"Sereno" - Custom Black Ops 3 Multiplayer Map
Tools Used: Radiant (Black Ops 3)
Made: September 2017 - November 2017, March 2018, August 2018 - September 2018
(worked on map in my limited free-time between work/school, sometimes not being able to work on it for weeks)
Play Here: Steam Workshop
Made: September 2017 - November 2017, March 2018, August 2018 - September 2018
(worked on map in my limited free-time between work/school, sometimes not being able to work on it for weeks)
Play Here: Steam Workshop
Sereno Gameplay:
Below are full games of Team-Deathmatch, Domination, and a Walk-Thru on Sereno from it's published state. Footage is from experienced FPS playtester, Zek.
Below are full games of Team-Deathmatch, Domination, and a Walk-Thru on Sereno from it's published state. Footage is from experienced FPS playtester, Zek.
|
Team-Deathmatch
|
Domination
|
Map Walk-Thru
Map Description:
Sereno is a water oasis in the heart of Monterrey, Mexico. As conflict breaks out between opposing military forces for control of the sanctuary and the city, the water haven is turned into a multi-leveled combat zone. With long lines of sights, overlapping-floors, and water traversal, Sereno offers a unique combat environment that supports various playstyles.
Sereno's Core Sections:
My Role:
- Designed, blocked-out, iterated, and polished level from paper concepts to release
- Built map to support balanced PvP gameplay for various game modes (TDM, Domination, Capture the Flag)
- Heavily redesigned and scrapped some areas from initial design based on feedback from testers
- Built all geometry and architecture in level, hand placed foliage
- Precisely placed assets to create balanced lines of sight and navigational routes that fit environment's theme
- Worked through problems to implement functional mini-map and Domination game mode into map
- Clipped and textured environment for clean player collision and easy-to-read geometry
Sereno's Domination Flag-Points:
|
|
All Domination flag-points
Map Goals:
Sereno is very unconventional as far as Black Ops 3 multiplayer levels go. It combines more open spaces found in Halo maps with Black Ops 3's maze-like corridors for a very unique map flow. Some ideas worked and many didn't, leading to several iterations and learning experiences.
As my previous Black Ops 3 map, Foray, was designed to have a circular, interconnecting flow, I wanted to design a map with stricter lanes and a more symmetrical layout, resulting in clearer team-controlled sides. The various ways to navigate the map balanced powerful vantage points with flanking routes for tactical shifts in gameplay and team advantages.
To become even more familiar with Radiant’s features, I wanted a map environment that offered a drastically different environment/layout than Foray. As I have never designed a map to support water before, this opened new gameplay possibilities I was excited to experiment with.
Center Design:
As the “B” flag for Domination is on the lower-level below the center ring tucked away behind a wall, it creates a dynamic, choke-point flow that allows for offensive and defensive tactics. The B flag's placement is right next to the hall connecting to the Wall-Running Route, encouraging players to use different areas of the map to successful capture and hold the B flag.
As the “B” flag for Domination is on the lower-level below the center ring tucked away behind a wall, it creates a dynamic, choke-point flow that allows for offensive and defensive tactics. The B flag's placement is right next to the hall connecting to the Wall-Running Route, encouraging players to use different areas of the map to successful capture and hold the B flag.
To help balance my lines of sight and navigation for this vertical, over-lapping center, I spent a lot of time studying the map “Overwatch” from MW3, ‘Greenband” from Advanced Warfare, as well as several multiplayer maps from the Titanfall games.
Key Iterations:
As Sereno's design was experimental with its overlapping areas and its mix of tight and open spaces, I got lots of feedback on what worked and what didn't. Based on feedback from testers ranging from FPS experts to casual gamers, I made several iterations to Sereno's design and heavily redesigned some areas, scrapping others all together.
As Sereno's design was experimental with its overlapping areas and its mix of tight and open spaces, I got lots of feedback on what worked and what didn't. Based on feedback from testers ranging from FPS experts to casual gamers, I made several iterations to Sereno's design and heavily redesigned some areas, scrapping others all together.
|
Favela-style town used for vista I built myself, inspired by architecture I saw in Mexico
|
Some crucial feedback and play-test results showed that the map's flow needed to be smoother, allowing faster and tactical movement between the map's many areas. I started by reducing the scale of the open spaces and creating more pathways leading from the top floor to the bottom. I also added holes around the Sereno's center for players to quickly get between the 2 crucial floors.
|
|
|
|
Feedback showed the initial top-side of Sereno was too big and was not utilized in an already large-scaled map. So I decided to redesign the area from a contained water area with bridges to a giant waterfall vista with wall-running platforms (Before/After images below).
