In my personal maps using id Software’s Quake 3 game engine you’ll find dingy dungeon corridors corrupted by the misuse of dark magic and alien technology, bouncy space floaters where a misstep means falling to your death, high adrenaline team-based sport style arenas and even a WW2 themed level based on a film about wartime looting.

On this page:

• Bitter Pak (Quake 3 Arena) ** updated for 2022 **
• Clermont (MOHAA TDM)
• Warped Space (Q3: Team Arena CTF)
• Quake 3 Arena DM maps

BITTER PAK
(Quake 3 Arena)

** NEW WIP for 2022! **

This level design project aims to upcycle my old blockout Rocket Arenas into a collection of multiplayer Quake 3 Arena levels that are connected with a story narrative and shared themes.

Common skyline details are visible between each map to create a sense of position within the sprawling interconnected castle complex. In the story narrative, a player would explore deeper into the castle where alien technology and dark magic has corrupted, soured and bittered the kingdom.

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

I am building the new Bitter Pak world with GtkRadiant and Blender, using models and editor geometry prefabs where possible to speed up production and reinforce the common themes.

8 Maps in the Bitter Pak:

1. Courtyard – aka “Sour Bailey” – mid-sized FFA/DM map
2. Garden – aka “Bitten in the Garden” – small Railgun-only 1v1 Duel map
3. Temple – aka “Forsaken Fist” – small Tourney/DM map
4. Altar – aka “Midnight Massacre” – large FFA/DM map
5. Dream – aka “Burning the Midnight Oil” – mid-sized FFA/DM map, a dream/nightmare version of Courtyard
6. Ruins – aka “Blackstar” – large FFA/DM map with teleporters to an alien space base and back
7. BONUS – “Rosie’s Nightmare” – a dream/nightmare remix of my Q3:TA map, “Rings of Rosie”
8. BONUS – Temple CTF – large CTF conversion of Temple tourney

A theme develops across the Bitter Pak world to advance a narrative,

“meddling in dark mystic magics and the corruption that happens when it all goes wrong”.

Eerie green lighting spreads and strange invasive rock formations become more destructive as tentacle nests infest dark corners.

Bitter Pak Rune Teleporter

Following my tradition of reinterpreting id Software’s teleporters (see my Doom 3 Retro Teleporter), I am creating a new teleporter for Bitter Pak that takes inspiration from the standard Quake 3 teleporter but mixes in elements of ETQW Strogg alien tech and classic Quake Runes for Earth Magic and Black Magic. The mystics have found a damaged alien Strogg probe and are using dark magics to tap into it’s strange alien power…

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For a more detailed look at the Bitter Pak World, check out this expanded Level Design Doc type of deep dive for details on the project concept, narrative backstory, game word connections etc with some nerdy LD production info at the bottom.

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CLERMONT
(MOHAA TDM)

This Team Deathmatch level was created for the WW2 themed video game, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2002).

The map is based on reference from the film Kelly’s Heroes (1970), “a comedy-drama heist film about a motley crew of American GIs who go AWOL in order to rob a French bank, located behind German lines, of its stored Nazi gold bars”.

[ Please note: the original MOHAA source file was lost but I decompiled the BSP, imported the level into the Quake 3 engine and retextured as a greybox map. ]

CLERMONT Level Design Theory:

• Following the story concept from the film, the RED team (Axis) have set up base in the town and are looting the BANK. The BLUE team (Allies) have snuck into town and are based in a ruined building, planning their attack.
• MOHAA TDM players always respawn back at their bases. Using this gameplay constraint, I designed this Team Deathmatch level to play almost like an assault/defend style of objective-based gameplay — RED team has quick routes into the BANK as a fortified stronghold while BLUE team is a bit more exposed and must press the attack to gain more secure areas
• The BAR acts as an extended BLUE base with a one-way drop down route from their spawn
• The TOWER is a great sniper spot overlooking the outdoor mid ground with ladder access from the BLUE side of the map.
• The MANOR HOUSE acts as an interior mid ground as each team might try to sneak through to gain the strategic advantage and/or cut off the other team’s attack
• The CHALET is almost like a forward base for the RED team but the BLUE team can assault this building and try to cut off access to the BANK

WARPED SPACE CTF
(Quake 3: Team Arena)

Team Arena is a “missionpack” (expansion pack) for Quake 3 that focuses on team-based gameplay with new game modes, weapons, and power-ups.

The “Warped Space” map pack has three capture the flag maps catering to a range of team sizes from 2v2 CTF and all the way up to a massive space level with a large footprint similar to the size of the Team Arena terrain maps.

The goal of these space maps was to capture the fast-paced, high-adrenaline sporty feel of Team Arena with the potential for very quick flag captures, contrary to the more gruelling battles of corridor base maps. Fast floating platform layouts with simple, clean styling to evoke a sci-fi sporting arena feel.

Warped Space Q3TA maps:

• OxenFree (2v2 CTF)
• Rings of Rosie (mid-sized CTF)
• Slipmat Platter (large CTF)

QUAKE 3 ARENA DM MAPS
(Standard Q3 Deathmatch)

After studying computer graphic design and animation, I was immediately hooked by the immersive nature of 3D game engines. Swapping render times for compile times gave me unlimited “shots” and “angles” to view the artwork I was creating.

The fast paced gameplay of Quake 3 suited me well. Being Canadian and growing up playing ice hockey, I loved the blistering speed of Q3 and immediately set “cg_fov 120” to take in as much of action as possible!

I created three deathmatch maps while learning the tools and craft of level design, before moving on to explore a greater diversity of game types as seen above.

Q3 DM maps:

• Spacemap-nkd (mid-sized DM space floater)
• Fralagmite (my quirky entry for a Q3 community terrain map challenge)
• Angry Hatred (my first map that sparked the passion for level design!)