Plastered Autonomy
Designed for Steve Lee’s Summer 2022 HL2 Level Design Jam, Plastered Autonomy is a map centered around Systemic Combat design. The level takes place in what used to be a detention center now being a Combine Base being infested by Headcrabs, Zombies, Antlions, and you, the Rebels! Guide your group through treacherous battles and fight for your freedom!
Blockout
Plastered Autonomy was an entry to a month-long Jam coordinated by Steve Lee. I began my process by blocking out the map, focusing on the gameplay and flow of the level. I wanted each section of the map to be memorable, with each room having a unique event or puzzle that players could easily recall. One of the trials I had to overcome was the overabundance of long corridors on the map. I received much feedback on the map's structure and reiterated their designs. This design was ultimately more robust and served its purposes for a month-long map.
Scripting
Plastered Autonomy was one of the first times I worked on scripted sequences in the source engine. I also scripted puzzles and music queues. Due to the jam being themed around scripting, my design philosophy was to have immersive features at the level that would affect sequences. A good example is the prisoners: Players can free them and alert the guards or ignore the prisoners and watch as the guards sneak through the hall.
Systemic Combat
Steve Lee's Jam theme was Systemic Combat, having various factions and systems from Half-Life 2. This meant that much of my design was focused on AI and different ways players could play through the map. The AI pathfinding was one of the more challenging aspects of my design, and I had to work my map around to fit the needs of the AI's design while also having a consistent player experience.
To Install, download the zip below and place the .bsp file in your Half-Life 2 “maps“ directory