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TRAILER

Castaway

Breakdown

  • Diabotical Map for Wipeout(4vs4) Gamemode

  • Solo project developed during my free time

  • Status: Polishing

  • Diabotical In-game editor

  • Scripting using console commands

    • Doors, Teleports, Elevator

Student competition Winner

During the initial assignment a smaller student competition was made by James "2GD" where our maps would compete against each other for the most fun and viable layout. It was judged by the level designers at The GD Studio. Castaway was fortunate enough to take the first place.

Summary

Initially this project was part of a multiplayer assignment where we worked together with level designers at The GD Studio in order to create blockouts. Playtesting & Feedback was their part of this cooperation and it was infinitly valuable. 

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After finishing the assignment I decided to take the blockout all the way through and finish the map. This is the result so far. Nearing its end.

My focus areas

To me the most fun aspects of Diabotical are the verticality and movement. So I my goal was to create a map with highly varied verticality and smooth movement flow.

Top-Down

Jump-pad

Teleport

BOTTOM FLOOR

TOP FLOOR

2ND FLOOR

Design Principle

The conventional method for designing a map for a team-based arena shooter game mode adheres to the "Wedding Cake" principle, whereby the top section of the map is the smallest and offers a vantage point, providing the controlling team an advantage. The second floor serves as a means to re-engage or challenge the top floor, while the bottom floor offers an area to retreat and regroup.

The objective for both teams is to control the top floor, as it allows for greater map control and a vertical advantage over the opposing team.

Verticality

Verticality is a crucial aspect of an arena shooter, and in this project, it serves to provide players with an objective to fight over, creating a true king-of-the-hill scenario, giving the team controlling it, an advantage. It allows for players to utilize their movement skills to gain an upper hand over their opponents, creating an engaging gameplay experience.

Design Techniques

Callouts

Designing unique and distinctive rooms and areas is essential for player orientation. Giving each area a distinct look and feel helps players to quickly identify their location and navigate the map more effectively. This also enables players to communicate more efficiently with their teammates, sharing vital information about the location of enemies or objectives.

Choke Points

I use choke points to control the flow of the players movement and engagements. By creating these funnels I create riskier engagement paths for the players in order to force them to commit to the fights, think of these as points of no return in an engagement. Players may use these not only to defend an area but also to setup ambushes. Such design rewards teamwork.

Bufferzones

I use buffer zones to ensure fast readability, smooth navigation, and streamlined player flow. These zones facilitate smooth movement by preventing players from misreading distances for jumps and clearly defining paths. Thereby creating a more intuitive and enjoyable experience for players.

Player Flow

The map layout prioritizes player movement and navigation, especially on the bottom floor, allowing for quick disengagement and reengagement during fights. Sharp turns are avoided, and the design compensates for any necessary turns to maintain a smooth flow.

Design Process & Iteration

Initial Top-Down

Final Major Iteration

Second Major Iteration

Playtesting & Iteration

The map was initially designed with a classic 3 lane layout and a center connection resembling an 8. However, initial playtesting showed that the map lacked an objective for players to fight over, so I added a third floor in form of a bridge. Additional rounds of playtesting revealed that the top floor was rarely used due to its difficulty and lack of map control, so I added more paths leading to it from different areas, providing an easier path and giving an elevated advantage for those who control those.

The top (north) area of the map was intended to offer more open ground and less verticality, but playtesting revealed that it didn't suit Diabotical and wasn't enjoyable for players, resulting in the area being avoided. As a result, I decided to remove it from the map, resulting in a significant improvement and a more fitting layout.
 

Whitebox

Through the invaluable feedback gained through playtesting both by my peers as well as the developers the map came to form which goes to show the importance of playtesting for a multiplayer map.
 

Level Arting

A temple inside of a mountain on a tropical island given the already existing assets and layout of the map came very naturally as the setting for the map.

Although the built-in editor is robust for literally blocking out the map. The propping process is rather slow, because it relies on arrow keys for object placement. So set dressing took more time than anticipated. Nonetheless I'm satisfied with results so far - but more work is needed to fully populate the space and define various areas.

 

Set Dressed

Reflections

I'm generally satisfied with the maps layout, although there is room for improvement. The map's overall scale is too large. A couple of areas are rarely utilized and matches last longer due to difficulty of finding the last player. Certain areas lack proper buffer zones and jumping can be difficult to estimate. Fixing the latter is simple, but the former requires significant changes, such as removing or repurposing some areas.

The environment of the map also requires additional work - the overall design is set, but I would love to add some more vegetation and decals to break up the textures. I also wish I would have emphasized the distinctive features more - making the blue area more blue, adding even more vegetation to the overgrown area etc. 

This was a major learning experience for me. It was fascinating how important playtesting is and how much the initial design changes, solely based on player feedback. The whole process was a lot of fun for me - watching the map grow and take form. I believe I have grown with it and this experience will be invaluable for me in the future.
 

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