Garry’s Mod Level:
TTT_PolarBase
Check it out below!
TTT_PolarBase (2021)
Collaboritive?: Solo // Tools: Hammer, Adobe Suite // Timeline: 5 Months
Role(s): Level Designer
3D Solo developer map produced for the existing Garry’s Mod gamemode, “Trouble in Terrorist Town”. It emphasizes flow, sightlines, and scalable lobby sizes.
Contributions
Documentation: Level Design Documents, Map layouts, Paper prototypes, etc.
Blockout: Used the Hammer Engine to fully block out the 3D level layout.
Custom Gameplay Scripting: programmed custom gameplay elements in C++ such as ladders, doors, breakable objects, etc.
Deathmatch Map Design: Designed, pitched, and prototyped a mission from paper concept to playable experience.
The main locker area of the prison building included in the base.
The armor room found in the barracks building of the base.
The basement floor paper prototype which included a cafeteria for the barracks building. Ultimately omitted as it hampered flow, a key goal to this map.
The main floor of the base, featuring a prison building (top center), shipping yard (top right), radio tower (center), barracks building (right), parking lot (left), and checkpoint for entry (bottom center).
The 2nd floor of the map, including the prison building (top), radio tower (left), and barracks building (right). Each are connected by a catwalk to improve flow between buidings.
The 3rd floor of the base, featuring the radio tower which possesses the best view of the map.
Level Design
Inspired by many existing maps in the hit Garry’s Mod gamemode “Trouble in Terrorist Town”, this map aims to put flow as its first concern to ensure players are continually moving through the map, shortening the length of each round of gameplay and allowing for more rounds of play to be had.
The level features 3 main interior spaces build around a rectangular catwalk, with external spaces added to provide variety for large groups of players. This map is intended for larger groups between 12 and 44 players. Some of the internal spaces included to support these groups include:
Prison Building (North Building): features a variety of tight spaces for traitors to kill and hide bodies. Players can explore, chase, and socialize here. It features cells, a security checkpoint, offices, locker area, reception, and holding cell.
Barracks Building (Southeast Building): contains the bulk of the level’s weaponry. A great place to start the map, restock, group up with others, or go for mass kills in large groups. It features an armory, recreation area, barracks, bathroom/showers, storage, utilities, and main desk.
Radio Tower (Western Building): provides the highest vantage point of the map; a perfect spot for snipers, observers, and players who prefer to play solo. Also a main transit point along the map’s catwalk.
Due to the emphasis on flow above all else in this level, the basement floor was not implemented in the latest version of this level as it violated this principle. Adding it with a single access point created a chokepoint exploitable by projectiles and camping players. Adding multiple lanes of access to it provided too much alternative pathing to the map and made guiding players throughout the space with signals and paths confusing. This space would also become the dominant place for traitors to use C4 exclusively as the blast would hit nearly all the above spaces.