Ah yes, ge_facility. Some say it was one of the best levels for multiplayer for the original game, and I was lucky enough to be able to recreate it for GoldenEye: Source. I personally liked Complex and Library the best, but Facility was opened up to me when a level designer long ago dropped out while I was working on Control, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I am using this blog to show you some updated screens and design choices made to the level for beta3. There's probably going to be a lot of text with me rambling.
Here in this picture is what I call the 'chemical corridor', which connects the two chemical processing rooms. This is the one spot in the map that has hardly changed at all from the previous release of the mod, but I thought I would show you some design choices made long ago. The main thing I wanted to do was to give the player their bearings as soon as they enter the corridor from the two chemical rooms, so they don't end up going to the wrong door they didn't want to go to. The easiest thing was adding the 2 red arrows on the ground, which I borrowed the idea from a facility map for Counter-Strike. Simple enough but I wanted something even more identifiable. Near the 'red armor room', I knocked out the 2 florescent lights and put 2 red ground lights near the ground, making the end of the corridor completely red. Easy to identify, so my goal is accomplished while giving the area more personality.
Now I finally replaced those ugly chemical processing tanks in the '4-Tanks Room' with something not as bland. It also gives you the opportunity to track players taking cover behind them by seeing their feet if you are far back enough. The wall materials are slightly updated to not look so smudgy, and the resolution on them is higher to make it look crisp. Finally, the floor has been evened out, removing the long line of steps that used to be in place. I found them to be more of an annoyance and ugly, so it was a win-win choice for me.
Now this is the '2-Tanks Room'. I have never liked this room at all in previous versions, and for this release I gave it a little love for gameplay reasons. The tanks are now models, and their supports provide some cover while still being able to shoot through gaps (I will note though, the supports don't have a final texture yet). I also opened up the center of the room allowing flow, and smacked down the weapon spawn there. Finally, I added a catwalk at the back of the room, and a player spawn is located in the alcove.
The locker room hasn't changed much except for minor details in the props. There are still 2 vent openings, which give access to the security room. This is one of the more important alterations from the original N64 layout, since it makes the choke point in the center of the map not as strict.
Going into the security room I've brightened it up slightly so it's not as blacked out like before. In conjunction with using the new vent cover prop, I also added a portable light that points into the vent, which both draw the eye to it. I thought this was very important since this route can easily be missed by players new to the game.
Here we have the 'connection room', which connects the 2 distinct sides of the map. I've disabled the opened security door there in the screenshot because I felt there was still too much of a choke here, and players can easily camp waiting for someone to open it. As a visual cue that the door is 'out of order', it tries to close once and awhile, throwing out sparks. Though you can't see it, to the left that window between here and the locker room is bullet-proof but cracked, allowing players to shoot trough a small gap. The player in the connection room can use it to their advantage from this side.
In the corner there is a slightly small addition made, which is a tiny little storage room. It provides a hiding spot and cover, but be careful using it because you can get easily trapped and suddenly you don't have the upper hand. There used to be a door here leading to an underground 'maintenance shaft' to the level, but it was removed due to personal feelings with it.
With the main storage rooms I opened them up a little bit as well, making it easier to move about. I knocked out some lights and added 1 yellow bulb to give a shift in the lighting.
Now this is where you are going to start noticing a lot of open doorways. With the exception of bathroom stalls, all swinging doors are no more. I wanted to open the map here since it can get quite constricting in places. Opening all those doors can become a chore, and sometimes they didn't open the correct way.
You can still use a couple doors as cover and have a hole to shoot through, like the door on the right near the armor. If you go up the stairs on the left you'll have another door which gives a nice advantage point shooting back downward.
And I will finalize this blog post with a shot of the bathroom.
