Jackson Clayton
Level Designer
Survival Level
I was contracted to work on level design and shader art for this project as a part of a 3 person team, we set out to create a round-based zombie survival level allowing for weapon-specific approaches to deal with the hordes of enemies.
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Tools: Unreal Editor for Fortnite, Blender
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Developed over 2 weeks
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Level Design
Pre-Production
Gathering References
I began my process by compiling mechanics references. I gathered images that demonstrated mechanics in other games that I wanted to incorporate in a similar way into my level.
I knew I wanted the level to be set in an underwater laboratory, and I knew I wanted the interior area to be tight with an open but more dangerous outdoor area.
I wanted the level to keep players moving through it to make sure there’s no single best area to camp or kite enemies.
Initial Floorplans
These are my sketches of the initial level layout. I was designing it to allow for a variety of playstyles while preventing players from staying in 1 area or sticking with 1 playstyle. I was iteratively designing the level so a lot changed throughout from playtest feedback to balance the level, but the basic idea still stayed the same.
The other areas in the spawn are split between tight corridors and small rooms that players can kite the zombies around.
The outdoor areas contain the most zombie spawns and least weapon purchases, but are much more open and are much easier to navigate.
Blockout Process
Indoor Blockout
The indoor area is meant to be close quarters, it’s full of hallways that go between tight rooms that allow players to kite the zombies between them. It’s also the area that contains the best weapon and ammo purchases, this is the area that the players will spend the most time in.
Outside Blockout
The outside area is meant to be open and easier to train in, but it contains more zombie spawners and barely any weapon purchases, so you’ll have to go back inside because you run out of ammo or a horde will push you in.
Design Choices
Gun Purchases
The guns don’t have a lot of ammo and all have very specific playstyles that they’re best to use in, I made sure to put guns in rooms that did not match their playstyle so that players need to constantly be moving through the map or changing the way they play to adapt.
Zombie Spawn Density
Some rooms are objectively easier to survive in than others, so I set up the zombie spawns to guide players out of certain areas depending on the size of the hoard on the map. I knew I wanted this in the level but changed it throughout development.
Map Visibility
Since the zombies are constantly moving through the map, the map has lots of glass walls that you can see outside so you can keep track of safer areas to move into during each round. This was something I implemented later in development but had a big effect on how far my playtesters were able to get.
Purchase Prices
I knew I wanted every single purchase to matter with the money you acquire throughout the game, with some purchases being risky with high payoff, opening dangerous areas or buying hard to use guns. This really helped different playstyles shine and made players think a lot about their next choice.
Close Range Weapons
Close range weapons work best in the smaller close-corridor areas, the zombies are forced to spread out and it gives you time to take them out one by one as long as you’re checking what’s behind you and accounting for reload times.
Long Range Weapons
Long range weapons work best in the hallways and in certain areas in the outdoor area, they’re also best in flat areas because they’re very reliant on landing headshots when an entire horde is headed your way.
Don't forget to add background details to reward exploration and immerse the player.
