Four In The Chamber
Four In The Chamber
Black Rabbit Studios
Embedded Files
Solve your disagreements the cowboy way
Description: Two outlaws and two sheriffs find themselves in a ghost town situated on bluffs in the middle of the desert. This splitscreen-simulated shooter pits the two teams against each other in an asymmetrical shooter arena and the first team to 10 kills wins.
Purpose: This was a group student project that furthered skills in Unreal Engine 5 with a large focus on collaboration and cohesion. Expert use of Github was required to have 4 people work in the same level.
Tools Used: Unreal Engine 5, Github, Photoshop, OBS
Gameplay Video
Layout and Preproduction
During layout our group decided on the theme of cowboys in the old west and each of us chose a subsection of the level. I chose to do the "no mans upper" which included the upper middle of the map. I planned with my team and decided to construct a train station, train track, the major bluff elements, and a cave inside the bluffs. I wanted the bluffs to separate A side and B side, but allow multiple ways to get to each side which includes ramps and a train track. For the train station I took inspiration from a Red Dead Redemption 2 building and other western style buildings.
Whiteboxing
During whiteboxing I constructed the train station using simple geometries and added light elements inside with a gun on the balcony. I added visual tracks to the train tracks and also coded a train that passed through the stage every minute and placed a kill box on top of the train. I also carved out a cave tunnel below A side that allowed players to enter the valley through a hole in a building floor.
After my team added all of our elements to the stage we had an in class playtest and received valuable feedback from our peers. I took this feedback and decided to reconstruct the train station to align more with my references and look better.
Major Gameplay Beats
The train tracks go across the entire level and connect A and B side to the central train station.
The train runs through the level every minute and kills any players it touches, creating exciting moments.
The train stations serves as a central hub for A and B side and houses a few weapons for players to fight with.
The table has a pistol on it and players can run around furniture to shoot each other. The windows serve as shooting spots.
Players can walk around the entire station using the balcony and the back patio leads to a scaffolding stairwell to the under valley.
The middle of the scaffolding holds a shotgun for players to fight with.
A bank vault on A side leads to a cave under the bluff that holds dynamite and leads out to the valley.
The city sits on two naturally occurring bluffs that taper off. Players can walk around the bluffs if they fall off but the level is designed to draw players toward the towns.
The train travels through a mountain and disappears for a minute before returning on the other side.
Postmortem
Collaboration: This level was a second group project with Black Rabbit Studios, but instead of having four separate levels we all had to work in the same level, a sub level system in Unreal Engine 5, which brought up a new set up problems that had to be solved through careful collaboration and teamwork. Our group had an established work flow and our planning phase went smoothly and constant communication carried us through the level design. I was happy with our group but I am keen on working with new groups to sharpen my collaboration skills further.
Level Design: While our theme was strong and one I wanted to do, I had a hard time constructing the train station early on. I was happy with the final iteration, but I wish I could have gotten there sooner. It was tough to split responsibilities in this project I wish I had added more to the cave system as well to expand the level and create a better play experience. Designing in this space with a challenging FPS arena in mind pushed my level design skills to the limit, but I know I gained valuable experience.
Github: Working in Github again with an established team made everything easier and we were able to use our past experience to quickly prototype our game. The new project being limited to one level rather than four separate levels did create a new challenges in Github, but I think we overcame it and were able to get a project in Github working nicely enough to produce builds for the class and get the project done as a team. I hope to work on another team project in Github to gain further experience.
Credits
Black Rabbit Studios
Side A level design - Julianna Rhodes
Side B level design - Mercedes Hart
No mans Under level design - Trinity Hernandez
No mans Upper level design - Lestat Smith
Get in touch at lestat.e.smith@gmail.com
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