This thread serves as an open journal on my development porting Streets from Left 4 Dead 2 to TF2 in the Super Zombie Fortress mod. I want to present my thoughts concisely explaining my thought process and reasoning behind the development.
Before this, I was working on an update to ctf_4tokyo for TF2 Classic. I lacked the game theory knowledge for revamping the whole map as it would be my first Territory Control / 4 team design. It needed to stand out from Hydro's narrow chokepoints and I didn't want to build a map that'd repeat the same criticisms of Hydro. Hammer++ was released recently, and I wanted a small project to work on to take my mind off 4Tokyo.
I also released 2 original SZF maps in the past year, and I figured it'd be nice to study/learn from the mod's inspiration directly: Left 4 Dead 2. Below are the project goals:
Goals:
Get familiar with Hammer++ and ensure it’s stable to use for the future
Learn and experiment with proven L4D2 level design for Super Zombie Fortress
Use existing TF2 props and textures to fit Left 4 Dead 2’s urban environment
I achieved all of these and the reception has been positive. So what have I learned from this project?
1) Hammer++ lives to its name with many quality of life changes. The only trouble I had was giving up the ALT+[ shortcut to change grid size. I enjoy the developer support and integrated update notifications. I will be using this instead of Hammer where I can.
An example of its use came when building the 3D skybox. L4D2 designers mostly used skybox scales of 32 rather than 16, likely to keep frames high since a lot is visible at once. This means default skybox props wouldn’t work for general use. Hammer++ allows model scale preview, which helps keep the workspace clutter-free and readable while working.
2) Maps have a large impact on how well a game plays. Documentation and train of thoughts I believe are crucial pieces of information to demonstrate your report/communication skills. Dissecting official maps have helped me in the past to learn how maps are made and are perhaps a less glamorous, yet still worthy study lesson. I believed Dead Center would help me see how L4D2 maps were designed so well.
For example, the Left 4 Dictionary was coined by the L4D2 team on quick ways to discuss maps without consulting drawings or layouts. From a wide game design standpoint, discussion with your team creates mutual understanding for all levels in the game, as multiple level designers are in the fray. I dissected the Streets level to fit the mold of their terminology, and added new terms I think exist, but were not covered in their original post.
1. Fork
A fork in the road creates another choice on where to go, usually around an obstacle.
It differs from a tube in that you cannot travel through it.
2. Low Cover
Low cover can be used for partial protection as an obstacle between you and a threat.
Infected have to go around or jump over low cover, granting a small defensive advantage.
It can also be used to divert players from taking a direct route to where they want to go.
3. High Cover
High cover is a barrier that blocks movement or line of sight such as a fence or hedge. It can even be a large vehicle such as a truck trailer.
c1m2 dictionary:
1) fork
1a) wide flow (down the pavement)
1b) narrow flow (underneath the covered area), leading to 1a from another angle
2) capillary (CEDA tent and truck)
3) wide flow (down the street)
4) narrow flow (down the stairwell and underpass)
5) fork
5a) masking (over the railing and up the hill, noisy bramble masks vision)
5b) wide flow (down the highway, over the railing and down an open hill)
6) king of the hill (over the dumpster)
7) wide flow (highway section)
8) narrow flow or close quarters (maintenance room stairs and building)
9) one way (dropdown onto truck)
10) wide flow (uphill street)
11) narrow flow (stairs, balcony, up to highway bridge)
12) narrow flow (gunshop)
13) wide flow (parking lot)
14) narrow flow (grocery store aisles)
15) wide flow (past barricade)
16) fork
16a) narrow flow + high cover + capillary (cars block LOS and restrict horizontal movement, CEDA tent)
16b) wide flow + capillary (open lot with less cars and 2 CEDA tents)
I set out to preserve the intention of these areas where possible, and the dictionary simplified knowledge of how impactful an area could be. Capillaries were a bit trickier to create without dedicated props for them, but brushwork sufficed in the end.
3) A beneficial art skill would be reusing existing assets in creative ways. For example, L4D relies on grimy, noisy props to obscure vision enforcing teamwork covering blind spots. This is called ‘masking’ by the development team and I noticed was intentional at the underpass section. Although not perfect, I mimicked masking with enough bush props to influence perception.
TF2’s palette often uses few rather than many textures/colors compared to realistic titles. So, I simplified what each unique material could be assigned as to lower both texture memory and visual noise. I found the map looked better with bright color correction rather than L4D's less saturated look. This was a point where I decided to match expectations of the artstyle instead of staying true to the source.
One more note, Left 4 Dead environments are large and densely detailed, this is helped by dense fog and 3D skybox to help optimize the game. I thought putting TF2 in a equally expansive world looked very appealing, and much of the source skybox was mostly brushwork converted into a single model.
To wrap this post up, I enjoyed this project and the L4D2 team gave their maps a lot of thought. I hope to apply this same level of thought to my future maps.
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