What To Do…?
GAM271 is something of a dream module for me; ever since creating levels for Super Mario Maker on my Wii U, I’ve been obsessed with level design as a medium to guide a player through an interactive experience. Despite this love, I don’t have much experience of 3D level design at all. After this project, that should no longer be an issue.
Over 2024, there was one game that I played more than any other: Counter-Strike 2. This meant it wasn’t a particularly hard decision to come to for what format to create a 3D level in. The only issue from here was what type of CS level to make.
Counter-Strike maps tend to be split into 5 distinct game modes (more being available in CS:GO).
These are:
- Hostage Scenario
Counter-Terrorists aim to rescue one of two hostages kidnapped by the Terrorists - Bomb Defusal
Terrorists must plant a bomb on either of two sites, which the Counter-Terrorists must prevent exploding - Deathmatch
A free-for-all between 20 players, with the use of any guns permitted - Arms Race
A deathmatch style game, where each player advances a gun each kill they get. First to get to the knife and get a kill with it wins - Wingman
Four players fight in teams of two, with standard Bomb Defusal style gameplay. There is only one site in Wingman maps
Of course Bomb Defusal is the iconic Counter-Strike game mode, so it may seem the obvious choice. However, I need to consider time constraints and most importantly, my unfamiliarity with the Source 2 map editor, which is why I think it makes more sense to go for a Wingman map for this project.
Why Wingman?
This decision comes down to a couple of reasons, with the main being Wingman maps are smaller. Given the time spent learning the engine I wouldn’t have enough time to create a fully sized map.
Another driving factor is that Wingman maps need less testing. Normal Defusal map tests tend to give split data, because the Terrorists have to choose which site to plant at, however in Wingman maps, given the single site nature, all testing playthroughs help improve the map as a whole.
Overall, I believe it’s better to have a polished, well-playing Wingman map, than a normal Defusal that has a lot of room for improvement. Of course the aim of this module is to learn Source 2 tools enough to eventually put out a larger map, but that is later down the line!
In the coming weeks I will be brainstorming ideas for this project to try and come up with one worth pursuing. See you then!