[ a story and theme-connected multiplayer map pack ]
(Quake 3 Arena)

version: 2022.12.05

This page is a Level Design Doc type of deep dive into the map pack project concept, narrative backstory, game word connections etc with some nerdy LD production info at the bottom.

1. The Pitch

Salvaged alien tech has been corrupted by dark magic and unleashed an evil power beyond control.

2. The 8 Maps in the Bitter Pak World

Courtyard – aka “Sour Bailey”
– medium-large FFA/DM map

Garden – aka “Bitten in the Garden”
– small Railgun-only 1v1 Duel map

Temple – aka “Forsaken Fist”
– mid-sized Tourney/DM map

Altar – aka “Midnight Massacre”
– large FFA/DM map

Dream – aka “Burning the Midnight Oil”
medium-large FFA/DM map
a dream/nightmare version of Courtyard

Ruins – aka “Blackstar”
– large FFA/DM map
– The “final level” of the game with a surprise twist – portals to an alien space base and back!

BONUS – “Rosie’s Nightmare” CTF
– mid-sized space CTF map
– a dream/nightmare remix of my Q3:TA map, “Rings of Rosie”
– a post-credits “Thanos”-like reveal of the even Bigger Bad yet to come in the sequel/DLC

BONUS – Temple CTF
– large CTF map conversion of Map 3 – Temple tourney

3. The Project Concept

• Upcycle my old Quake 3 Arena multiplayer blockout levels to create a map pack that is connected by story and themes to feel like a large game world similar to a singleplayer campaign.
• Create a brand new arena map that pulls inspiration from the arena style gameplay of Doom Eternal and Quake Champions (Map 6 – Ruins)
• Apply themes of:
  • “mediaeval castles”
  • with hints of “alien sci-fi tech” (i.e. bounce pads, teleporters, small bits of tech gubbins)
  • and a progressive infestation of “corrupted magic” (glowing green rock-like formations, tentacles, nests).
• Reuse common skyline landmark elements that are visible across the maps to create a sense of location within a sprawling interconnected castle complex.
• Hint at connections to the other maps through gated passages and visible-but-non-playable areas.

4. The Backstory…

• An alien probe crashed into the castle, killing the Queen and the First Born Prince (the favourite son).
• The King and his young Second Born Prince (a neglected, cruel little brat) survive the ordeal but the King is wounded and scarred for life.
• Traumatised, grieving and obsessed, the King commands his royal mages to unlock the secrets of the mysterious alien technology at all costs.
• Success! Through unholy experiments and dark magic rituals they forge powerful weapons and devices (i.e. the Quake 3 sci-fi weapons, bounce pads and teleporters).
• The King’s rage is all-consuming and unstoppable but the dark power that won many bloody victories did not heal his old wounds. He dies a sour, corrupted, and bitter man.
• The Prince ascends the throne as the new King. (Like Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones, he is twisted and malevolent, pure evil.)
• Hungry for the powerful alien technology and emboldened by the death of the old tyrant King, enemies attack and destroy the old settlement beyond the main fortified castle (Map 6 – Ruins).
• Great! Now let’s take an overnight stay at the King’s castle for some TBD cool plot device reasons…

5. Narrative progression through the map pack

5.1 DAY ONE: Hello Bitter World!

Map 1 – Courtyard (aka “Sour Bailey”)

Setting: (afternoon) We arrive at the castle under a grey overcast sky. The (new) King gloats with pride when showing off his alien tech trophies and formidable weapons that have granted him such unprecedented power. His overbearing confidence, while hard to stomach, is not unfounded – his father, the Old King, dominated the lands and devastated his enemies.

Gameplay: A medium-large deathmatch map with a chaotic free-for-all exterior playground courtyard (a “bailey”) and some more linear castle interior close quarters combat areas.

Themes:
– Sci-fi: bounce pads and a teleporter
– – [ TO DO: create a majestic throne adorned with proud bits of alien tech, introduce tech gubbins down in the forge area, and sprinkle tech trophy/braggy details in prominent areas ]
– Magic: just a tiny easter egg hint of magic corruption down in the crypt near the teleporter (seeping in from Map 4 – Altar, btw).

World connections:
– A gated passage shows more crypt area beyond that will eventually be revealed as connecting to the very corrupted Map 4 – Altar
– A door with a Railgun icon could be later opened up to allow passage into Map 2 – Garden
– Towers from Map 2 – Garden can be seen over the walls
– The top of the ruined cathedral and the tall tower can be seen from Map 6 – Ruins

5.2 DAY TWO: The Longest Day…

Map 2 – Garden (aka “Bitten in the Garden”)

Setting: (morning) We’re up early the next day for some intense 1v1 Railgun training sessions with the Weapons Master in a quiet palace garden.

Gameplay: A small symmetrical 1v1 Railgun-only map (no other weapons) where the focus is to improve twitch reflexes and deadly hit-scan aiming skills.

