Project 1 v 1 - Gearbox Internship
Position: Level Design Intern
Studio: Gearbox Software
Development Time: 8 weeks - 50 hours
Synopsis: Project 1v1 combines the action of fast-paced 1v1 first person combat with the metagame strategy of a collectible card game.
Over the course of 8 weeks, I was an intern at Gearbox Software creating demo gameplay maps for their recently announced FPS title: Project 1v1. This was a great opportunity, but one in which I had to work efficiently as the facility was only open for 3 hours a week. In this time, however, I was able to create, play-test, and iterate on 3 environmentally unique maps.
Maps & Design Goals
Unique Environments: In designing for Project 1v1, one of my primary goals was to bring something new to the table. In my early research, I took note of the existing maps and environments and sought to create something aesthetically different to add to the diversity of the game.
Unique Gameplay: Likewise, in talking with the design team, I sought to understand what exactly they were looking for in these prototypes. While the game had established a clear set of guidelines on sight-lines and map-scale, I experimented with creating 3 maps with uniquely different levels of verticality.
Space PRison:
Uniquely high level of verticality
Escher meets Borg Cube
An abrupt aesthetic that creates many unexpected gameplay paths.
With Space Prison, I really wanted to highlight verticality. To help achieve this, I utilized the portals in a new way: where they had typically been used horizontally to transport players quickly around the map, I designed a 1-way portal that allowed players to quickly go from the lowest level of the map to the highest. Not only does this provide an extreme amount of height differential, but it also adds danger to the map when the portal is on cooldown as it drops to a kill volume.
HeliPad:
High risk high reward movement paths.
Cross-building shootouts
Central boost pad adds quick access to many portions of the map
With Helipad, I wanted to create high risk/reward movements paths. Specifically, the boost pad in the center of the map lets players immediately get almost anywhere else, yet it is also the most exposed and dangerous part of the map and far away from any health packs. In juxtaposition, the edges of the map are generally safer; having either defensible positions or minimal negative sight lines, yet require much more time to navigate.
Initial play-testing highlighted the desire of players to utilize the middle-ground for brief sections at a time, and given its strength led to the decision to move the health-packs towards more remote movement loops.
Forge:
Re-purposed lava and custom terrain made optimal for movement
Longer sight-lines to support cat and mouse gameplay.
A powerful yet difficult to defend central island.
A large part of Forge’s design came about from the desire to make distinct and memorable zones. With competitive FPS maps, especially for new players, I think it’s very important for players to quickly be able to orientate themselves by knowing which section they are in, and which other section(s) they can therefore access. With Forge, I sought to highlight this through a distinction between interior and exterior components of the map. While the gameplay asymmetry was present from the start, play-testing helped highlight the importance of following this up with aesthetic asymmetry between the sections.