Cargo Chaos

Role: Level Designer | Project Type: Academic Solo | Duration: 4 Weeks | Tools: UEFN

Overview & Planning

Final 2D Top Down Map

Introduction

Cargo Chaos is a 4-player free-for-all multiplayer map built in UEFN for my Level Design II course. My goal was to design a fast-paced arena that encouraged chaotic gunfights. To accomplish this, I focused on vertical flow and weapon placement to keep players moving and re-engaging.

Pre-Production and Research

  • Analyzed the layouts of popular Call of Duty maps: Raid, Shipment, and Cargo, to study how their lane structures utilized sightline control, and flow

  • Created a napkin sketch to define the map’s parti, establishing the core architectural concept before moving into blockout

  • Mapped out expected player flow from both ends of the level to test how players would enter lanes, and rotate through intersections

My goal when drawing maps is to find interesting shapes and facades within the layout.

This way, I can then start to rearrange and manipulate their orientation to create a more engaging level flow, as I iterate on the level.

Layout and Flow

3-Lane Design Philosophy

  • Designed the map around a 3-lane structure, then added intersecting routes between the center and side lanes to support cross-flow and constant player movement

  • Used interconnected lanes to give players at least 3 route options at any moment, allowing them to flank, disengage, or re-engage with combat

  • Placed spawns outside of major lane intersections, keeping players protected from immediate combat while still allowing quick access back into the main lanes

  • Positioned weapon pickups at key path intersections to naturally pull players toward contested areas and encourage frequent engagements

Utilizing Verticality

  • Designed the center lane as a king-of-the-hill style container stack, using two layers of verticality to create a high-value combat space

  • Stacked containers within Fortnite’s player jump and mantle metrics, allowing players to climb, and engage in fast-paced vertical gunfights

  • Used taller container stacks as movement barriers, requiring players to learn the map layout and make intentional routing decisions instead of moving freely over every obstacle

  • Added the Shockwave Bomb in a later iteration as the map’s only pickupable item, placing it on an outer lane to create a high-risk pickup that lets skilled players launch across the map and open new rotation opportunities