Themes:
– Sci-fi: Minor sci-fi elements, bounce pads, otherwise everything is pretty chilled and “normal” in a little meditative garden area
– – [TO DO: sprinkle tech trophy/braggy details in prominent areas
Magic: no corrupted magic]

World connections:
– Buildings from the top of Map 1 – Courtyard can be seen over the walls
– The doors share a style with Map 3 – Temple
– Towers from Map 3 – Temple can be seen over the walls
– The top of the ruined cathedral and the tall tower can be seen from Map 6 – Ruins

Map 3 – Temple (aka “Forsaken Fist”)

Setting: (late afternoon) A brutal training ground in an older part of the castle overlooked by the ruins of the old cathedral. Subtle eastern influences hint at a diverse range of training the soldiers receive, expected to master many forms of deadly combat and fighting styles while the King watches from his observation tower.

Gameplay: A mid-sized tourney map with multi-level vertical combat and areas to control for weapon and item domination.

Themes:
– Sci-fi: bounce pads and a teleporter
– Magic: the first signs of the corrupted magic infestation in the centre of the map

World connections:
– Buildings from the top of Map 1 – Courtyard can be seen over the walls
– The doors share a style with Map 2 – Garden
– A door with a Railgun icon could be later opened up to allow passage into Map 2 – Garden
– Towers from Map 2 – Garden can be seen over the walls
– The old cathedral and tall tower from Map 6 – Ruins can be seen
– Singleplayer Connection Note:
If these maps were reworked into a singleplayer campaign, the expanded Map 8 – Temple CTF version has an additional middle ground area that logically lines up and could be modified to include visible landmarks from Map 4 – Altar

Map 4 – Altar (aka “Midnight Massacre)

Setting: (midnight) The oldest part of the castle where the Old King experimented with many forms of religion and dark magic rituals to unlock the secrets of the alien technology. A locked gate in the old cave hints at even deeper, darker temple areas where the secrets of the black rock might be found.

Gameplay: a large sprawling free-for-all deathmatch map with a mix of vertical arena platform and flat corridor combat

Themes:
– Sci-fi: bounce pads and a teleporter
– – [TO DO: introduce tech gubbins around the altars and sprinkle tech trophy/braggy details in prominent areas]
– Magic: the corrupted magic has fully taken over this old part of the castle where dark ritual experiments have awoken something truly evil – the “Mini Beast” latched onto the black rock in the altar courtyard. Green glowing rock-like formations and tentacle nests have taken over most of this map.

World connections:
– The backs of the buildings from the top of Map 1 – Courtyard can be seen over the walls (now with light coming from the windows)
– A gated passage shows more crypt area beyond that will connect back to Map 1 – Courtyard
– Singleplayer Connection Note:
To escape this midnight madness, we must exit through the crypt thinking that we are heading back to the familiar safety of Map 1 – Courtyard… but instead we arrive at …

Map 5 – Dream (aka “Burning the Midnight Oil”)

Setting: (midnight) Are we hallucinating? Are we dreaming? Or has dark magic torn the world apart? This map is a dream sequence/nightmare version of Map 1 – Courtyard but now with floating platforms of broken landscape and a familiar, but not quite the same, castle interior (some sections are mirrored and some things are slightly altered to throw us off just a bit from what we were expecting).

Gameplay: A medium-large deathmatch map with a chaotic free-for-all exterior playground of floating platforms and some more linear castle interior close quarters combat areas. The crypt teleporter now has two random exit points to further throw off our expectations within this dream realm.

Themes:
– Sci-fi: bounce pads and a teleporter
– – [TO DO: copy the alien tech throne and gubbins from Map 1 – Courtyard]
– Magic: The world has been literally torn apart by the corrupted magic. Green rock-like formations and tentacle nests are everywhere. But it gets worse! Down in the crypt near the teleporter, the “Beast” has broken through from its realm in search of the “Mini Beast” and has torn a hole in reality (or at least, that part of the castle).

World connections:
– A gated passage shows more crypt area beyond that will connect back to Map 4 – Altar

5.3 DAY THREE: Survived the Night

Map 6 – Ruins (aka “Blackstar”)

Setting: (morning) After waking up and/or escaping that crazy castle (at this point, who knows what’s real anymore !?) we find ourselves outside at the old Ruins. Most of this area was destroyed when the King’s enemies attacked seeking the deadly alien technology.

