Crafting the Apocalypse - A Developer Blog
[p][/p][p]Hello Responders,[/p][p]With 0.7.0 just around the corner, and with it the launch of our 5th map Beaulieu Hospital, we thought this would be a great time to take you behind the scenes and showcase how our team goes about creating the maps in No More Room in Hell 2.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]NMRiH2 is set during an active apocalypse, as players are placed at the center of civilization's downfall. Our Environmental Artists have the huge task of immersing you in that chaos. Along with Environmental Artists, our SFX & VFX Artists, Animators and Technical Teams help bring our different concepts to life.[/p][p]Our Level Designers are the architects of our different maps. They ensure that each map offers a challenging and fun experience while giving a strong foundation for our artists to create upon. Both teams work in sync, and a large amount of back and forth goes into making sure everything works together.[/p][p][/p][h3]Design Pillars - Our Teams North Star[/h3][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][p]Design Pillars are generally found in every department, and at every level of a typical game production. These tenets act as guidelines that ensure a quality benchmark is hit and new content fits seamlessly into the game. [/p][p][/p][p]Our Map teams work with 3 core Pillars:[/p]
- Shelllzey, Level Design Director[/p][p] [/p][h3]The Art of Environmental Storytelling [/h3][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][p]The majority of No More Room in Hell 2’s story is told within the maps that players traverse. Our Environmental Artists go to great lengths to make sure that each map is packed with stories; players just need to look for them. [/p][p]Those stories only come after the level design foundation is set, and sometimes level design and narrative clash. Whether it be the flow of objectives not supporting the story or a cool bit of lore that breaks up a level's pace.[/p][p]“Our narrative and commitment to lore are part of what makes NMRIH2 special, but gameplay has to come first. You’ve got to be having fun.”
- Maxx, Creative Principal[/p][p][/p][h3]From a Concept Board to Players Hands[/h3][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][p]Every map that we create starts as a lot of different ideas on our virtual whiteboard tool Miro. Members of our team look at the prospect of a new map at the highest level and try to create a proposal that nails our map pillars by answering a lot of questions:[/p]
- Shelllzey, Level Design Director[/p][p][/p][h3]Creating maps for 1-8 Players[/h3][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][p][/p][p]No More Room in Hell 2 supports up to 8 players, and that brings challenges. We push diverse playstyles and situations where you find yourself split up from your 7 teammates, and objectives and zombie spawn rates need to work whether you’re by yourself or with a giant group. [/p][p]This is one of the more difficult challenges that we’ve run into during Early Access, and while we still have a lot of opportunity for growth, we’ve solved a lot of our issues through objective design, gating, and pacing tricks, plus the occasional branching path or surprise.[/p][p]“Randomization is a core tenet from the original mod. It adds replayability and keeps players alert. Every new map tries something new with it.”
- Maxx, Creative Principal[/p][p][/p][h3]Player Data and Community Feedback[/h3][p][/p][p]Mike Tyson once said “Everyone has a plan before getting punched in the mouth” and the realities of game development make releasing a map to the public feel like a haymaker. It’s important that we roll with the punches, and fortunately enough every one brings insight that we can use to improve the game. Along with feedback from the Community and support tickets we have in game metrics that monitor heatmaps, deaths, extraction rates along with other stats.[/p][p]“The community helps shape every map, whether they know it or not. We adjust based on feedback every step of the way.”
- Shelllzey, Level Design Director[/p][p]“What always surprises me? The hacks players find to do something you didn’t intend. Even though that often means the game is being broken or exploited, it keeps us on our toes.”
- Shelllzey, Level Design Director[/p][p]One example: In Pottsville players found a way to get out of the Community Center early and get Downtown before the Community Center objectives were done, then they could complete Downtown objectives well in advance of the intended flow. This is something we had to fix, but was interesting to see how players found paths we didn't intentionally make[/p][p]It’s less about massive reworks and more about constant tuning. Nearly every map is touched multiple times post-release.[/p][p]“Power Plant went through so many changes. We redesigned the gate section alone countless times. Now it flows much better, but it was a journey.”
