Concept: Map Level Design Creation Guideline

This document helps ask some good questions around the setting/visuals of a level. It will prove useful to think about these, and set them out before i start work on the mod. Some section, about the story mostly, dont apply to my mod, and are more aimed at single player levels.

GAMETYPE:

- Single Player or Multiplayer?

Multiplayer

- Game Type?
DM, Capture the Flag, Assassination, Warfare, Hostage Rescue etc

TDM, DM, CTF

- What game is this map for?

 UDK

STORY:

- Story behind your map. Why are the players there? Why is the place/environment there? Write the history of your environment. What happened to the place before the player entered the environment?

- What is this map about?

- Every player at every map/level has a goal/desire/object and it is either fulfilled or denied/blocked/obstacle. Do you have this? Does it rise? This is especially important in Single Player maps.

GAMEPLAY:

- What is the objective of your map?

- Do you have a top down game play sketch?

- Will there be any puzzles? If so, what are they?

- How would the level play out? Gameplay wise?

- How would you want the player to play through your map? Visualize this. What experiences do you want the player to walk away with from your map?

- How big is the map?

- Who is your audience? Who is your player? What is your Demographic?

- How will you make the map memorable?

- Do you have basic top down view and few location concept sketches?

VISUALS:

- Is the map original? What is everyone else doing? Don't make another "everyone" map. Be original and different. How will you achieve this?

- Reference. Have you collected all the inspiration and research? What is this going to look like (proof of visual development).

- What is the time of day of the map? Season? Color? Reference.

- Feel and Atmosphere. Describe what you want to portray in terms of the feel of the map and atmosphere.

- Will exploration be rewarded? If so what will it be and in what way?

- How will you direct the player? What methods will you use? Color? Noise and Sound? Guide the player without telling them where to go. Smart design.

- What are you going to concentrate on? What do you want to learn when you are finished? What aspect of design, gameplay, fun, crazy, atmosphere?

- What is the visual trademark of your level? How will the players remember your map?

- Are the environments/locations too generic? How does their design strengthen the story?

- Custom content? Textures, Models etc. If so, what are they.

Gametype:
Multiplayer
Gamemode; TDM, DM, CTF.
What is this map for? UDK

Story:
Players are placed on a cruiseship in space. The ship is floating in Orbit of the nearby planet, Tantaari, which was suppossed to be the next destination on the tour. Players find that the ship has been deserted, and signs of a struggle remain, with burst pipes, knocked over tables, and stuff cluttering the floor. The reasons are unexplained, but suggests that there was a fight, a mutiny, or maybe an attack on the ship. There are no bodies left laying around, and the engines are still running, the ship drifitng around the planet in orbit.

Gameplay:

The object of the map is to provide a fun environment for players to play in, whether as a team in TDM/CTG or in a straight up deathmatch. The map will center around a main atrium area, and have two distinct 'ends', acting as bases for each team. I want the map to make the player feel a challenge when trying to navigate to the other base. There should be several routes into each base, but because the atrium is an open space linking to two together, passing through this area should be a danger, and encourgae the player to 'scout out' or work together to cover all angles.
The atrium should be an area that is memorable for the player, and define the map. In the center, hanging from the ceiling will be a chandelier or hanging light of somesort. As yet im undecided whether to make this a classic glass chandelier which will look quite impressive if i can get the lighting on it working well, or come up with a sci-fi looking version. Neon lights instead of glass etc. Ultimately this will be decided by what theme i use for the whole map.
As part of the concept stage, i shall be creating several top down sketches of the whole map, and more detailed sketches of specific areas.


Visuals:
Sci-fi mods are commonplace, especially within UDK maps, so i will be trying not to stay to close to sci-fi stereotypes. Combining elements of thecruiseship, such as the atrium, or the ships thrusters, will help to make this map different to others of similar theme. I want to make the player feel as though they are on a deserted ship, so small effects such as flickering lights, or scratched surfaces will help to set this atmosphere.
after collecting a few reference photos, i need to decide what type of theme i follow. I could go down two seperate routes; Ultra modern interior, white walls, glass, gold brackets etc, making it look like a futuristic titanic in a way. Or make it more conventionally sci-fi, and have grey walls, pipes, consoles, neon strip lighting in the floors etc, in keeping with traditional Unreal maps.
I think it would be wise to research a few reference phots first and get a feel for each theme, and decide which will be easiest to reproduce.

I'll be adding reference photos over the next few hours, to get a feel for the environment/location/lighting/visual style.