Joel Nyonga
Gameplay & Level Designer
"CP_Metro" - Lyra Starter Game, UE5
Class:
Level Design
Platform:
Windows PC
Duration:
Mar 2024 - May 2024
Engine:
UE5
Language:
Visual Scripting
Team Size:
1â
Overview
âCP_Metro was the second map I created while learning Unreal's Lyra Starter Game. It takes place in a modern subway station set during the evening. The aesthetic of the map includes bright fluorescent lights illuminating the entire station. The floors are littered with random items such as papers, food, trash, debris, and clothes. An event prior to the map led to all the pedestrians evacuating en masse, leaving behind whatever they were holding as they hurriedly evacuated the area.
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Players are able to navigate through subway platforms while using pillars, signs, and benches as cover. Players also have access to store fronts, service tunnels, and a glass bridge overlooking the entire station. The store fronts are located near the entrances of the station which are higher in elevation. The main feature of the map includes two moving subway cars; they act as hazards, however, they can also act as cover by periodically making stops granting access to the central platform. Alternate routes that lead to the central platform include the service tunnels and bridge.
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Control point map designed for the Lyra Starter Game made in Unreal Engine 5
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3D model assets from UE5 Market as well as modeled in UE5
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Two teams fight over control points around an abandoned subway station
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Scripting environmental events such as moving subway trains
Devlog Video
In this video I talk about my design process for developing a control point map for a third person arena shooter.
Design Process
Iterating Layouts
During the design stage I knew I wanted the B point to be at the center of the map with two trains on either side of the platform. From there I worked outward, thinking about the possible ways of reaching the center platform. I decided on having flank routes that would lead to the middle platform and would be on the edges of the map. Later on I decided that it would be cool if there was an even more direct way to get to the middle by using train cars. I didn’t know if I wanted the train cars to be static or to just be a pure hazard that would zoom past and hit anyone trying to jump to the B platform. In the end I went with a combination of the two, having the trains zoom past and periodically stop to allow a way through.
Rough Draft
This was my initial concept for the map. I drew a layout in my sketchpad to get an idea of what the routes would look like and where the objectives would go.
1st Pass
This layout shows what the map looked liked once I had spent more on the overall layout and heights of the different areas. I created it using Adobe Illustrator.
Final Pass
This is the final layout pass of the level. I made iterations from the last map as after play testing I found that the bridge side of the map was not fun to play in. Adding a store with a shotgun pickup helped fix this problem.
Level Blockout
My goal for grey boxing was to block out the main routes, objectives, spawns, and item pickups. Once those felt right I focused on getting the environment to feel like it was set in a subway station as well as making a functional lighting pass to make sure that areas weren't too dark and everything was visible while playing.â
Since the game was set in third person I had to make sure that hallways and doorways were big enough for the player and camera to go through without being obstructive which was a bit challenging without ruining the sense of scale compared to the player.â
Upon play testing I found that bridge section of the map wasn't as fun to play as it felt very linear. To fix this I added a store that can be accessed from both sides of the bridge. In it is a shotgun pickup as well as shelves for cover. This gave the players another route to take besides just going straight while also creating the opportunity for close quarter combat.