During our Level Design and World Creation course, we were given the tools to make our own map in the iconic first person shooter-game Quake from 1996. The engine, Trenchbroom, turned out to be super easy to use, yet it offered great wealth in creative possibilities. The best part was how easy the mechanics was to do, which gave a lot of time to focus on creating a seamless and intuitive progression through the map. I aimed to offer emotionally engaging gameplay through careful consideration of paths and placements as well as the balance between challenge and reward. I also aimed to design the level to fit both the fast risk-taker as well as more cautious explorer.

In this village, formerly inhabited by members of a cult, the villagers tried to summon their demon masters, to make a pact for wealth and power. The demons came, only it didn’t turn out quite as the villagers had planned. The Earth crumbled – magma flowing where water once gave life. The creatures claimed the Dark church, once built as a tribute to them, and spread through the village – house by house.

A one manned taskforce was sent in to assess, and if required, handle the situation by any means necessary. He grabbed an axe, said a prayer, and went in. The church must again be claimed by man, and the world beyond the portal destroyed. The Player must keep an eye open for helpful tools and secret paths, as well as the demons reigning the village.

My aim was to evoke both exploration and discovery, as well as emotional engagement.

To achieve this, I designed a linear, yet pretty open, map that would allow for the Player to take different routes. The Player could play the level several times to improve their strategy or time. Several objects, such as weaponry or needed keys, can only be discovered through careful observation and dynamics. The Player is granted access to some of them through shooting at objects, while others are found in, for example, dumpster or behind cars. Hidden rooms can be uncovered as well.

As seen in the pictures below:
1. One painting in the church differs from the rest – a prompt to further investigate.
2. The goal (church) is uplit, while the way there (the stone pillar across the lava) is visible.
3. If entering the first available house, the Player will spot an uplit door (important to the gameplay) through a window.

Another way to enhance engagement, was to aim for some realism in the surroundings. I made some objects to help tell the story of the villagers and what happened, for example:
1. An abandoned playground
2. Crashed cars burning
3. Devil worship art in the church