The Cursed Estate

Project Overview

2v2 Control Point Shooter Map
March - May 2023
Unreal Engine 5 With Lyra Asset Pack
PC
Solo Project

Player Outside the Main House

My main goal with The Cursed Estate was to make a control point shooter level with a unique and intense vibe in which the play style changes over time.

I decided to theme this project around a witch's house, which is not a typical location for shooter maps. Doing so allowed me to give the map haunted house aesthetics and mild horror elements. I started with a map sketch for the mansion and the idea that players would spawn on opposite sides and fight to control 3 control points inside for long enough to win the game.

Early Concepting

Early Sketch for the First Floor of the Mansion

Early Sketch for the Second Floor of the Mansion

After making the maps, I drew up potential pathways for players when running the level.

On the first floor, the players start in two opposing graveyards on opposite sides of the mansion.

From there, they can either choose to run straight into the building or enter from the side.

They also have the option of using the bounce pads to get to the upper-floor control point.

They can also run outside to get health or machine gun pickups.

Potential Player Pathways on the First Floor

On the second floor, players can run directly to the center of the room from the bounce pads to get to the control point.

They can also jump down to the previous floor to get to control points or ambush players.

Potential Player Pathways on the Second Floor

Several things were changed when the level was actually built. For example, I originally planned on having stairs to get to the second floor but swapped that out for two holes in the ceiling with bounce pads to reach them.

Current Map Functionality

Player Using a Bounce Pad to get to the Second Floor

I also made the control points on the first floor move back and forth. This is not something I had seen before in a shooter game, and I thought it helped with my goal of making the level change over time, while making the game more unique. Players must walk to keep up with the points, which helps keep the map interesting and constantly evolving.

Player Taking a Moving Capture Point

I also moved the third control point from the first floor and instead made it rotate in a giant circle around the house. This makes it difficult to defend and a challenge to take.

Player Taking the Outside Moving Capture Point by Moving With It

To give the second floor a new purpose, it now has the game's main healing spots, which I reskinned to look like bubbling cauldrons to fit the theme.

Cauldron-Themed Health Points

To add to the witchy vibe, I included related props and assets throughout the mansion. Several of these can also serve as cover for players to avoid gunfire, thus blending the worldbuilding and gameplay.

Witch-Themed Artifacts

Cabinets that Serve as Cover

Finally, to make the map feel like it changes over time, I added the Witch. If the match lasts for two minutes, the Witch appears with a scream sound effect and tries to get the players out of her home. The Witch is a large, unkillable entity that moves along a preset path around the mansion.

Adding Horror

The Witch Descending from a Hole in the Ceiling

Finally, to make the map feel like it changes over time, I added the Witch. If the match lasts for two minutes, the Witch appears with a scream sound effect and tries to get the players out of her home. The Witch is a large, unkillable entity that moves along a preset path around the mansion.

The Witch Killing a Player

If I were to continue development of this map, I would lean into the witch aesthetic even more, perhaps changing the player models to look like zombies and ghosts, or changing the capture points to be trapped spirits. I would also add additional themed props and adapt the players’ weapons to something related to witches.