Level Design Archives - Ryan-Alexander.co.uk

Following the completion of my Final Year Project, I decided to take some ingame screenshots from the same location and viewing perspective as the reference photographs captured during the early research phases.

Upon viewing the photographs and ingame screenshots side by side (below), the similarity and likeness to the real-world environment and the digital simulation can be compared and appreciated.

University Building Exterior [Photograph]	University Building Exterior [Ingame Screenshot]
University Building Exterior 2 [Photograph]	University Building Exterior 2 [Ingame Screenshot]
CIB Reception Area [Photograph]	CIB Reception Area [Ingame Screenshot]
Entrance Corridor Area [Photograph]	Entrance Corridor Area [Ingame Screenshot]
Continue reading →

Team 13 was formed to produce a group project for a university module from October 2009 – May 2010. Together we decided to make a custom map for ‘Left 4 Dead’ called Clifton Onslaught, we decided that a suitable area of interest would be the Clifton and University areas. Using the Left 4 Dead Authoring Tools by Valve Software, and 3D modelling/ image editing tools the group worked effectively to produce an eye-catching and interactive game level, and provided all members with valuable experience working within a team.

Group Members:
Damon Muncaster – Team Leader
Ryan Alexander – Level Designer / Website Admin
Joe Pinner – Level Designer
Jake Roden – Prop and Texture Designer
Damo Coaten – Prop and Texture Designer
Shaun Field – Sound Development

Realistic scales where used and satellite imagery allowed us to ensure that the game levels that we where creating where as real to life as possible.

Clifton Onslaught consists of two maps, the first ‘Street’ takes the player from central Clifton through a park area through the streets of Clifton, there are multiple routes that the player can follow to progress. The player ultimately ends up at the safe room on the outskirts of Clifton housing estate alongside the Nottingham Trent University Clifton Campus where the second map begins, ‘Campus’.

Green Line – Clifton Onslaught [Street]
Yellow Line – Clifton Onslaught [Campus]

The campus map was my particular focus point throughout the level design, my experience of the source SDK tools developed substantially as the project progressed. As the campus is well known, i felt implied to pay extra attention to detail to the universities key features, the prop designers where required to make a large number of the visuals from scratch as pre-made textures and models where unsuitable.

Group members where able to discuss matters using the forum system which i setup for optimised communication, I implemented privacy features to allow piers to discuss ‘Clifton Onslaught’ materials in private, and an attachment tool that allowed us to share work files within a secure online repository.