Gameplay (2 Areas):
– Area 1: A large outdoor free-for-all arena inspired by Doom Eternal’s chaotic platform arena gameplay style with elevation changes and many options for connected combat scenarios (embrace the Swiss cheese layout chaos).
– There are two portals (teleporters but with a live camera view through to the destination) that connect the Ruins area to the surprise Space Base area.
– The layout of the portals is replicated between the two areas of the map – one LOW portal and one HIGH portal positioned in the same L-shape relationship to each other.
– Gameplay goal: the Space Base area acts just like a room off of the main play area but instead of a hallway they are connected by portals. We can still see through to the other “room” just like a doorway and therefore we can keep an eye on the weapon/armour respawns.
– Area 2: The gameplay in the Space Base room is very focussed. This is the only area of the map where the powerful Rocket Launcher and Red Armour are found. The platform routes here are designed to force choices on the player:
– – A: Take the quick route through the room and only get the Rocket Launcher
– – OR B: take a longer, slower route to get both items but the Red Armour is placed on a platform that is only accessible from upper walkway

Themes:
– Sci-fi: A bounce pad and portals but also a whole little Space Base area!
– Magic: (TO DO) add corrupted magic rock-like formations and tentacles near the portals

World connections:
– Buildings from the top and fortified outer walls of Map 1 – Courtyard can be seen beyond the graveyard
– Also visible are hints at the towers of Map 2 – Garden and Map 3 – Temple

Space Base design theory, blockout, proxy detail:

5.4 BONUS Maps

Map 7 – “Rosie’s Nightmare” CTF

Setting: We thought we had escaped to safety but now we’re back in the shattered dream realm for this nightmare remix of my Quake 3: Team Arena space floater CTF map. Just like the post-credits reveal of “Thanos” in the MCU, this map reveals an even bigger threat to the Bitter World – the STROGG! The Space Base in Map 6 – Ruins was a prelude to the arrival of a massive Strogg Slipgate portal (as seen in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars) and now the Beast’s corrupted magic is reaching up towards the Slipgate. Stay tuned for the sequel/DLC where the Strogg invasion forces battle the hordes of the Dark Beast!!

Gameplay: A mid-sized space floater CTF map with fast bounce pad aerial gameplay, well suited for 3v3 or 4v4

Themes:
– Sci-fi: bounce pads and teleporters with a giant Strogg Slipgate hovering above the map
– Magic: The world has been torn apart similar to Map 5 – Dream with green rock-like formations and tentacle nests everywhere. The Beast is reaching its tentacles upwards towards the Slipgate.

World connections:
– No other maps are visible from this map but there are similarities between the alien tech in the Space Base of Map 6 – Ruins and this giant Strogg Slipgate

Map 8 – Temple CTF

Setting: Beyond the main Map 3 – Temple tourney training ground lies the expanded areas of the older castle with more subtle eastern influences.

Gameplay: A large CTF map with mirror-flipped bases. Each base has multiple exit routes but the flag carrier must pass through the middle ground choke point to focus gameplay and create a high degree of predictability for combat.

Themes:
– Sci-fi: bounce pads
– Magic: the corrupted magic infestation is still present in the centre of each base

World connections:
– As a special CTF conversion map outside of the story narrative, no landmark connections are currently planned.
– Singleplayer Connection Note:
If these maps were reworked into a singleplayer campaign, the expanded additional middle ground area in this map logically lines up and could be modified to include visible landmarks from Map 4 – Altar

Appendix: Map Pack Matrix

Appendix: Asset Breakdown

The levels use a mixture of stock game assets, tweaked versions, custom creations and a few sourced/tweaked textures. Examples:

From the base Quake 3 Arena game:

• “Gothic” texture set for the mediaeval theme
  • Plus tweaked versions (colour variants, desaturated, less contrasty brick mortar)
• “Base” texture set for Space Base
• Mapobject models for torches, lamps, chains, portals, flag banner mounts
• Organics – starting point for ooze tentacle and proto web infestations
• SFX – starting point for custom teleporter shaders
• SFX – starting point for tweaked (more Strogg-like) bounce and launch pad textures
• Skies/clouds – starting point for various time of day sky shaders
• Flags – tweaked shaders, colorised banners

Custom textures/shaders:

• Sourced and tweaked rock textures
• Sourced and tweaked branch, leaf textures
• Sourced/ported/tweaked ETQW Strogg texture set for Space Base
• Created magic ooze shaders
• Created teleporter destination shader, tweaked main teleporter shader
• Created Strogg Slipgate portal energy shader
• Created texture blend shaders for terrain and x_to_distressed blends
• Created phong shaders for smooth shading of editor brush geo

Custom models:

• Rock boulders, rock pillars, floating rock platforms
• Cave geometry
• Trees (“modelled” with patch meshes in the editor)
• Reuse of my original concept model for the ETQW Strogg Slipgate portal
• “Rune”style version of id Quake 3 teleporter, destination and portal
• Dimensionalised bounce pad and launch pad into 3D (originals were only textures)
• Weapon and item spawn pads/cones
• Small map models: door runes, altar greebles

Appendix: Floor Plan Elevations

Note: The floor plan images are at different scales/zoom levels

Appendix: Skyline Landmark World Connections

The individual multiplayer maps are arranged into a larger game world.

Example screenshots from the player’s perspective, seeing the shared skyline landmarks from other maps.