"Foray" - Custom Black Ops 3 Multiplayer Map

Tools Used: Radiant (Black Ops 3)
Made: May 2017 - December 2017​
Published: January 7, 2018
Download Here: Steam Workshop
*Requires Black Ops 3 on Steam to play*

Foray was selected to showcase at the 25th Annual Hokin Honors Exhibition at Columbia College to represent the Interactive Arts & Media department. Here you can find the display sheet and video I created to showcase at the exhibit.

Full TDM Gameplay Video:

     This video shows a full length match of TDM on Foray. Gameplay from Zek, a tester. The texture and lighting quality is low in the video as my computer at the time couldn't compile at a better quality. To see a more concise video showing off the level more fluidly, visit the Hokin Honors link above.
Intro:
     Foray is a custom Black Ops 3 multiplayer map and was the first map I created with Radiant. I spent much of the map’s initial development furthering my understanding of Radiant’s features. Foray acted as a learning experience as I learned Radiant’s capabilities as well as put my deep understanding of FPS multiplayer level design into experience.

​Map Description:
     Foray is an American construction site that was abruptly attacked during the day leaving the busy street going through the site filled with chaos and destruction. First responders evacuated civilians leaving US special forces to combat enemy operatives in the aftermath of the ambush (Black Ops vs CDP).

My Role:
  • Gathered references and sketched level's layout on paper
  • Built and textured terrain and structures following references for realistic environments and assets
  • Manually clipped all assets smoothly to minimize snagging of player movement and restrict unintended navigation
  • Precisely placed all assets to balance lines of sight, navigation, and immerse players into a believable construction site environment for competitive PvP combat
  • Blended textures, FXs, and lighting for more realistic settings
  • Regularly tested map with play-testers and iterated level based on crucial feedback
  • Created and implemented custom minimap and functionality
Top-down of map from in-engine, listing core sections
Key References:
     I spent a couple of days researching various construction sites to gather enough references to design a believable construction site environment.
    To create the circular map design I desired while also utilizing the classic CoD 3-lane structure, I decided to incorporate a bridge in the center of the map. This did two things to help my design. It created overhead coverage for airborne Scorestreaks in the middle of the map below the “B” flag in Domination, as well as created a canal/divide down the map that went under the bridge. The creation of this overlapping “+” flow created 2 exposed, but quick paths from one side of the map to the other going both North to South and East to West. 

     The use of these 2 critical paths created a level flow that supported various styles of play and adaptive player tactics during objective-based game modes. Although these paths were quick, they were also very exposed, emphasizing risk/reward for players choosing to take them. As the main street was to be cluttered with destruction and vehicles, I wanted the divide under the bridge to be a little more open.
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     To ensure every area of the map had a real-world purpose (and not just there for gameplay purposes), I made the divide area a means for construction trucks to load and unload supplies to and from the massive dirt hill and the half-built car garage. It helped me further design the divide which emphasized its real-world purpose.
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Objective Placement:
     To ensure my levels are fair to both teams through navigation to points of contact, I usually start off my paper concepts by thinking of the map in the sense of a Domination gamemode (Domination is where the teams must capture and hold 3 flags-points to gain points).

​This image shows the positions of each team’s starting spawn and plots the 3 flag points for Domination.

Although both spawns are differently laid out, I ensured both team spawns were equal distance from their initial starting flag, the neutral “B” flag on the bridge, and every other neutral objective/point of contact.
 
     Because Black Ops 3 (and many other CoD games) ship with multiple game modes, I designed my level to support each game mode fairly. Along with my initial Domination flag plotting, I placed objectives/team spawns for Demolition, Search and Destroy, Capture the Flag (CTF), and Team Deathmatch (TDM) during my paper concepts to correctly gauge navigation, lines of sites, elevated vantage points, and chokepoints.

     With the design of Foray being circular and offering multiple ways to traverse the map, the level supports various play-styles no matter the game mode to keep the gameplay on the map feeling fresh. To further the map's focus on multiple playstyles, I switched the teams that were on offense and defense for SnD and Demolition.
​​     For SnD, the team on offense (team that would try and plant the bomb) would spawn on the bottom of the map (towards “C” flag in Domination), meaning the defensive team would spawn at the top of the map.
Overhead map for SnD with bomb placements and team spawns

     ​While in Demolition, the team that is on offense spawns at the top of the map and the team on defense would spawn at the bottom.
Overhead image for Demolition. Notice how the bomb placements are different compared to SnD's bombs?
     Having the teams switch spawn points and having the bomb sites in different areas of the map allows each game mode to feel drastically different and offer even more ways to play the map.
​Here are the layouts of the CTF I designed the map to support:
Bottom Image: Shows main paths for capturing the flag in CTF. Navigation through the Car Garage (left on image above) is not shown although it is an option. Orange = critical/quickest path while other colors show the slower, but safer navigational paths

Level’s Design and Aesthetic:
     Having the active street down the center of the level scattered with destruction helped me break up some of the repetitive visuals of the construction site. Allowing me to add props not normally found in a construction setting but worked with my level’s theme/story.

     Radiant didn’t offer any bulldozer or excavator models, so I had to make my own out of custom patches/blocks and other props. Although they work perfectly for gameplay purposes, the Bulldozers are not impressive. However, I am pleased with the excavators I made. They properly break up game spaces with their large size and make the environment feel like an active construction site.

​​Here are some photos of the stuff I manually textured/blended:
​Here are some examples of my visual cues used to tell players they can’t jump/wall-run on something:

Problems I Encountered:
    Despite looking for tutorials, docs/guides, and even posting on forums, I could not get game modes such as Domination to work on my map. So, to test the placement of the flags and other objectives for other game modes, I had people helping me playtest act like there were objectives in their place (marked by unique props), and I observed how players engaged in combat as if there were objectives to fight over and told players to pretend to plant bombs. The player would stay next to the objective marker for 5 seconds to simulate a plant/defuse and capture times.

     I also spent several days going through map files and scripts to get some key features working. Such as getting my custom minimap working in-game, backing up/restoring map files after a hard drive swap, and publishing the map onto Steam's workshop. All this was a great experience for me as I dived into Radiant's files and scripts through Steam. 
Foray's minimap I created

​In-Depth Design of Level’s Areas:
     If you would like a design breakdown where I explain my design process for each major section of the map, click the link below. As I go in-depth how I wanted players to engage in each section by designing the area's flow, lines of sights, entry/exit points, and objective placement, you gain a better understanding of my design thought process. I also explain how I reiterated and redesigned areas of my level regularly based on feedback for the best possible player experiences. 

     In-Depth Design of Level's Areas: Click Here