture focal points.

10-27-2020

A makeover

I'll start this entry by showing off a few pictures of Edge in-game and give a small explanation of my decisions below.

The Lava Atrium

Center Room

The nailgun room which I now like to call the light orb room.

The window room

Focal Points

My primary role was to make each area look distinct but still have a stake in the dungeon-like thematic Quake is known for. I chose this basalt colored rock to line the lava atrium because I felt it made thematic sense. From there I decided to "Lerp" the color from one side of Edge to the other. The lava atrium is very dark, the center area uses a darkish brown, and the light orb room uses a light stone. These textures help distinguish areas from one another and help improve the readability and navigation of Edge.

I tried to keep the lighting consistent with the colors of stone. The exception is of course the lava pit which should be a bit brighter. Players shouldn't notice any sharp shadow definition but can still see the light level shift from room to room.

A Finale

That about wraps up the creative process for this iterative Quake map. I certainly learned a lot about level design and building. I think my biggest take away is not to be afraid of failing on the first attempt. Iterating on a level is a much faster process than I expected and helped me identify the issues my level had before spending a lot of time polishing it. It also allows for the off chance to discover a new and fun mechanic when the rules are loose.

By clicking on this thumbnail you can find a brief walkthrough of Edge where I discuss basic design decisions and philosophy.

And that's all. Thanks for reading this far! Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments!