Black Ops 3 Zombies Map

Role: Solo Developer
Team Size: Solo
Engine: Radiant Engine
Development time: 1 month

I have produced a Zombies Map for the game "Black Ops 3" using the Radiant Engine. Link to download the map on the steam workshop is here: https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=2911635568

Design Intentions

The first stage of development was to make a statement of intent. This included some of the specific targets and stretch goals, as well as my rationale for the project. This allows for a much more streamlined process and allows for more focus when designing the map.

I also wanted to experiment with a different approach to the level design. I decided to try and make the spawn the biggest and safest part of the map while making branching paths more risky, but necessary, to traverse in order to upgrade weapons and obtain perks.

Development Process

To begin with, I decided to start with building the spawn room. After trying many different ideas, I really liked having a path above the spawn that players can only get to through the use of exploration. I decided that this upper spawn level would make players curious right from spawning in and making them question "How can I get up there?" or "I wonder what's up there?". This would give an incentive for players to go and explore the map. I added a "Quick Revive" perk machine and a "Gobblegum" machine to the spawn room as this is common for almost every zombies map.

Next, I decided to work on the first path leading out into the left side of spawn. I decided to make this path an extremely narrow corridor so that players would have to make a big rush, otherwise the chance of getting hit by zombies would be extremely likely. I also added a perk machine here to make the path rewarding for the player and give the area some more purpose. I had to iterate upon playtesting to make sure that the path was challenging but not unfair.

This then lead into two smaller sized rooms which have obstacles in the way, but also have perk machines and the chance for the "Mystery Box" to spawn - this plays a key role in progression for the player as it allows for new weapons to be obtained and can help them survive longer. This would then lead into a tight, small, maze like corridor pathway.

While the perks could not be purchased at the time, the next room would include the "Power Switch" which would allow players to buy and use all the perks on the map. The only exception to this is the "Quick Revive" machine which can be bought a maximum of 3 times when in single player mode. The Power room would include steps up to the top of the spawn path, as well as be connected to two other paths which the player can progress through. Not only this, but an electric door would open, allowing the player an easy way back into the spawn room.

Now that the left side of the map was done, I started working on the right side and I kept the smaller sized rooms, but I decided to add a small puzzle section by adding some stairs and an invisible floating floor path. To make the path obvious to the player, I decided to add the same pathway on the ground floor but used a different texture. This allows for a small puzzle which players might be confused by at first, but then allows for them to work it out fairly easily.

The next two right side rooms served a similar purpose as the two left side rooms - they both were small but allowed players to gain new perks and have the potential for the mystery box to spawn there. These rooms then lead into the same power room as before.

The last area to finish designing was the upper spawn. Since the paths at the top were the tightest out of anywhere on the map, I decided to add the "Pack-a-Punch" machine and the "Juggernog" perk machine here. These allowed players to upgrade their weapons and allowing them to take more hits from zombies - helping them survive. I wanted this area to be a high risk, high reward place, where they could easily drop down if they chose to, but they would have to do this at the right time otherwise they risk getting trapped in by zombies.

It was by this point that I had started to think about the narrative and overall theme of the map. I decided to make the narrative based around an abandoned fortress that had been renovated for tourism. To fit in with the zombies lore, I made the fortress be hit by meteors infected with 115 - the element that turns people into zombies.

The final aspect I had to work on, was the technical side of the game. This included:

Making sure that zombies were going to the correct barriers.
Setting how far the doors should open when bought.
Setting the price of doors, perks and wall weapons.
Including a "Zombies left counter".
Having a buyable ending which ends the game.
Setting correct zones for each area so that players cant cheat.
Changing the skybox for different lighting.

Post-Mortem

After successfully completing this map, I believe that I have created a zombies map that is very fun to play and gives a new twist on standard zombies map design. The smaller branching paths give a moments of high action and makes players think quickly while playing. The upper spawn allows satifaction in traversing tight corridors by giving powerful upgrades to weapons and allowing a shortcut back into the open and safe spawn.

There are minimal bugs from playtesting, and as this was my first time using the radiant engine, I believe that I am more confident to learn any future custom engines.

What would have I have done differently with more time/done today?

If I had more time on this project, I would have tried to reach more of my stretch goals, such as having custom weapons added to the game, or having custom perks to the game. This would allow for more unique gameplay that cant be replicated on any of the standard official Activision zombies maps.

I would have also tried to make a bigger map, but sadly due to scope restrictions, I made the map a small-medium size. With more time, I could have added new areas that have new features and rooms to explore.

One the last changes I would make, is a variety of new textures and assets being used throughout the map. This would help with the maps theming and would overall make the map more aesthetically pleasing.

Final Thoughts

So in short, I have completed a level design that has covered all of my project specifics from my statement of intent. The key thing that I have learnt is to constantly iterate and improve everyday on a project. This project has played a key part with improving my level design knowledge that I will definitely take with me into future projects.