Willy

I have a map in Fairweather's Remix Jam! This jam was all about remaking multiplayer levels into single-player experiences. Thanks to Fairweather for highly skilled jam-mastering, this one was superbly well executed! This jam has a lot of maps (30!) so get in there and start blowin dudes up.

Short and Sweet

I'll admit it, I started a bit late on this one. I don't really keep an ear to the ground on community announcements, so I started about a week after the timer went up. I wouldn't say it was a problem, however. If anything, having a bit less time encouraged me to keep a small scope and try and focus on more mission-critical parts of the mapmaking process (to mixed effect). before I did anything though, I needed to pick out some poor map to steal.

Cartography Lessons

So, multiplayer maps. I don't have very much experience with map-based fps short of playing lots of Counter Strike several years ago. Recently I've had the pleasure of playing Valorant, Riot Games's not-CS with quippy hero characters equipped with $25 knives. The gameplay is slightly different, with each player having their own unique set of abilities instead of CS's suite of utility grenades, but the maps are still at the core Counter Strike maps - big loops, bomb sites, carefully engineered angles and sightlines. After playtesting another map for this pack (Chuma's Bind-ed Disarray) I was inspired to try a Val adaptation, and there was only one map I could think of to bridge the gap from Val's tactics to Quakes carnage.

This brings us to Split, the map that Spitting Image is based on. Split is one of the very first maps created for Valorant, releasing along with it's open beta back in 2020. Standout features include large balconies overlooking the core of each bombsite, grappling ropes that players can use to quickly move up and down (and make lots of noise) and a "floating mid" that connects both halves of the map secondarily to their main entry points. I remembered it pretty clearly and thought the height differences would make for good Quake style grenade lobbing. I had a glimmering of bomb planting or defusal gameplay, but stitched it to good ole keys - cant beat a classic!

Splitting Hairs

The big goal I wanted to achieve (besides finishing a map, of course) was to let the player "cheat". Val maps are like tournament racetracks, smooth, low contrast arenas with minimal friction of all kinds. I wanted to make a backwoods rally rut, with lots of cheap angles and free sightlines that would drive any actual CS player up the wall. This mostly manifests in large windows and fences to let you peep on monsters, plus a bunch of rooftops for you to bounce around on. I also worked to add clutter (both visual and physical) to try and counter the sterile atmosphere in some parts of the map. Sharp harsh shadows cast from high windows and tall towers also try and sell this version of the map as a more grainy, physical space.

Split A site vs Spitting Image A site. Note the softs greys and lighting.

After I had a good idea of what I could do to ruin this map, I slammed together a blockout from the overhead view. I had to do a quick recap on what parts were supposed to be elevated, then did a little art pass to see what textures I would use. I actually succeeded in making the entire layout of the map before losing myself to trimsheet abuse this time, with the exception of some crates, windows and shipping containers. Encounters unfortunately fell by the wayside this time and I definitely felt like I was just slapping monsters down in some parts.

On the other hand, I feel like the space is very nice to run around and explore! The scale of areas feels on-point, not too cramped or expansive. I've even knocked down some walls that encased alleys or closed yards, expanding the area around some parts of the map with water or more open sight lines. Each side of the map is lightly color coded to help players remember where they are. And of course, there are a couple of ways to get up on the roofs and really destroy the level flow, just like I wanted.

Comparison of middles. I kept the shrine, but whiffed on any cool murals...

B vs. B. I just really wanted to be able to jump up on that middle tower.

The Closer

This was a great jam! Fairweather did an excellent job wrangling way more maps than I expected into a super slick package, and the community turned out some superb and special maps (personal must-sees are Nickster's Sleepytime Abbey and Strideh's I Shot the Albatross.) It was great to sit back and tinker with a space I already knew instead of making it all up as I went. You can download the whole pack Here on Slipseer in one easy package. If you're new to Quake and want to try it out, there are some great resources on how to get started playing community content: this video tutorial and Understanding Your Quake Directory & Installing Custom Content are both great resources for newcomers!

play em out capy