Introduction

Introduction:For our Explorations project, we were pushed as students to become independent in both meeting our own deadlines and doing the best we possibly could. However, the whole theme behind this project was “How can you explore and /or expand your passion?” Each one of us set out to solve that question. For me personally, I found that my project would be based off Risk Taking. To do that I really had to challenge myself, and come up with a topic that would be fitting enough in order to challenge myself and be fun at the same time.

In the first few days of Brainstorming a topic, I found a fitting topic that would push me to work hard and grow using skills that I had never used before. I ended by picking level design. Only now would I have to find a game that would allow me to make maps and offered skill based mechanics. At first, I look at 3 games that would these categories:

1) Star Wars Battlefront

2) Tf2 (Team Fortress 2)

3) Counter Strike: Global Offensive

After comparing between these games I finally came up with a decision and why. The first game that I weighed out was Star War Battlefront. Although the game had amazing maps and lots of cool ways to play, there simply wasn’t a way to produce maps. Another reason as to why there wasn’t a real dispire for a new maps within the actual game. Most of the player base within the were mostly fan of the saga and wanted a game to experience the movie into game first hand. In other words, there was no initial push to have new maps due to the low demand.

The next and final game that I outlawed was TF2. In the beginning, the game met parts of my criteria. For one it had a dedicated player base with plenty of people playing the game. Secondly, the player base was in demand for new maps as the Valve created maps were becoming old. Prior to Hammer, in 8th grade I had a experience with a program known as Source Filmmaker (SFM). Although I had a little practice with the program, it was not
enough for me to make TF2 my game of choice. I lastly looked at the competitive player base. Since it initial debut in 2007, the game had always been seen as a game for casual players. Until recently in 2016, the game received an update that changed the game forever. In that year a competitive mode, was added to the game. Initially the player base that had been casual in 2007, had all of a sudden choose between casual or competitive. For the most part, the player base had been casual remained casual. Only a small amount of players decided to take the game competitively. While that specific base remained competitive, and a player base wanting new maps wanting to be wanted in future updates, it gave all the reason to make a map for the game. However I wanted my map to be a sort of a 1v1 type of map. And with a game that is a class based game where other classes can counter others, It didn’t seem like a type of game to make it of.

This only left my last option which was Counter Strike: Global Offensive. When I looked at the game, I saw it different than most people due to the fact that I had over 1,000 hours in the game. With that type of background by default, It felt natural to make a map in a game like Counter Strike. Like all the other games, I looked at the criteria at the game. To begin with, the game had a larger competitive player base that causal. With that there was a large demand for It competitive player base to actually improve. With a massive esports scene, I knew this was the game that I would be doing to produce the map. Also, the concept of a 1v1 map worked for a game like this.

Production Process:
For the production aspect for making the map, I used a program called Hammer. Hammer is a valve based, mapping program used to make community made maps for all source based games. (source meaning that they can be played on games made by Valve) during the actual process of mapping there were many problems with starting the program due to the fact I had to learn it program within 2-3 weeks. When making my map I had place all the textures, walls, and props throughout the map. All though that wasn’t difficult the hardest part was spotting leaks within the map. Leaks are when the parts of the map are opened to the black void surrounding it. The was probably the most problematic error within my map. Having to go back and personally move the block to that it didn’t merge with the background was difficult.

If you personally would like to play my map in-game, here is a link for you to play my map:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1749145224

Below is a inforgraphic that I made which just gives a breif process on video game mapping:

Other than producing a map, this quarter of Freestyle we as student learned how to create music through applications like reason and pro tools. I personally choose reason as I had felt more comfortable with the programs than pro tools. The song I ended up producing was meant to give a horror sense.

Here is a screen of when producing the music: