Marcelo Vianna - First-Person BS

"Phalanx" from Warhammer 40k. My main inspiration of location and overall style.

"Blood Hunt" from Quake Arena layout of small corridors that lead to big arenas is the kind of game loop i'm going for.

"Crucible" from Quake is a classic, it always stuck in my mind and a quitensensial level of the genre, so i took inspirations from set pieces of it.

"Church of Azathoth" from Quake Arena, a inspiration for the first mapping of the map., since the begining i wanted to make an clear "goal" to the players in a center room, and to make the map around this.

First-Person BoomerShooter

2024 | UEFN | Fortnite

I've always thought Fortnite could use a bit of that old-school Unreal Tournament vibe. It's got the movement, but it's missing that special something. So, one day, I decided to tinker around and see if I could bring back some of that Quake and UT magic. And you know what? It worked.

After nailing down the mechanics, I thought, now I need a map that would take the most out of this mechanic and this fantasy. So drawing inspiration from classics like "Crucible" and "Blood Run," and throwing in some Warhammer 40k vibes from the "Phalanx" ship, I set out to create something that could be nostalgic and fresh, and could take the most of these mechanics.

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🎯 Design Goals

• Create a short, intense dungeon that reflects the oppressive and ritualistic tone of the Grimdark universe;

• Emphasize combat pacing and tension, taking inspiration from Unreal Tournament and Quake;

• Introduce a looped space that encourages players to constantly face each other, get ambushed, and then fight for resources in the cross roads;

• Use props, lighting, and layout to suggest environmental storytelling: forgotten rituals, corrupted altars, and forbidden magic;

🧠 Design Process

• Built a core looped space using a figure-8 pattern for replayability and flow;

• Designed the main districts arenas;

• Added multiple entrances to increase tactical variability and reduce camper points;

• Distributed the weapons around the map to create contested areas in each intersection and POI;

• Play tested and Iterated on the Design to make the Level flow better;

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(Video recorded in Medium settings)

The first map that i made, following the Bubble Diagram

A Planning flow for Player Spawners Vs. Intended COnglict Zones

Mapping

So, here's the scoop on the level layout: I figured I'd set up a central room with an easy-access floor stocked with health and shield boosts. But here's the kicker: I also wanted to add a second floor with an RPG in a riskier spot as the Objective that every player wants to snag, just like old-Quake Deathmatch Levels.

I started picturing this map with tight small and very open corridors and massive arenas.
I wanted to make sure players who could movement Quake-style a advantage over the campers. It's all about encouraging that hyper-aggressive playstyle.

Districts

Another thing I was keen on was creating distinct zones, each with its own cool landmarks.
I didn't want run-and-gunners to get lost, so I made sure there were clear visual cues and Landmarks to help them find their way around easier.

I set up players spawn right outside each arena. This way, the player will always find action and objectives to fight for.

First Bubble Diagram

Updated Bubble Diagram

Points of interest

Scale Test, i've already done a RLD for Fortnite so the dimensions were already validated, however I tested it just to be sure

I started by Greyboxing, and getting a general volume, also tested some floor and wall modules just to get an overall feeling

An overall idea of each room theme.

Key assets and Landmarks, further developing each room theme.

The Process

As always I started the blockout by first placing down the dimensions I was going for and playtesting it, because I'm using UEFN I made the Plateau already with a floor that I wanted to use.

With that I had a plane version of the map, I iterate on its scale, following by adding verticality. Placed some Orange boxes as placeholder walls, and by the end of it I had a Grey Box to test and polish.

Next step was to place some walls and stairs, it was also around this time that I found out a collection that had a bunch of gothic Castlevania style assets, I used then with some industrial ones to make some Landmarks, just to have a feeling of what each room should look like.

So, now I have somewhat of an idea of what each room should be, so I adjusted some more of the map to create even more routes and paths to improve the flow and collaborate to the environmental storytelling, connecting the districts thematically so it could feel more like a real location and not some random rooms sticked together.

By the end of this process, I had a theme rich level with a very branchy and push forwarding layout that made player fly through the level while hunting for enemies and unclaimed weapons.

The Design

To make the players approach the level in this extra aggressive style, and to always push them to fight in the coolest arenas, I placed POI's between players' spawns, districts and landmarks. So players would be drawn by this small objectives into the arenas.

And to keep people running, I just made staying still to be the worst option possible, taking away hiding spots, creating multiple entrances to every room and every hallway to be very bad to stay in, so the best way to not be flanked or to be catch in a bad spot is to be always going forward.

Playtests

I did the majority of my playtests with the Fortnite Creator HQ Community in Discord, a gathered a bunch of cool data from actual Fortnite players, giving me tips on how to improve the system and effects, especially on lower-end machines.

Pos-Launch

Some months after the launch of the level, Epic brought First-Person mode to Fortnite, so I took this opportunity to rebrand the map and do some small tweaks, like updating some of the weapons to those of the season.

I also implemented some NPC enemies to the arenas (similar to how Fortnite does), so players in a small session (1-3 Players) could have a little bit more of action fighting.

I made this as a way to keep the level engaging after the player count declined, as a way to keep people being still able to play and have fun.

Try First-Person BoomerShooter on fortnite today with the code:

0386-8610-3231