[WIP] Steel Echo - Ready or Not
Steel Echo is my latest custom map for Ready or Not. It’s currently my main project and serves as a follow-up to Last Resort.
What you'll see on the following screen are works In Progress.
I'm currently in the process of reworking the lighting, optimizing the map, and adding elements related to NPC navigation.
Ready or Not is a tactical solo/co-op FPS where players act as a SWAT unit in the city of Los Sueños (a city heavily inspired by Los Angeles). Each mission sends the player and their team to different locations with the aim of saving civilians and neutralizing any threats in a variety of environments, such as a gas station, a penthouse, a nightclub, or, more recently, an oil platform at sea.
The map takes place in a large junkyard somewhere in the desert of California, outside of Los Sueños. The SWAT team is sent there one afternoon after receiving multiple tips about a large weapon trade deal occurring within the vicinity.
The map is also much larger than my previous one, "Last Resort," and close to the size of some of the base game largest map like Port.
It features multiple enterable buildings, a higher emphasis on verticality with multiple vantage points, and a full underground section.
In this mission, the players will be able to choose between two insertion points, leading to a variety of ways to approach the map and secure the area.
My main goal when creating this map was to build a map that might offer a tough challenge to veteran players without doing so by setting up and absurd amount of enemies on the mission.
With this objective in mind, I've designed the map with multiple elements that will make it harder to secure, notably:
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The map features a lot of doorways that can't be blocked using door wedge, meaning that the players will have to watch their back in multiple situations and won't be able to rely every time on this tool.
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Vantage points around the area can mean that guards have a favorable positions to aim at the player team and it will also be harder to arrest them using Less-than-lethal weaponry.
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Most of the map is set in exterior and theses explorable areas tend to be large and feature multiple entry point, meaning that the SWAT team will have to keep on their toes at all time and get ready to take cover in case of gunfight.
The first iteration of the level was created as a blockout to test multiple layout variations until I settled on a definitive version.
The map-building workflow relies again on the community-made framework for Unreal Engine 5.3.
As with "Last Resort", I also used some asset packs from the FAB Marketplace, as well as assets extracted from the game with Fmodel.
Here are some screenshots of the blockout map and an intermediate version when the map lighting was set at noon:
Finally, here are additional screenshots showcasing the map in its current state.
You can observe various key locations, such as the large blue conveyor belt, the main hangar where the weapon deal is taking place, one of the insertion points near an abandoned gas station next to the junkyard, and several other areas around the map that players will need to secure to complete their mission.
