Summary

Isolated is a Counter-Strike Global Offensive map made for the gametype Bomb/Diffusal. It's a multiplayer map designed for 5 versus 5 with several unique paths to give the players an amount of strategy when planning where they wish to go and how they wish to carry out their tactics.

Specifications

Multiplayer (5 versus 5).
Created within a month.
Created in CSGO Hammer editor.
Listed for Game Banana's CEVO Mapping Contest 2014.

Starting Out

After I had found out that there would be a mapping contest I immediately decided to start on a new project for Counter-Strike GO as I believed it would help me develop my skills as a level designer. I decided to start out by drawing down a simple layout with just a few branching paths and what I believed would feel balanced when it came to actually playing it. As soon as I finished the layout I then proceeded to blocking out the level and placing simple lighting that would allow me to at least test out the feel of the map. Over time the level began to feel fun to play and I decided to dive deeper into the theme that I felt fitted the given map thus creating a product that served as an abandoned facility.

Research & Insight

During the designing phase I felt like a facility was a stable ground to choose as the theme for the map as it felt easy to analyse and follow through.

My research on the theme consisted of a few google shots of actual facilities in the world. A few design choices also consisted of architecual designs from already existing maps in the CSGO workshop.

After much reference gathering I went on to building the map and finding out what parts worked and what didn't.

Playtesting & Learning

After finishing the texturing and prop placing phase I released my prototype version of the map on both Game Banana and on the Steam Workshop where I knew I could recieve constructive feedback to improve my map.

After a weekend of cooling down I checked into the forums to see what points I needed to improve on the map. I took it upon myself to give the players what they wanted and what they truly deserved for helping me out with the map's development.

What I wished I could have accomplished more with this project is using more references. I feel that I still based much of the architecture on false formations that would never work in real life and thus might have taken out a bit of immersion from the map overall. But after looking back I believe I could use this gained experience in future projects to fulfill better immersion for the players.

To conclude I feel that the feedback given by the different players helped me enormously in becoming better at level design.

Final Thoughts

The final product of my map was a compilation of different thoughts and ideas from different people and myself and I must admit I was very satisfied with what I had created.

Most of all, this project helped me learn how to utilize lighting in a better way in order to show how different types of light affect players in different ways. Thus allowing me to understand the judgement players have when they see certain things in games.

In the end I realized that CSGO levels become good based not by your own judgement but rather based on the bits of advice and constructive feedback given to you from different players and it helped in the creation of the level quite a lot.