June 9th, 2012
The bridge in the side garden area was a bit thin so I set up a green rectangle with the width of 256.
Once the bridge was expanded I had to make sure the area near the stairs was also expanded upon. The expanded area was not intended at first to be an area where players would fight enemies but after the expansion I felt that this area can be a bit more open. One golden rule to follow when designing multiplayer levels is to never design a level with a dead end. I made that mistake here bit now it is time to fix that.
The area under the bridge was just a dead end. I planned on opening up this area and having it wrap around to the top of the stairs.
A top down view of the expanded areas.
The expansion to the side garden area would allow for the player to run under the bridge up to the top of the stairs. One of the things I want to avoid is adding too many stairs. Stairs are an issue when factoring in the Ai. The Ai can make sense of the stairs but sometimes there can be pathing issues where some stairs aren't read as part of the path.
I took the stairs on the right side of the garden and duplicated them over to the left side so I can use it as a base for the new expanded pathway.
I began to build the pathway with a very simple design in mind. The first idea I had in mind was for a staircase that leads up to a new area that would lead up to the bridge area.
The side stairs lead up to a new area. This new area would allow for more movement and some light combat. I make sure that there are clear routes for the player to use.
Originally the new area on the side of the bridge was pretty big but it sot of felt too big for now. I decided that it was best to scale it down a bit.
I figure that if this is indeed too small I can always come back and scale it up a bit more.
I figure that if this is indeed too small I can always come back and scale it up a bit more.
I started blocking in ares that would have broken walls. There were a few locations here in this new area.
Some screen caps of the new side garden area.
A render of the side garden area with the newly added expansion.
Iteration 8 June 9th, 2012
Once the new are was done I called it a day. Above is a screen cap of what the level currently looks like.
June 16th, 2012
The area underneath the bridge was designed to be defensible, but now that we added a new area behind it it was time to space it out more and make it better designed for combat.
I made sure to ensure the spacing between the pillars is was at least 128. The pillars needed to be spaced out properly so they can run through easily without getting stuck.
I thought that adding a bit of an arch under the bridge would help to break up the line of sight. Without the arch the liner of sight leads directly into the newly constructed area. The arch design also naturally attracts the player.
The bridge had no way for the player to escape to. Once they were on the bridge they could only move forward or back. One thing I decided to do was to open up the broken railing on the bridge. This opening was originally intended only for the sake of breaking up cover but now I opened it up so much the player could effectively jump up onto the bridge or jump down to make a quick escape.
The only negative side effect is with the Ai. It doesn't break the Ai paths or anything, but this is an action that the Ai can not imitate. This gives the player a distinct advantage over the Ai.
The only negative side effect is with the Ai. It doesn't break the Ai paths or anything, but this is an action that the Ai can not imitate. This gives the player a distinct advantage over the Ai.
A minor change I made to the bridge was to make the planks thinner. The way there were before didn't allow for the player to fire through them as easily.
The new expansion was coming along smoothly, but after some play tests I soon realized that the flow could be improved.
The stairs were making a chokepoint that was too narrow, the player could easily be trapped at wither side with no hope for escape.
The stairs were making a chokepoint that was too narrow, the player could easily be trapped at wither side with no hope for escape.
I decided to expand the stairs and add a new area for the player. I wanted this area to not be about combat but more about "Escaping". The idea for this area would be a lot of soft cover that would initially mask the players movement but wouldn't allow them to camp and be protected.
A comparison between the competing designs.
When designing this area with the escape mentality I wanted the flow to be right. I wanted to avoid stairs so i thought about mixing it up with some ramps and maybe some smaller round steps.
The two designs functioned similarly but the paths were an issue for the Ai. I decided to got with a combination of ramps and stairs.
The two designs functioned similarly but the paths were an issue for the Ai. I decided to got with a combination of ramps and stairs.
The new side garden area.
I made some minor changes to the tower area of the mansion. I made it so now the player or Ai can walk along the sides of the tower. Before the player only could stand under the roof of the tower area.
The level so far as of June 16th, 2012.
June 18th, 2012
After a quick playtest I made a few more additional changes to the tower area of the mansion. The player now has enough space to jump onto the roof of the house and even walk on the rafters if they choose.
I went into the level and made some of the solid walls into broken ones. I made sure that they were about 48 to 64 units tall.
A wall that is 64 units tall will provide adequate cover but wall that is 48 units tall will allow the player taking cover behind the wall to fire back at their enemies better when they are at a higher position.
A wall that is 64 units tall will provide adequate cover but wall that is 48 units tall will allow the player taking cover behind the wall to fire back at their enemies better when they are at a higher position.
Iteration 8.
After a variety of small and large changes MP-8 was complete.
- Danny Q
@Dannylv100
@Dannylv100
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