JACKY XU

2D Artist | Game Designer


FPS Level Design



Unreal Tournament Capture the Flag Map



Role: Level designer, artist, tester

Time: 3 weeks (2017)

Team size: 1

Tools: Unreal Engine 4, Photoshop



CTF Abyss is a capture the flag map designed for Unreal Tournament, gray-boxed and tested using Unreal Engine. It’s a medium-small size, linear map featuring multiple paths that supports both close quarters and long-range gameplay.



Layout of the map.



Playable gray-box level screenshot.



References



This map is inspired by Inverted Forest area from the animated television series Made in Abyss. In the Inverted Forest, trees grow upside down from the ‘ceiling’. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy, with pointy rocky terrains.



Source: Made in Abyss



Flow



Player movement are split into 3 main paths.


Main path is the widest path, supporting plenty of cover and defense items while being the shortest path towards the flag. The wide-open area in the middle allows for larger team fights, and center pillar provides cover.


Upper path is a lot narrower, with very little cover. It does however offer powerful weapon pickups and height advantage overlooking mid path and both team’s flag.


Lower path is a short side path under the main path, requiring players to use a lift to return to main path for flanking or capturing the flag. At the center of the lower path sits the rocket launcher, which is a valuable resource being the most powerful weapon available.



Flow of the map. Arrow shows the different paths.



Chokes



Majority of the choke points are in the center around the resources.



Choke-points of the map. Red circles indicate the major chokes.



Diagrams



Diagram showing the metrics of the level.



Bubble diagram of the main areas and how it connects.



Early Designs



Early sketches and notes taken on the metrics of Unreal Tournament.