This entire section designed for combat was turned into a route for navigation using wall-running only, getting players to the core combat zones faster while still offering the area's original intended flanking route. Several aspects/initial designs for this space were scrapped in order to better the overall flow of the map.
This entire section designed for combat was turned into a route for navigation using wall-running only, getting players to the core combat zones faster while still offering the area's original intended flanking route. Several aspects/initial designs for this space were scrapped in order to better the overall flow of the map.
Before
|
After (blue-electric billboards and wall behind them are the wall-running platforms)
|
Level Environment:
Using pictures I took while I was visiting Monterrey, Mexico, I was able to replicate a cool fountain structure and its view into the pathways below as the center point of my map. I used pictures I took (and found online) as references for building/placing structures, vegetation, and other props in my level.
Here are pictures I took that I used as key references for Sereno:
|
|
My Design Process:
To accomplish keeping this map balanced for all players and keep true to my references’ key features, I had to get creative in redesigning the areas from my references. This is mainly true for the center ring area, which is the core of the map’s design. The center of the map is where the main floor looks down into the pathways below and the center fountain structure
The fountain structure I referenced was too open on the top-level and would not work for a Call of Duty multiplayer map. I spent a lot of time redesigning the fountain area to support the balanced and unique combat I desired.
My initial step was to block-off certain parts of the center ring. That way players could get good vantage points over the lower floor and center fountain without having to be too exposed from other positions and the team spawns. This worked, except the openness around the ring still made the area too spacious, and lines of sights were too exposed.
Image above from block-out stages (January 2018)
I placed curved walls around the ring’s center, concealing the 2 entrances from each team’s side. These walls blocked immediate LoS around the center ring from players just entering the area. This not only made players move closer to the ring to engage in combat, but it also protected entering players from being killed from across the area unfairly. It also created tactical cover positions around the ring.
I also placed a large fountain art-piece in the center of the fountain (pictured below) to further block LoS from certain locations, encouraging movement around the center's top area to get sights into key areas around the ring, both on the bottom and top floors.
|
|
I decided to move one side of the ring right against a surrounding wall rather than allowing players to move around the entire ring structure freely. This created a key wall-running point and elevated vantage point around the center, opening the space up more for better flowed encounters.
Here is the flow/entry points for the center ring area (upper-level only):
- Blue = Black Ops team entrances
- Red = CDP team entrances
- Yellow = side/flanking entrance
- Orange = wall-running wall (has elevated vantage point via hole in wall)
Museum Lobby, "A" flag for Domination behind front-desk (mid-right on image above)
Welcome Center lobby, "C" flag for Domination is to the left of the fountain (where player/camera is below)
|
|
Front of the Welcome Center, where Black Ops team spawns inside of
Front entrance to Museum, where CDP team spawns inside of
More Pictures from Release Stage
|
|
|
|
|
|
TDM Gameplay:
Below is a full match of TDM on Sereno from a public playtest (from July 23, 2018, pre-polish phase). Based on feedback, I spent a lot of time iterating map's navigational routes, lines of sight, and scale to improve the flow of combat and more strategic traversal.
Pictures from Block-out/Early Testing Stages:
Dedication
Sereno is dedicated to one of the toughest guys I know, my Dad. He was the reason I was on the Mexico trip that sparked the inspiration for this map. His battle with a life-threatening tumor and his strength to comeback from an almost fatal operation gave me the motivation to work on this map any chance I got, even late into the night/morning after a long day of school and work. He is the reason I am the hard-working, dedicated person I am today. Thanks Dad for all the love and support! Keep on fighting!
- Alex
Sereno is dedicated to one of the toughest guys I know, my Dad. He was the reason I was on the Mexico trip that sparked the inspiration for this map. His battle with a life-threatening tumor and his strength to comeback from an almost fatal operation gave me the motivation to work on this map any chance I got, even late into the night/morning after a long day of school and work. He is the reason I am the hard-working, dedicated person I am today. Thanks Dad for all the love and support! Keep on fighting!
- Alex
