Endor Assault: Warcraft 3 Custom Map

For this assessment we were required first to analyze a secondary world, then to design a level to fit within that world. I chose the Star Wars universe for mine.

I identified a number of elements that were consistent across the various games and movies of the Star Wars franchise, and then created a level that was intended to convey as many of these these elements as were appropriate, as well as experiment with player skill acquisition and training. The elements that I identified were:

• Cybernetic Upgrades; a strong theme throughout the Star Wars universe is the destruction and replacement of a father figure. Part of this is to become the father, and with most of the evil figures relying on technology for power, the protagonist gaining some kind of cybernetic upgrade assists with this process. Often this is the first step to overcoming the father. Consideration should be given to allowing (or forcing) the player to gain some kind of cybernetics. This could be as part of an RPG skill upgrade system, or a narrative event in which a player loses a limb.
• Jedi and Lightsabers; the majority of Star Wars games that feature Jedi as a primary NPC allow the player to become a Jedi. This is possibly the easiest way to establish the player character as heroic, as it gives an easy excuse for the player to be better than others around them. The lightsaber is arguably the single most iconic element in the Star Wars universe, and so requires little exposition on its importance. Jedi are characterized by their use of lightsabers in battle, and allowing the player to customize the color or strength of it encourages ownership and projection; the player is the Jedi because they’re wielding their lightsaber. Conversely, allowing the player to connect with the character via the lightsaber, or withholding it until the player completes a task also provides unique motivation.
• Planetscape vs Unfamiliar World; the transition between planetscapes (desolate wastelands or overpopulated, dense cities both serve equally well) and non-organic environments can be very powerful. The planetscapes should be familiar enough that the player recognizes them as “Ordinary Worlds” and therefore identifies with them. In contrast, space stations or ships (particularly Sith/Empire ships) should be stark, sterile and unnatural. This will give the player a sense of discomfort and added tension.
• NPC interaction; the player should need to interact with multiple different NPC’s, often of a race different from the player character. The Star Wars narratives often require the hero to work with an unfamiliar (but still vaguely humanoid) race that they have little experience with. Finding a way to work with these races is part of the process of nature overcoming technology. The universe is also teeming with a multitude of races, so levels with only human NPC’s will feel unauthentic. It is also fine to have bosses that are other races, though generally these should lean towards being cybernetic or Sith.
• Sound; background soundtracks should be dramatic and orchestral. The background tracks should involve a lot of string and brass instruments and drums for emphasis. During combat sequences these should be faster, heavier and more dramatic. Sound effects should be clean and iconic, for example the swooshing noise of an opening door, the deep repeating sound of an alarm, or the buzz of a lightsaber.

I created the level in the Warcraft 3 editor, which I found to be an absolute joy to work with. I intend to come back to working in the editor, and once I have some free time, to develop a series of campaign maps around these same themes, allowing me to explore a deeper storyline.

The map can be downloaded here and requires Warcraft 3, including the Frozen Throne expansion to play.