Apotheosis

  • Role: Level Designer

  • Type of Project: Academic Multidisciplinary Team

  • Duration: January 2025 - April 2025

  • Software: Unreal Engine 5.4.4

Overview

  • Designed an 8-player FFA multiplayer map for Eidolon: Fate of Fools, a networked mystical arena shooter with a card game twist.

  • Applied architectural and PvP map design principles to create a balanced and competitive space.

  • Structured level geometry to promote skill expression through gunplay and movement mechanics.

  • Leveraged custom telemetry and heat mapping tools to refine level geometry based on player data.

  • Worked closely with gameplay programmers to ensure seamless level design and mechanics integration.

  • Enhanced immersion with ambient storytelling through landmarks, buildings, and lighting.

  • Adhered to the game pillar, “It’s Fast to Flow,” by designing lanes and loops for fluid and dynamic movement abilities.

Pre-Production

Planning & Research

  • Researched Unreal Tournament 4 maps (Chill, Outpost23, Underland) to understand the general layouts of a movement-heavy arena shooter like our game.

  • Read team level documentation for previous maps to gain an accurate understanding of the theme and design methodology for future maps.

  • Developed a top-down layout based on research findings.

  • Pitched the level concept and plans to the team for approval and feedback.

©UT4ever, Chill

Project Pitch & Planning Documents

Initial Top-Down Layouts

Floor plan of a church or cathedral with labeled areas including main cathedral, courtyard, mausoleum, and an altar. Symbols for card spawners, jump pads, gravity lifts, and elevation changes are indicated throughout.

Top Down Layout First Floor

Map of a game level with labeled areas: Main Cathedral, Courtyard, Mausoleum, and various pathways and stairs. Symbols indicate jump pads, card spawners, elevation changes, second floor geometries, and gravity lifts.

Top Down Layout First Floor w/Second

Designing with Data

  • A particular area known as "Weathertop" was identified as a problem area via heat map analysis, which revealed excessive player clustering there.

  • Position visualization showed players idling at Weathertop’s sniper spawn rather than engaging in the main gameplay.

  • This only required a simple fix of reducing the sniper spawn timer.

    • I found this to be an elegant solution that didn’t diminish the strategic positioning of the high ground at Weathertop but prevented camping.

Heatmap visualization before cool-down change.

Heatmap visualization after cool-down change.

Creating Multiplayer and Environmental Cohesion

  • Designed distinct areas using color schemes and landmarks to guide players and enhance level flow.

  • Incorporated ruined structures to create realistic layouts, utilizing broken ceilings and walls for strategic rotation opportunities.

Integrating Environmental Aesthetics with Competitive Design

  • Used photo references to create custom props in UE5 modeling tools, ensuring the appropriate thematic aesthetic.

  • Leveraged preexisting assets to reinforce ambient storytelling through environmental design.

Virtual room with pink tiled walls, black grid flooring, staircase, and arched doorway, illuminated by purple lighting.
Virtual digital landscape with floating platforms, colorful geometric structures, spiral light designs, and a purple-hued background.
A digital art scene with purple grid-patterned walls and floor, stairs on each side leading to a stage with dancing humanoid figures, and a bright light fixture on the ceiling.

Encouraging & Rewarding Player Skill Expression

  • Designed alternate routes to accommodate movement abilities like rocket jumping, aerial launches, and dashing, enabling skillful navigation.

  • Balanced high-ground advantage by preventing player spawns on rooftops, ensuring vertical positions are temporary.

  • Enforced movement flow by limiting weapon ammo, requiring players to return to ground level for resupply.

  • Strategically placed weapon spawners with movement-enhancing abilities to encourage dynamic and expressive gameplay.

  • Player utilizing rocket jump to scale floating tombstones to rotate through the ceiling.

  • Player utilizing the flying buttresses and rocket jump to rotate across the map.

  • Player gets highground to use a sniper then rotate to a roof with a rocket jump to go into a slam.

Ending Notes

I had a lot of fun working with my team members on this project. Using UE5 modeling tools, a custom level telemetry visualizer, and team-made tools to support the custom bots, I learned a lot about Unreal Engine’s tools and how they can aid in making more complex level geometry.

Additionally, playing my map on a custom network built by my team with friends out of state was an amazing experience. This project helped me understand networking, replication, and how to build games for hosting multiple players online.

The team gave me the opportunity to prepare and pitch a level to a team without designers. It improved my ability to communicate my ideas and sell my designs to others.

Check out another one of my multiplayer projects, where I explore and create a Fortnite Point of Interest!

Chaotic Cavern