Multiplayer
I was a Level Designer on Colonial Marines, and while I know the game took a few knocks upon release, I’m still happy with how the multiplayer turned out. I exclusively focused on developing PvP maps, and in particular, one map for every internally developed game mode, including one that didn’t wind up shipping with the final product. I primarily focused on:
Building new multiplayer maps and prototyping new multiplayer game modes.
Building a template multiplayer map for each game mode that was developed internally.
Establishing the unique spawning system for Xenomorphs.
Establishing metrics for Xenomorph movement, which was tricky because they could climb on literally any surface.
Collaborating with our design team on systems and abilities to create a multiplayer experience similar to L4D, while taking liberties with the Aliens franchise to help differentiate it.
I know ACM wasn’t well received, but I still stand by the asymmetrical multiplayer that we created and how we were able to capture the tension of the movies not just through lighting and atmosphere, but gameplay as well. I was still pretty green, so I learned a lot through this experience and am still grateful to have had this opportunity.
Excavation
This was a TDM map that was more of an experiment than anything after I’d already created content for all of the other game modes. I only worked on this one for about 2 weeks before moving on to another project, and while the outdoor section with the wrecked buildings stayed intact, the other 3rd of the map was redesigned smartly by Gearbox.
Build an Arena map that has a lot of exterior playable space with intentional buildings to pass through, thus limiting the effectiveness of Xenomorphs in a unique way that other maps didn’t.
Developed a solution to prevent Xenomorphs from transitioning from a hard surface to invisible collision, which was not as straightforward as it sounds.
Condemned
This was the first Survival map created for the game, and it’s probably the map I had the most fun with because everything just “clicked.” It features a multilevel, military garage with an underground access tunnel. At first it feels like the Marines will have a pretty simple time defending this one, with very few openings and some long, tight corridors that are easy to plant some auto turrets in and set up defenses. I scripted a few surprises though that mix things up. Notable features include:
Plenty of doors that the Marines can weld shut, plus an underground access tunnel with a generator that can be protected + a placeable auto turret.
A car lift that can be toggled for tactical positioning against the Aliens.
Second story windows that are broken, exposing the Marines to distant ranged attacks from “Spitters” if they’re not paying attention on the catwalks.
Overrun
This was a map that was developed primarily for Survivor, as I wanted to try one that was entirely interior, and plays quite differently than Condemned above. I wanted to flip the script and allow the Marines to have easy access to the entirety of the map with compartmentalized arena spaces that each offer distinct advantages and disadvantages for setting up defenses. One room may have nice high ground, but little cover for example, while another room may have substantial cover, but very limited sightlines making it hard to adjust to incoming attacks:
Completely interior, space station themed map with very tall ceilings through most of the play space.
A few very tight corridor spaces, and a lone weapon cache for Marines if they’re willing to risk it.
More of a “network” carved out for Xenos to pass through to quickly go between larger compartments that Marines are holding up in.
Flushed Out
Flushed Out was basically me taking my favorite moments from the films and old AvP games (including the Atari Jaguar version) and creating a Left 4 Dead by carefully piecing them together. We only made 2 Escape Mode maps, and I was happy to have developed the first one. To me, Flushed Out represents a vertical slice for what the entire game should have been, which is essentially just L4D reskinned with Aliens instead of zombies. Notable features for this map include:
This was the first map developed where I really had to think through the unique ways that Xenos would spawn/respawn and set the standard for travel time and how close to the action they would be able to enter into the shared playspace.
Set up simple scripted events like doors and elevators to be triggered by the Marines, plus a check point system that would enable/disable spawn points for the Aliens.
Created a natural difficulty curve where the further the Marines progressed, the more challenging it would be to defend themselves and reach the drop ship based on Xeno spawn metrics, available access points for Xenos, and travel distance required for Marines to reach the next check point.