Return of the Dead is a custom map that aims to capture the essence of older levels in the Call of Duty series. The map is built for the wave-based survival horror game mode inside of Black Ops 3.

To achieve my goal, the level needed to be dark, close quarters, and put simply, scary. Here, I will showcase my process of designing the level. 

When creating the initial sketches, I had to make sure of a few things. The paths the players took needed to be balanced. This was to encourage exploration and add unique replayability.

I also needed to understand how players progressed. I didn’t want the players to become too strong too quickly. This was handled with door prices. Doors are opened with points earned from enemies killed.(First Floor)

(Second Floor)

(Finalized Key)

(First Floor Finalized)

(Second Floor Finalized)

Level Design Doc

The very first thing I was set on for this level was the atmosphere. I wanted a dark forest covered in fog. I made sure after the block-out stage that this was taken care of. Using thick trees and foliage I managed to give the impression of a large surrounding forest

For the environmental design of the rooms, I went with a military theme. This building was once a nursing home but was repurposed as a military outpost in World War II.

I wanted each room to be unique in the sense that the player could create their own context. Some rooms have more obvious stories than others but the goal was to make the level feel like it once was an inhabited location.

One big change to the map was the removal of a door. This door was intended to give the player access to looping around the second floor once the power was restored. 

Due to my limited knowledge of the Game Engine, the door was removed for being game-breaking. Luckily, it didn't affect the player experience and benefitted the map progression by keeping it balanced.

The balance was kept by not giving players too much freedom to move around. It kept the second floor sectioned off and limited how they played.(Removed Door)

Post Mortem

I believe a lot went well with this project. I'm satisfied with how the gameplay loop feels. The atmosphere is close to my intended concept. The level feels coherent and makes sense with the context I had given to the setting.

On the other hand, some things could have been done better. Fewer setbacks during development would have let me do more for the environments of each room.

Time management was also a big thing for this project. Pair this with learning a new engine at the same time. Trying to create a professional piece in this setting was difficult.

Going forward, I will be using this experience to help me when designing other levels. This experience has helped me improve my development process and appreciation for intricate details. This was a very fun level to develop and I hope to create even better ones in the future.