"Tanker", the main inspiration of aesthetic and vibe
""Frigate" is a map with a simple to follow storytelling with cool set pieces
"Dust2" I've studied alot this map, and use it as a reference to what a fun CS map is
""Mirage" A Bombsite is one of my favorite Arenas in CS:GO, i tried to make each bomb as fun as this one.
Dogs Den
2024 | hammer | cs2
Dogs Den is a custom map I developed for Counter-Strike 2 using the Source 2 Hammer Editor. When CS2 was announced, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to dive into Hammer, study the new tools, and experiment with level design in the engine.
This map represents my first study in Source 2 and was created as part of my learning process.
My core design goal was to create a competitive layout that supports diverse playstyles, with a strong emphasis on verticality and stealth-inspired navigation. The map draws heavy inspiration from stealth games, particularly the Tanker chapter of Metal Gear Solid 2. Additional references include the Frigate level from GoldenEye 007, as well as CS:GO classics like Dust II and Mirage for layout and bombsite design.
(Fun Fact. The name Dogs Den is a nod to the Diamond Dogs base from Metal Gear Solid V. )
The Layout of the Map that i did in the mapping Phase
The Flow plan for the map
MAPPING PHASE
I Starting by making the Map in a grid, as i've said before my main idea was to start with the "Dust 2" layout in mind, a Box layout with a Middle lane being the main contested area for rotations, a easy and a hard to defend bomb.
I Starting by making the Map in a grid, as i've said before my main idea was to start with the "Dust 2" layout in mind, a Box layout with a Middle lane being the main contested area for rotations, a easy and a hard to defend bomb.
The player flow is my number 1 concern, ive setted up a very simple paths for the Terrorist and a alot of options for Counter-Terrostist and a clearly defined Contested Zone.
Also get that Stealthy vibe, i've wanted to give CT's Higher Grounds while T's started at the lowest point, giving them the benefit of subterfuge by using covers and staying close to walls and some quick fall back paths.
Scale Test, i did it to create a Rational Level Guide for CS2, so in the future i could make maps with a more precise scale and faster.
The First Grey Boxing
Blocking Phase
To start the greyboxing the first thing i did was to get the grid size from the map and apply it inside the Hammer Engine, this way i could "playtest" my map scale and make quick adjusts with the overall size and match time i was going to.
PLATEAUS
After i made some measure adjustments i got in the the "Plateaus Phase", were i lifted plateaus following my layout to quick test routes and the time each team used to get into the conflict zones and also time the Counter-terrorist needed to go from a Bombsite to another.
Polishing
When routes and overall size were feeling good, than i've added some more details, initial simple places to get cover, and since it is a map inspired by Stealth i've make some Guardrails and Boxes so a more stealthly approach could work for the Terrorist team. Apart from the Design part i've also put some huge cilinders to get that Oil Rig/Ship vibe put some minor details, and painted the walls orange to make a clear division between walls and floor for the next Phase.
Playtests
After the Rought Greybox was up, then i quick managed the Navigation tools to set some bot and play some rounds.
Bot playtest isn't the best, but i'm strongly against bringing players this early hen some parts of the design could be broken or bad. By using bots with cheats on i could check better when and how easy confrontations would look like and specially if the map had some big flaws in the design.
What do I Learned?
Apart from the Source 2 Hammer engine, This project made me get out of my comfort zone using only Unreal and The Sandbox. CS is very complex and very balanced, the position of a box on a bomb site changes the bomb from CT heavy to TR heavy, so I had to learn a lot about the current metas in Counter-Strike, playtest little bits of the map to check if it was a valid risk reward.
The big one, however, was to always double-check the initial scale. Even by checking times in the first phase and getting a pretty good time, I still had to make 3 overhauls in scale so paths didn't take so long, or to make the corridor not so Sniper friendly. Again, CS is a very balanced game, and every second and every meter counts, to polish this until I had a blockout that I felt was a fun map to play took a lot of iteration.
APrOXIMATED TIME Spent: 16 hours
(from maping till Bot Playtest)