Left 4 Dead: Quarry | Level Design Jam | Hammer | 2023
*PAGE IS WORK IN PROGRESS – PLEASE BEAR WITH ME*
This level was a mainly aimed at exploring the L4D director while creating an interesting space which surprised the player.
Level Design work
- Collected reference, designed level layout and planned gameplay beats
- Created level blockout inside the Hammer++ editor
- Conceptualized combat, interactions & environmental storytelling
Layout
Design decisions
Surprise
To keep the player thinking, i decided to introduce elements of surprise into the maps design. I felt this had the effect of keeping the player on their toes and strategizing.
Scripted A.I.
I created various scripted entities with associated patrol areas. The players relationship to the A.I. soldiers was controlled at various points in the level to give the players the illusion of stealth.
Affordance
Affordance was used to allow the player to make / see the connection between the power line, the switch and energy wall.
Planning & Reference
The image gallery below shows some initial sketch work before block-out along with some reference imagery.
Gallery 1 – Initial sketches for the level’s layout