Mines of Mithra CTF Map

Team: Solo Engine: Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) Role: Level Designer Timeline: 1 Month

Overview: Third-Person 3vs3 Lord of the Rings inspired Capture the Flag Map for Fortnite

Design Goals

Create a map that incorporates both interior and exterior locations, allowing for both close and long range styles of gameplay.
Include many layers of verticality to allow for offensive and defensive positions.
Include branching paths to give players options to advance onto the opponents flag.
Make the experience feel like the player is exploring a Lord of the Rings environment.

Pre-Production

The task for this map was to design it around the existing IP of Lord of the Rings, and I had specifically chosen to reference the Mines of Moria from the first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. Features that stood out to me within this environment were large maze-like rooms, steep walls and cliff faces that offer many layers of verticality, and dwarven stone architecture of an abandoned kingdom. When designing the map, these were the main features of the IP that I wanted to use to create a compelling experience that they can feel within their gameplay.

Mines of Moria Refernces

Fig.1

Fig.2

Process

The map has 4 branching paths to give players options to advance onto the opponents flag . As the level is designed for 3vs3 combat, I wanted a minimum of 4 paths so a team cannot defend all paths at one time. However, the two main paths (fig.1) are more direct but more open and prone to combat, while the alternative paths (fig.1) allow for a stealthier and secure route but is more out of the way.

I struggled a lot with the size of the map, as I wanted to fit the 4 paths in while still having space between each of them so they feel separated from the other paths. The top path in the high ground was particularly challenging as I found through playtest feedback that it felt very separated from the gameplay and took too long to reach. To fix this I had to reduce the size of the transitions between paths, but in doing so I had to remove a feature that was interesting for gameplay. Overall though, fixing this was more important than the feature and made the gameplay much more fluid.

The map is split up into three regions. The interior base around the flag is indoors with multiple connecting rooms which funnel to the flag's position (Blue/Red Team Zones in Fig.2). They also connect to each of the paths to allow for maneuvering around the map. The indoor spaces serve as defensive positions which promote close range fights and gives cover for long range combat.

The mid section (Mid-Point in Fig.2) is the main combat zone with long sightlines, plenty of cover, and paths which allow players to run through to the interior bases. It is the core of the map which is accessible by all main paths.

The final section is the flanks (Overpass and Underpass in Fig.2). These are the alternate paths which allow players to flank into the enemy base. The overpass is a high ground section which is very strong as a defensive position, but is out of the way of the main combat in the mid and interior base sections. The underpass is lower than the mid section and gives the player a quick offensive flank, but is very open, leaving the player vulnerable to attacks.

Takeaways

Find the movement metrics of the game/engine beforehand so you can plan the design of the map around it to make sure locations and paths are quickly and fluidly accessible. Though you can't plan for everything in pre-production, this way you'll be able to minimize any future changes in layout. When a path or a small area feels slightly off, I've found it can really impact the players experience and cause them to avoid this area.
Having an existing IP or a narrative can help lead the direction of a map as you can use what's already there to influence your design of features, spaces, paths, and even mechanics. Using Lord of the Rings as my base helped me get an understanding of some of the main features I wanted to use and it allowed me to easily iterate from those initial ideas.
The best way to test the map without a formal playtest is to understand the player's mindset. When I'm working on a space within the map and I want to see if it feels alright, I will look at it from every angle to try to understand what a player could do in that situation. It's impossible to plan for everything, but I'll do method testing where I go into the map and pretend I'm being shot at from an angle. In that situation, I check to see if there's something I can do to retaliate. That could be finding cover, being in a position to shoot back, or finding an item that can help me in that situation. Once I deem that there is an action I can take the feels fluid in gameplay, I look at it at a different angle. Once I feel that I'm happy with this space, I'll move on to another area that needs testing.

Full Walkthrough of Map

*The side of the map not shown is still in greybox and has not been kitbashed but the level itself is still the same*

Mines of Mithra Full Walkthrough.mp4

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