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The Ingenious Level Design of DmRiot by Hellkeeper

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makemeunreal
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The Ingenious Level Design of DmRiot by Hellkeeper

Post by makemeunreal »

DmRiot is one of the "new" maps that came bundled with 227 which were meant to showcase some of the new stuff one can do in Unreal. Generally speaking, it has a rather complex layout sporting some narrow corridors and broad spaces as well. Although the design is clean, the map is full of beautifully done trimming, accompanied with an even better brushwork that lacks slow zones or bugs in the BSP.
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I like to think that the map takes place behind the facade of a dystopian empire's military building. Well, the decoration strongly implies something like that.
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I have to admit that we for some strange reason never tried this one online although I had some experience with it. We decided to have the next match on a random map and it was DmRiot that came up.
I happened to stream this match, so if anyone is interested in watching 2 Hungarian dudes playing it out on this map then off ya go:

The first few minutes got spent as usual. Running around like crazy, guns blazing. Then, I happened to get killed at least five times in a row by my friend wielding a fully loaded quadshot which works perfectly well in the narrow pathways.
I had to take it slow from then on. The next big game changer were the sounds. We had a genuine fear of sounds on this map. The presence of a fully loaded Quadshot peeking out the next corridor not only rendered our movement to be slower, but also made our ears alert. I started avoiding picking stuff up by carefully circling around them to not to alert my enemy as he seemed to be far superior with the Quadshot.

The ground floor serves as a "hub" inside the map. You can reach every quarter of the map easily. It also has an elevator that grants quick access to the upper floor giving home to the almighty Quadshot.
Not to mention the map's only "super-pickup" a superhealth that is halfway covered with mud.
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The heavy rains turned the ground into an ocean of mud. If you decide to traverse through this muddy area (to reach the elevator or the superhealth f.e.) you are risking a lot as the mud squelches heavily under your boots, alerting your enemy and thus placing yourself right into his crosshair.

The match became slower, but more tactical. I have to say that we had a LOT OF FUN with this map. Not sure if it was an intended design choice or just a gimmick but the whole muddy situation turned out perfectly.
I highly recommend trying this map with a friend.

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Leo T_C_K
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Re: The Ingenious Level Design of DmRiot by Hellkeeper

Post by Leo T_C_K »

I think it is a fine modern style map. though i still prefer myself more the oldskool style maps but this isn't bad at all.
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makemeunreal
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Re: The Ingenious Level Design of DmRiot by Hellkeeper

Post by makemeunreal »

I love the aesthetics of old '98 '99 first maps the best, but this match was such an experience... The way we fluently adapted to the situtation. And the situation itself this tense "scare" made.

Edit:
Something else I find perfect is the item placement. I am glad he opted not to put any armor down. That single superhealth at the bottom floor is all this map needed.
A Belt would've broken this balance I guess.
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Hellkeeper
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Re: The Ingenious Level Design of DmRiot by Hellkeeper

Post by Hellkeeper »

This is a trip back in time for me. In almost 20 years of mapping for various Unreal games, no other map has ever been such an ordeal to complete. It went through so much change it ended full of compromise between different visions and I still have, somewhere, a few sheets of papers with contradictory sketched of what I wanted to achieve and never came out of it. It was started and completed in a very strange period in my life and I still have a visceral attachment to it, I remember every brush, every decision, the way 227 was coming together at the time.
I'm glad someone has taken a few minutes to play it and has enjoyed what he's found there. :)
You must construct additional pylons.
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makemeunreal
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Re: The Ingenious Level Design of DmRiot by Hellkeeper

Post by makemeunreal »

Ohhh the author himself has showed up! :D
I like these backstories. Can you show us those sketches in case you come across them?


Also, we did a rematch.
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Hellkeeper
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Re: The Ingenious Level Design of DmRiot by Hellkeeper

Post by Hellkeeper »

I can but they're not terribly interesting. They're barely legible and scribbled in the margins of whatever notes of english grammar and phonology I was taking at the time in college.

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This one if from 2009 and barely anything from it has made it to the final map, except the room with the eagle and the books. What's more interesting is the heap of "test.unr" maps I have in my "abandoned projects" folder with plenty of old aborted versions of Riot.

EDIT:
Yeah, I have plenty of old stuff about Riot :
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That's the reason why for P17, my next map, I kept saving all the different versions and forks I made along the way. I have an archive with 16 old P17 versions showcasing the map at various stage of progress. :)
You must construct additional pylons.
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