Fortress of Sorrow is a custom map for Quake built in Trenchbroom. As my first solo level design and modding project, I focused on delivering an immersive story through the level layout and progressively challenging combat encounters to keep players engaged with some puzzle elements.
Here’s a look at the design process:
Fortress of Sorrow -
A Quake Custom Map
Project Overview
Time: 8 weeks (Sep ‘23 - Oct ‘23)
Team Size: Solo Project
Engine: Trenchbroom
Role: Level Design
Project Goal:
Design an engaging map that captures Quake’s unique mechanics and player experience while adding a distinct creative touch.
Develop a concise, research-backed document to clarify design intent and inform gameplay choices.
Craft a balanced player experience by carefully selecting enemies, structuring combat beats, and layering encounters to enhance pacing and engagement.
Leverage the engine’s capabilities to their fullest, innovating to create immersive, responsive spaces despite technical limitations.
The Design
START: Western Tower bottom floor
END: Throne Room
Player Goal: Find your way to and unlock the Throne Room Level Center Piece/ USP: Inner Courtyard
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The Inner Courtyard serves as the first major encounter and acts as a "crossroads" for the map due to its central location. As a two-floor hub, it connects five key areas:
Western Tower: Accessible through the 2nd floor.
Eastern Tower: Accessible through the 1st floor.
Sewers: Entered via the well.
Front Yard: Linked by a secret wall that opens after completing the area.
Throne Room: Accessible through the 1st floor.
Beyond its pivotal role in game flow, the Courtyard is one of the most intricately designed areas, featuring three major environmental transformations that heighten the gameplay experience:
Player jumps down: Walls collapse, revealing enemies and pushing the key out of reach.
Wave 2 starts: The roof collapses, revealing even more enemies.
Combat concludes: A section of the balcony becomes a movable platform, assisting the player in reaching the key.
These dynamic changes make the Inner Courtyard a memorable and impactful location, reinforcing its role as the map's unique selling point and adding depth to both gameplay and narrative.
Research
For this project, I conducted both technical and creative research to support combat design and environmental storytelling.
In my technical research, I analyzed Quake’s enemies and weapons, organizing them into a table with their unique characteristics and potential applications in designing combat beats. Leveraging a 'Beat Difficulty' criterion, I strategically distributed enemies across the map, ensuring that suitable weapons were available and that combat progression provided a consistent, engaging challenge for the player.
My creative research focused on studying historical castle references and architectural literature to enrich the play spaces. This research informed my environmental design, helping me communicate my design vision effectively during pitches. I used paintovers as a visual method to highlight and explain key design choices.
Playtesting and QA
To balance combat encounters, ensure smooth game flow, and create an intuitive player experience, Playtesting and Quality Assurance were critical components of my design process.
Once I had a playable version, I began testing using a “Reason & Question” approach, as detailed in the Playtest log shown here. I structured playtests around specific questions and objectives, closely observing players’ interactions and gathering their feedback. After each round of playtesting, I refined the level based on this input, iterating and re-testing to validate improvements.
This testing loop enabled me to adjust difficulty for a balanced, low-medium challenge, eliminate bugs, and maintain a consistently enjoyable player experience throughout the level.
In addition to enhancing the level design, focusing on Playtesting and QA allowed me to develop my documentation and information design skills. Using a Conditions of Satisfaction document, I tracked version updates alongside playtest feedback, helping me maintain a clear record of changes and keep player-centered updates at the forefront of the project.
Project Outcome
Takeways
Improved my Playtest documentation and feedback receiving skills
Learned how to work with a Conditions of Satisfaction document
Learned how to create and maintain a production pipeline
Improved my sketching and informational design skills
What I would improve
If I had some more time, I’d:
Spend more time polishing the existing gameplay beats
Develop the sewers by making the area bigger and include more beats underground.
Add difficulties to attract differently skilled players
Rework the final beat to provide a more satisfying and impactful challenge.
What went well?
I maintained a detailed and up-to-date Playtest Document and Conditions of Satisfaction, which helped ensure clear progress tracking and alignment with project goals.
All project goals were successfully achieved.
Despite TrenchBroom's limitations in handling complex geometry and modeling, I creatively utilized the tool’s capabilities to design decorative elements that enhanced the level’s visual appeal.
As my first solo level design project, I successfully crafted a fun and challenging experience that aligns with Quake’s core gameplay, showcasing my ability to capture the essence of its player experience.