UT3: Tyron Station
An Unreal Tournament 3 deathmatch level set on a spacestation orbiting a dying star.
Overview
Tyron is a small, two to eight player, Unreal Tournament 3 deathmatch level. It supports both traditional deathmatch and team deathmatch rules. Tyron is a space station currently orbiting a dying star. Scenes of this star slowly enveloping nearby moons and planets create a dramatic backdrop that can be seen from the upper decks. The final level was released on the Epic Games forums to positive feedback. It's even on a few server rotations!
Design Goals
Tyron aims to create an dynamic and varied gameplay space through the use of verticality, map flow and interesting sight lines (glass floors). With Tyron my goals were threefold; to gain and improve knowledge of the Unreal Engine, the process of designing a level from documentation to completion and to create a highly polished map with good flow and interesting map play.
Role
Personal Work. I designed and built the level.
Engine
Unreal Engine
Game
Unreal Tournament 3
Build Time
2.5 Weeks
Type
Multiplayer (Singleplayer w/ AI)
Play Time
User specified.
Links
In Brief: Design & Gameplay
The overall map of Tyron is comprised of two distinct levels. The lower and upper floors overlap to provide a vertically interesting gameplay space. Glass floor-panels in certain areas can be used by players to gain a tactical advantage, as there are multiple ways to see other players and pick-ups in the engineering tunnels below from the upper deck. As a main design task I wanted to accentuate advantages and disadvantages between the upper and lower floors of the map. To achieve this I placed some powerful pick-ups (such as the armour vest), ammo, and the majority of health on the lower floor but gave the upper floor additional sight lines through the glass to see players below. It becomes a risk/reward dynamic and creates meaningful uses for every section of the map. The rocket launcher was placed in the middle of the upper floor to create a central hub for the action on this floor, and indeed map in general.
With Tyron I chose to focus on a smaller area with circular flow, there are no dead ends, giving the player a freedom of movement through the map at all times essential to deathmatch multiplayer.
