Dirty Bomb
PC - Splash Damage
Description
Dirty Bomb is a team based objective multiplayer game that has a roster of mercs fulfilling specific roles. The game is highly focused around objective play and team play. It is most comparable to TF2 or Wolfenstein Enemy Territory.
Role
As lead level designer on Dirty Bomb I have been involved in both the level design on the project, designing multiple maps and bug fix passes on maps, as well as developing a new map development pipeline/processes and management of my team.
I have built multiple maps of which 1 has shipped so far. This involved documentation, paper layouts, whitebox, multiple iterations passes based on player/developer feedback, markup, optimization, balancing and bug fixing.
Terminal Redux
Terminal Redux was one of the maps that I worked on for Dirty Bomb. This was a rework of an older map that involved rebuilding the entire first half of the map.
The goal with all Dirty Bomb maps is to have the first objective be completed nearly every time, as we feel what keeps the maps enjoyable to play is the sense of progression rather than being stuck on the first objective all game. Our telemetry showed that Terminals first objective was the least completed in the game. With Terminal Redux I sought to make the first objective attacker sided, this involved a full rebuild of the first objective space and its objectives, primary and secondary.
I also took the opportunity to make smaller changes to the second objective such as reducing the number of angles that attackers need to check when entering the terminal building. The balcony MG also had its sightlines reduced slightly to help attackers enter the site from the main entrance and the gas tunnel. Alongside the gameplay tweaks were numerous bug fixes that improve gameplay and visuals.
Extra Credits
Environment art: Jack Mudge, Javier Cadenas, Ibrahim Wahab
Progress shots
Agency
Agency was the last map I worked on for Dirty Bomb. It had gone through extensive playtesting on our Private Test Server (players that were given the opportunity to playtest and give feeback on WIP content/features) and had finished its blockout stage, it was in the process of going through its environment art stages. All images are from Splash Damages public Art Station.
Agency was to be a new objective / stopwatch map set in Central London. The vision for the map was to create a new space, with a new objective flow without adding new complex objective mechanics. It played off on the idea of a secret research lab under a spy agency, taking influence from the James Bond franchise, The Kingsmen and the Secret Intelligence Service building in London.
The map, like other objective / stopwatch maps, had three sections which were broken down into three distinct themes; our take on the SIS building where players would battle to disable the buildings security measures in the lobby and corridors of the building before descending into the secret brick tunnels under the building to repair an experimental EV and finally emerging out onto the banks of the Thames where they would escort the EV to victory.
Extra Credits
Concept art: Andrew Porter, Matt Hancox, Nevena Nikolcheva
Walkthrough
Attackers started outside of the building and have to fight there way into a large entrance lobby, on one side it is flanked by a security office with a secondary objective.
On the opposite side of the lobby players would fight amongst abandoned office space.
Once attackers had beaten objective one they would push through a transition that took them down into the old lab space under the building.
Here players would enter the testing labs of the agency.
Sections of the area were open to the sky to allow for tactical usage of air abilities.
In the middle of the labs was the objective space, an EV that attackers had to repair and start escorting.
The attackers escort the EV down old tunnels and out onto the banks of the Thames.
The last objective involved fighting through an old CDA pumping station to extract the EV.