FRONTLINES
LEVEL DESIGNER || 2024
BACKSTAB STUDIO
ABOUT THE GAME
Frontlines is a custom game mode created and published to Fortnite using UEFN. It is a 5v5 class based shooter where teams fight to control capture points.
TOOLS USED
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UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite
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Google Suite
GAMEPLAY
DESIGN GOALS
The goal for Frontlines was to create a class based shooter where the class you chose had a meaningful impact on team strategy, and not just individual gameplay styles.
For example the demolitionist can destroy certain structures easier than other classes, opening new paths for the entire team. Meanwhile the sniper class can place a bounce pad to help the team reach new heights or take shortcuts over walls.
GAMEPLAY TRAILER
KEY ITERATIONS
Some problems I noticed with the first iteration of Frontlines was some players had a hard time finding shortcuts and alternative paths, and were always taking the middle, more aggressive path.
I was able to use visual breadcrumbs, along with gameplay mechanics like grid rails to encourage players to explore and discover new areas of the map.
Another issue was the sniper positions on the center capture point felt way too strong. The only way to deal with them was other snipers, so if one sniper is better than the other, they dominated the center of the map.
To combat this I added a much needed flanking route so teams could more easily deal with the sniper threat. This path does have a large gap in it, meaning only the flanking class can reliably use this path. This ended up being a good thing, giving the flanking class a much larger role on a team than just “shoot them in the back”. Now they had the ability to tactically take out threats more than the rest of their team.
