Platforms: Meta Quest, PCVR Engine: Unreal Engine 5 Release Date: September 2024 Genre: Multiplayer PVP
Mannequin is a 2 vs 3 asymmetrical multiplayer VR game. Two Agents hunt for Mannequins - shape-shifting aliens hiding in plain sight and blending in by posing as human statues. Mannequin won best VR Multiplayer game of the year award by Upload VR.
I joined the project during pre-production in 2022 and worked on it during post-launch in 2025. My design goal during that time has been to design levels that allow players to be creative in their playstyle.
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During the project I learned about designing levels, game modes and mechanics for a live game. I worked closely with the Game Director and other disciplines to create great experiences.
RESPONSIBILITIES
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- Ownership of six multiplayer maps from start to end. Communicate the concept to the team, research, blockout, script, playtest, evaluate and iterate.
- Ownership of two tutorial maps that onboards the player and introduces them to the world of Mannequin. This involved all design and visual scripting for tutorial scenarios.
- Created Level Design Guidelines for the project to keep LD department consistent.
- Specify and prototype new mechanics, gameplay elements and game modes.
- Actively follow metrics as game is live and tweak gameplay and level for balancing purpose.
- Organize internal playtesting sessions and making forms for the participants. Participate in external playtesting sessions, taking part in interviewing testers etc.
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Me talking about one of our levels on our social media channels
LEVEL
DESIGN
PROCESS
Below I guide you through my design process by taking Excavation, the third multiplayer map I made for the game as an example.
The brief for this level was simply to make a new map that took place in a Cave setting. It was up to me to come up with gameplay hook, size and feel and pitch for the game director.
Designign in text
I usually start designing my levels in text. Apart from the design brief, I like to give myself some context by writing down what I want the player to experience, what makes the level cool and memorable and some of the rooms the map can have.
My designs are driven by the overarching goal to create something that feels and plays different from what we already have in order to surprise the player. In this case, I wanted to design a map that had a huge tower in the middle (tall things are cool in VR) and I wanted three different floor levels that the player could easily move between to set up for fun and unexpected situations.
Go outside! Read a book! Look at a map!
As a former journalist, it doesn’t come as a surprise that this is my favorite phase. I research the setting where the level takes place, draw inspiration from real-life maps and I try to find interesting natural or architectural shapes I can use in my level. In this case there are no caves nearby where I live, but if possible, I like to go outside and visit the biome I’m researching. I find this step important if you want to give the level a sense of place and authenticity while getting away from very abstract level design.
I then start to sketch on different layouts that capture my design intentions while utilizing elements that make the setting unique. In this case, this meant using the contrast between narrow and open spaces that can be seen in some caves, as well as using organic shapes on walls and pathways, instead of 90* or 45* angles everywhere.
Blockout fast. Playtest A LOT. Fail fast
Time to put all that pen-and-paper stuff to the test! My goal now is to have something playable for the team in-engine as fast as possible. My experience is that the first iteration will be modified a lot as we go. The sooner we start testing and exposing the levels weaknesses, the better.
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I like to work quick and dirty at the begining of the blockout phase, meaning I don't put any effort into making things look good and I don't put time into details - focus is on the big shapes, basic composition and gameplay.
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My first blockout of Excavation quickly probed that hte map was too big and too hard to navigate due to its narrow tunnels. I went back to the drawing table and iterated on the readability of the map by using lighter, tighter composition that directs the eye where I want to and by reducing the complexity of the layout.
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I repeat this process of playtest and iteration until all frustrating and confusing elements are gone and the possibility for strategic and creative decisions for the player has been maximized within the time constraint.
First draft of Excavation in-engine. Some elements made it all the way to the end, such as the map being centered around a looming tower, and excavators being used in the level. However, this iteration had the tower and an objective site too close to the defending team. It made sense from a narrative point of view, but gameplay-wise, attacking players tended to go to the two objectives closer to them instead. In the finished level, the tower was moved to the middle of the map.
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A few more iterations in and the blockout was taking the shape that the finished level would eventually have. At this stage, focus was on making navigation better for the player and making arenas as fun and interesting as possible.
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The tower made it to the end product, making for a cool visual effect in VR, but maybe more importantly, a great navigational landmark that can be seen from all key parts of the level. The biggest difference from the early draft is that the size and amount of open areas got heavily reduced since they simply weren't fun to play.
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Wrapping up and learning
And so it goes until handover. Of course, this doesn't cover all aspects of the process. For example, I enjoy collaborating a lot with artist and other disciplines early to see what could make the level come together holistically in ways I haven't thought of. The process is also not always as structured as described, depending on challenge of the brief, the time slotted for artist etc. But this should give a rough idea of how I approach a design task.
When I'm done with a level, I like to summarize what I'm proud over and what can be improved on in the future. In the case of Excavation, I'm proud by the tension that the layout brings as well as the theme and sense of scale. I'm less satisfied with the complexity of the layout, and therefore, my next level ended up being a super simple and distilled version of a Mannequin level.
Below are some more blockouts / finished level comparison from Excavation:
SKETCHES /
BLOCKOUTS /
ARTED LEVELS IN IMAGES
TOMB
COURTYARD
PAGODA
BACKROOMS
TOWERS
TOMB
TUTORIALS