- Maxx, Creative Principal[/p][p][/p][h3]How You Can Help[/h3][p]Just like with our game health and optimization work, your feedback directly influences the future of our maps.[/p][p]If you hit a wall (literally), find a stuck spot, or something just feels off, let us know. Here’s what helps:[/p]
[/p]
- [p]Grounded in Reality: Realism is the strongest tool that we have to create immersive and terrifying maps. Players need to feel like they’re moving through spaces that were recently lived in, and those spaces should feel true to the real world around them. [/p]
- [p]Iconic Locations: Our biggest inspiration comes from Romero films, and we strive to create our worlds in the same way he chose settings for his film. Iconic locations that feel both exciting and personal. [/p]
- [p]Replayability & Variety: Maps act as the playground on which gameplay happens, and it’s important that you get as much play as possible. Each of our maps needs to be fun and challenging after multiple playthroughs. [/p]
- Shelllzey, Level Design Director[/p][p] [/p][h3]The Art of Environmental Storytelling [/h3][p][/p][p]
- Maxx, Creative Principal[/p][p][/p][h3]From a Concept Board to Players Hands[/h3][p][/p][p]
- [p]Grounded in Reality: Does our proposal feel real, do we feel confident that we can make playing a round of this new map feel tactile and fully immersive?[/p]
- [p]Iconic Locations: Are we creating a new location that fits within the Romero ethos? Will players be captivated and excited by the fantasy?[/p]
- [p]Replayability & Variety: Are we creating something novel and replayable? What unique gameplay features are we bringing to make this map feel unique from the others in our Library?[/p]
- [p]Weekly review meetings - These are internal “map team” meetings, where the team members who are working on the map play with directors and assess their current thoughts on the state of the map.[/p]
- [p]Internal and external playtests - These are playtests held with the entire Torn Banner studio and our CT Testers, feedback is compiled from both sources to get a bigger picture perspective.[/p]
- [p]Continuous feedback from multiple departments - That feedback is integrated into the loop, assessed, and integrated into the iteration work of a maps development.[/p]
- Shelllzey, Level Design Director[/p][p][/p][h3]Creating maps for 1-8 Players[/h3][p][/p][p]
- Maxx, Creative Principal[/p][p][/p][h3]Player Data and Community Feedback[/h3][p][/p][p]Mike Tyson once said “Everyone has a plan before getting punched in the mouth” and the realities of game development make releasing a map to the public feel like a haymaker. It’s important that we roll with the punches, and fortunately enough every one brings insight that we can use to improve the game. Along with feedback from the Community and support tickets we have in game metrics that monitor heatmaps, deaths, extraction rates along with other stats.[/p][p]“The community helps shape every map, whether they know it or not. We adjust based on feedback every step of the way.”
- Shelllzey, Level Design Director[/p][p]“What always surprises me? The hacks players find to do something you didn’t intend. Even though that often means the game is being broken or exploited, it keeps us on our toes.”
- Shelllzey, Level Design Director[/p][p]One example: In Pottsville players found a way to get out of the Community Center early and get Downtown before the Community Center objectives were done, then they could complete Downtown objectives well in advance of the intended flow. This is something we had to fix, but was interesting to see how players found paths we didn't intentionally make[/p][p]It’s less about massive reworks and more about constant tuning. Nearly every map is touched multiple times post-release.[/p][p]“Power Plant went through so many changes. We redesigned the gate section alone countless times. Now it flows much better, but it was a journey.”
- Maxx, Creative Principal[/p][p][/p][h3]How You Can Help[/h3][p]Just like with our game health and optimization work, your feedback directly influences the future of our maps.[/p][p]If you hit a wall (literally), find a stuck spot, or something just feels off, let us know. Here’s what helps:[/p]
- [p]What happened?[/p]
- [p]On what map, and where on the map?[/p]
- [p]Who were you with?[/p]
- [p]What were you doing just before the issue?[/p]
- [p]Screenshots or videos, if possible[/p]
- [p]Your rig specs and ping[/p]
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