Sokushinbutsu
A single player FPS level in the style of Quake.
Overview
Website: https://github.com/fatjosephina/desert-zombie
Engine: TrenchBroom
My Role: Level Designer
Summary of Responsibilities
• create and iterate on level designs
• document level design process
• find and implement textures
Sokushinbutsu is a single player level made using the Quake level creator TrenchBroom. I was the sole designer of this level although some custom textures were taken from the Internet.
Designing the level was an iterative process which was documented on the project's GitHub.
← Sokushinbutsu Level Flythrough
Design Process
The design process was documented on the level's GitHub wiki and included the following:
• A theme for the level was decided based on my interests and gameplay ideas gleaned from playing Quake
• I playtested the metrics present in Quake to understand the size of units I should use in my level
• I decided which enemies would be used in the level to fulfill common enemy roles such as swarmer, melee, ranged, and heavy enemies
• I fleshed out areas of the level and came up with ideas on how to connect them using a bubble diagram
• I used a 2D topdown map to continue to plan out what I was going to build in the game editor
• I gray-boxed the level layout and began to add pick-ups and enemies
• I had other people play-test the level and gained feedback from both observing them play as well as having them take a survey afterwards
• Changes to the gameplay were made based on play-testing
• I continued to refine the level with lighting and textures
• More play-testing was done and changes were made until the level reached its final state
Bubble diagram showcasing the multi-loop design of the level →
Gameplay
This level is set in and around a temple-like structure within a desert. I did some research on Buddhist temple design to inform how I would structure the layout. I divided the layout into 7 areas to be consistent with the pacing of most FPS levels.
Guiding the Player
The player starts in a wide open area facing the large temple. Considering human biases in the design (the structure is large with a clear doorway, placed directly in front of the player, lit up, and additional buildings on each side of the player which funnel the player towards the main building) ensures that players know that entering the temple is their goal, but they will also be rewarded for exploring the desert area if they choose.
Iterating on the Design
One issue found during play-testing was that the original design of the level involved a lot of backtracking between the upper floors of the main temple (Floor 3) and the lower floors (Floor -1). This resulted in players getting lost and not knowing where to go next because they did not remember where the key door was after getting a key, for example. To alleviate this, a large number of shortcuts unlocked later in the level were added which ensured players continued going in the right direction, didn't have to remember the way back, and also provided fun gameplay such as an elevator which shoots the player while they're inside it.
← Design Thinking in Sokushinbutsu