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Domenation

Domenation is a competitive third-person shooter where 42 players battle in 12-minute rounds. The game’s key mechanic is finding shelter inside Domes to avoid a deadly Pulse. As the match progresses, fewer Domes appear, increasing tension and forcing intense combat. Players also face off against mutants while looting weapons and items to survive.

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My main role on Domenation was Level Designer for most of its developement, owning almost every aspect of the main game map, as well as being in charge of smaller gameplay design tasks mostly related to balancing.

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Tools: Unreal Engine 4 & 5, Jira, Notion, Excel, Blender.

Release Date: June 2024

Main Contributions

  • Owned most of the design and development of the 42-player map, integrating including PvE encounter spots, points of interest (POIs), and pathways between them to ensure smooth navigation and strategic opportunities. I conceptualized the design and handled most of the map-building in Unreal Engine 5, focusing on visual and functional quality.

  • ​When the player count was reduced to 28, I redesigned the existing map to optimize its flow and scale, ensuring that the reduced player size didn't negatively affect gameplay dynamics or player interaction.

  • Worked on improving character mobility by designing and prototyping new mechanics.

  • Balanced weapon stats and character mobility to create cohesive gameplay that complemented the level design, ensuring smooth combat and movement across different map areas.

Level Design

I was responsible of delivering the map used in the published version of the map. However, as I joined the company with an initial vision of the map already in developement, some of the areas I was mostly actively involved are:

Domenation Map

Nexus

I worked on two iterations of the city in different phases of developement.

 

The first was a temporary version, created by repurposing existing buildings, with a large central structure as the focal point surrounded by minor industrial buildings that acted as cover while players thought of how to approach the middle part. This was the one used during the Early Access.

 

Later, we developed a more refined settlement designed to exploit verticality and enhance the game's movement mechanics. This new version featured open corridors at various heights, connecting the buildings to encourage dynamic traversal. Additionally, the city was designed to function as its own map, supporting newer game modes like deathmatch. It was thought of as the main city of the map, cleaner and more modern than the rest of it, so we also wanted to show that modern feel through its design.

First version of Nexus
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Hollow Pink

Mining town full of industrial buildings on a mountain-like island. I wanted to create a King of the Hill situation on the outside section, giving the players enough covers to be able to climb to the top whiule maintaining the advantage of those who reached it first. I worked on the layout, building design, developed the inner mine, and implemented all of the logic for the zone.

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I was also responsible for designing the interior section, which features a crystal mine. My goal was to create a space that was radically different from the rest of the map, characterized by narrow corridors that could unexpectedly lead to 1v1 encounters. In the center, there’s a relatively open area that allows players to ambush those on top of the mountain, aided by a zipline that connects directly to the summit.

Docks

A Mediterranean coastal town. This city was in development when I joined the team, so my primary focus was long-term tuning. I also added smaller, secondary buildings and redesigned the upper section, which was originally a temple. We transformed it into a market, as we believed the stalls would provide more opportunities for engaging gameplay. Additionally, I was responsible for placing and balancing all the logic in the zone, including chests, spawn points, and PvE areas.

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The initial concept for this district was to create a tourist town divided by a wide main street, allowing players to engage in long-range combat from both sides. We aimed to encourage strategic decision-making for crossing the street, turning it into a tense moment for players. They would need to decide whether to use smoke grenades or other objects to cross safely or take the risk of sprinting for their lives to reach the other side.

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Mechanic Prototyping

Some of the main mechanics I designed and prototyped for Domenation are:

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Ziplines: I focused on developing a fast travel method for players to move quickly across the map, reducing the time spent walking from point A to point B. I designed and implemented a functional version of ziplines, which were mostly retained in the final version of the game.

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Jump Pads: After testing, we realized we wanted to enhance player movement dynamics and minimize the time players spent waiting for dash cooldowns to access certain areas. I was tasked with finding a solution, leading me to design and prototype a trampoline-like mechanic that could be placed on the map or spawned with a special grenade. This feature allows players to incorporate it into their movement "combos," enabling exciting dash, slide, and jump sequences for traversing the map.

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Character Slide: Prior to the implementation of ziplines, we sought ways to make moving around the map more enjoyable, fluid, and fast. The design team decided that players should be able to slide when the terrain permits, which adds an element of challenge to aiming while increasing speed compared to walking. This mechanic can also be linked with dashes and jumps for rapid movement. I was responsible for its design, prototyping, and balancing once it was implemented.

The work that I have implemented and showcased above was altogether a team effort and for that I would like to give credit to the following individuals on the team who also helped in creation of this content throughout my two and a half years working on the project:​​

  • Aarón Asensio (Level Design).

  • Pablo Martín de Hervás (Level Design).

  • Markel Cuena (Level Design).

  • Iván Ponce (Level Design).

  • Daniel Medina (Art Director).

  • David Solano (Concept Art).

  • Salie Wu (Concept Art).

  • Leyre Elola (Concept Art).

  • Marc Ramos (Environment Art).

  • Alberto Liu (Environment Art).

  • Laura Antonio (Environment Art).

  • Ana Ochoa (Environment Art).

  • Iker Martín (Character/Environment Art).

  • Andrea Martín (Character/Concept Art).

  • Presiyan Dimitrov (Environment Art).

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