Jack Carr | jcarr1337@gmail.com | 530-386-2161


Sunday, March 27, 2011

Huge Update Post Before Portfolio Next Quarter

My eleventh quarter at the Art Institute has come to a end and I have 1 week before my final quarter begins and I start creating my demo reel and portfolio in preperation for the job hunt when I graduate. This is going to be a long post showing updates on my three latest WIP levels. Out of these three I will have to choose two to take to completion over the next month so that I can have them in my portfolio and demo reel. The only level that I am 100% certain that I am going to finish is my single player level for Gears of War because I need a single player level for my portfolio to show I can design and build more than just multiplayer levels.

MP_Station
This is a Gears of War multiplayer level that is designed to be a fast paced straight forward experience. The level is divided into 3 levels to bring more verticality to the game play. The first level is the main area of play with the most playable area, the vast majority of the cover on this level is low to attempt to force the players to move quickly through cover in order to fight each other, this is also done to encourage more use of the lancer in online play and less use of the shotgun. The top level has very little cover due to have powerful of a position it can be on the level, on this level there is a sniper rifle in the center that will reward the player that is able to survive and acquire it. On the bottom level the cover is sparse and tall to allow players safe cover from fire that will becoming from the stairs that connect the main floor to the bottom floor. On the bottom floor there is a boomshot, this weapon will be very powerful in the lower quarters of the level but will be less overwhelming on the main floor, even though it becomes less powerful outside of the bottom level it is still a strong reward for the player who risks going down there to get it.

Top Down Layout:


View of top 2 levels:


View of the center area of the main floor:


View of top level:


View of the bottom level:


MP_Mall
This is a multiplayer level for Gears of War that was designed to be a more complex experience for GoW multiplayer than the maps we see from the retail game, more like the levels from Gears of War 2. With this level I wanted to really give players the options to go multipleways at any given time yet still constrain them enough that the level didn't seem to open or confusing. This level has two elevations that have multiple sectors of game play. There is the top floor of the level that centers around the main floors fountain and gives points of view to everywhere around the level but also doesn't have a large amount of cover so that being up top is not to powerful of a position. On the bottom floor you have a large amount of play space that is located under the top levels pathways so that you have some safety from the players who choose to run to the top of the map. On either side of the level there is two courtyard areas that contain powerful weapons that off a great reward for the risk that the players will have to make to get them.

Top down layout:


View of the top level:


View of the left side courtyard:


View of the entrance to the right side courtyard:


View of the bottom floor of the level:


SP_Gauntlet
This is my singleplayer level that I am building for my portfolio and demo reel. I got the idea for this level from watching the movie Gamer, while that move was unbelievably terrible the game that they played gave me a idea for a level for GoW. This will not play like a traditional Gears of War level it will play much like a time trial or assault level from Unreal Tournament. The player will have to travel through three sections of the level in a set time limit. Each section of the level will increase in difficulty and give the player different obstacles to overcome but will also give the player the tools to overcome these obstacles. At the end of each section there will be a checkpoint that the player will spawn at if they die. The player will have the chance to choose their weapon at the beginning of the level but will be limited to only one primary weapon and a pistol to increase the difficulty of the experience. The level will start in an alley way then progress into a warehouse/factory setting and then end on a city street.

The starting Alleyway:


The Factory/Warehouse:


The city street:


The side street and end of the level:


That is the end of this update and another 1 is coming quickly and they will continue to come until I graduate. Next on my agenda is fly thru videos for all the above levels and trying to choose which of the two multiplayer levels to take to completion in the next month.