Spring Demo Reel - 2011

My 2011 Level Design Demo Reel.

MP_Highway

A couple weeks ago I started work on a new multiplayer level for Gears of War PC called MP_Highway. This level is a straight forward level geared for competition. This level features two power weapons: the boomshot and the torque bow which are located on the top and bottom levels of the map. This level features alot of low cover which will increase the speed at which the level is played and create an intense battle situations. I also took the approach to this level that Epic did with its levels in Gears of War 2, that being that from the spawn you can readily see your enemy and the battlefield is alot smaller than most Gears levels which leads to a faster level and quicker battles yet there is still enough options for the player that tactical play is still very important in the level.

-Jack

Screenshots:

Demo Reel Version 2

So after gathering feedback from alot of people I have created the second version of my demo reel based on what people liked, didn't like, and felt could be improved.

New demo reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boEJgdI-hUg

Also watch it here:

Demo Reel version 1

So I have finished the first draft of my demo reel for graduation.

Super crisp awesome version link: http://www.screencast.com/t/RQFO2pvs

Youtube quality:

MP-Station Finished!

So I have completed my work on MP-Station and have released it to the public as a finished level. This is my first Gears of War PC MP level and I am happy with it. Visually it came out how I had planned and through my playtesting it plays very well. It plays as a very tactical fast paced level with the addition levels adding some excellent flanking options and intense battles if you find yourself fighting for the weapons located there. Now with this level done it is time to finish my MP-Highway level that I started working on during the final stages of MP-Station and also start work on my new revised single player level.

MP-Station no bots download:
http://www.gamefront.com/files/20234444/MP_Station_b3.war

MP-Station bots download:
http://www.gamefront.com/files/20234464/MP_Station_b3_bots.war

MP-Station final shots:

MP-Station Update

So I have placed almost all the meshes for the level and have finished the lighting. Only thing left is to do the final minor detail meshes such as placing wires, monitors, lights, and figure out what to do with the side walls either make little store fronts or cover them in ivy, I will figure that out later. And I have decided to go with a BSP floor instead of a static mesh floor because of how detailed the shadows become on the BSP floor plus it makes the level easier to run on machines.

Screentshots:









New floor:

MP-Station Update

Here is a quick update for MP-Station.

Portfolio Update

So after a week of hard work over my break I have finished all the AI scripting for my single player level and started the structural meshing for that level and I have gotten to the deco meshing for my gears of war multiplayer level MP_Station. Below are some screenshots of lighting tests I am doing on the level and also a screenshot of the deco mesh test I am doing to try and get the right look for the level.

Lighting Test 1:


Lighting Test 2:


Deco Mesh Test:

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.

IGDA World Wide Level Design Competition 2nd place level

This is a fly thru for my level that I entered into the IGDA World Wide Level Design Competition. This level placed 2nd in the Best Death Match category.

Murderball MB-Shipping Fly Thru

Here is a fly thru of the latest version of the first level for my groups senior project. This level is 99% complete.

MurderBall Update

Senior Project update.

Custom Level Update

It is coming to the end of the quarter and it is time to update my blog with my progression on my custom content level. I would say about 90% of the modeling is done, all the big pieces are done for sure just need to make some trash pieces and maybe a door trim if I feel its needed after i texture the assets I have modeled. The next step is to create tiling textures for the level that will then be used as a base for most of the textures for my individual assets. Screen shots below.

Update - School work

So for my senior project at the art institute a group of fellow students and I are making a football with guns type game in which the players play in a stadium in which a arena has been placed. This arena is a train shipping yard and has a very straight forward fast paced flow to it. The ball is located on the flatbed train car at the center of the map with the goals located at the ends of each map in the center train bay. This is a structural mesh pass and a lighting test for class to get a feel of the mood and look of the level. Level designed and built by Jack Carr models created by John Dawson and John Miller. Hope you like it!

-Jack

DM-Devastation

SO this is the first level I ever designed and built in Unreal Ed. It is a fast paced and open 1 on 1 level. It is strongly influenced by DM-1on1-Roughinery from Ut2k4 ( Unreal Tournament 2004). This level was played widely by the competitive UT3 community for a while before the community went under. Once I finish with DM-Abandoned I plan to come back to this level and rebuilt it completely with my improved level design skills. I am posting this version of the level here because I want to show how far I have come since my first level design attempt. Hope you enjoy and as always any and all feed back is welcome and appreciated. Thanks for your time.

-Jack

100 armor


50 armor


Rocket launcher


Download Link:
http://www.fileplanet.com/208707/200000/fileinfo/Unreal-Tournament-3---DM-1on1-Devastation

DM-Abandoned Round 2

So over the break I was able to test my previous layout for DM-Abandonded more thoroughly than before and found a good number of problems with the layout and I decided to redo the layout almost entirely. After a few iterations on the design I have come to a layout that plays infinitely better than the previous and is much more dynamic and playable in every aspect.

I have removed the top level completely, added a basement area for the 100 shield, and a courtyard like area for the double damage. Below are some screen shots of various areas of interest for the level as well as a Link to download the level. I still have a few more hours of testing I want to do on this layout before I move into static meshing and hopefully after this post the testing will be completed. Hope you enjoy the new layout!

-Jack

Download:
http://www.fileplanet.com/209162/200000/fileinfo/DM-Abandoned_Beta3

Main Room:



Double Damage Room:



Side Room:



Rocket Room:

DM-LostTemple

This is a level I designed and built for a class at AI. During the course of the class my instructor advised me to enter my level into the IGDA World Wide Level Design Competition, so after the class was finished I decided to give it a shot and entered my level into the competition with no hopes of placing but hoping to get valuable feedback from the professional level designers who would be judging the competition. So weeks past and I received an email saying I placed second in the competition which was a happy surprise to me, knowing that my level was played by a group of professional level designers and having them feel that it was high enough quality to award it second place was a great feeling for me.

IGDA World Wide Level Design Competition:
http://igda.gamerecruiter.com/

DM-LostTemple

DM-LostTemple is a Death match/Team Deatch match level designed to fit 2-8 players. It has a strong focus of Z axis fighting between the multiple levels throughout the map. The central point of the level consists of a pool of water at the lowest level of the map where the Double Damage is located and two levels above that on the main bridge is the 100 shield. The placement of these two powerful and game changing items provides a very unique situation in where you have to choose which item to go for in a classic risk vs. reward style. The temple across the main bridge contains a pool of water that heals who ever stands in it but leaves them in a tight place with two very easily blocked exits in front and no back way out making the player choose how long he stays in the water very carefully. Every control point has a counter and the structure in which the level was built lends itself to both hit scan and close combat fighting in unique was with how the levels tier structure was placed and built. This is a level built for technical yet fun game play that pushes the game mechanics of Unreal Tournament 3 in a very competitive way.

*Click Images to Enlarge*

The Double Damage pool:


The healing pool inside the Temple:


The main bridge also known as the 100 bridge:


A shot of the left bridge from the main bridge of the level:



Download Here:
http://www.fileplanet.com/205591/200000/fileinfo/DM-LostTemple

Thanks for your time and see ya soon!

-Jack