I find creating levels in games so compelling and I tried to explain why to Nelg:

“It’s like crafting in an MMO. Except I actually make stuff that I can play.”

I like making virtual stuff, more than real / tangible stuff (I used to make chainmail, but damn that was hard on my hands). I’m no math whiz or geometry guru, so my coding and 3D skills are limited, but I really enjoy creating layout, gameflow and most of all the storytelling aspect of level design. Even a basic RTS map tells a story in a way. FPS maps tell them even better.

I previously mentioned Sauerbraten editing. Now I can say I’m hooked. Sauerbraten has cast some sort of magic spell, causing me to embrace the quirky cube-editing. I’m immersed in my own little world, damn near literally.

I’ve wrangled Sakkara and Nelg into coop editing: A mode with even more quirks but charming as hell. It’s been great to see tracks of land come up around me and the synergy adds to my own productivity while I build.

I’m going all out here. I’m editing my own textures and sounds, remixing others. I’m experimenting with creating a huge map, trying to push the limits and see what the engine is capable of (and so far it’s performing beautifully).

I am however, sticking within the constraints of the current SVN release of Sauerbraten. I’m not (yet) coding directly to the engine to change gameplay. I’d love to of course, but aside from my limited skillset in that area, that’s just further down the road in progression. For this first project at least, I’m putting in a serious attempt at a full single-player campaign. The concept is to keep it to one big map, so there won’t be any extra loading screens, just chapter to chapter blending together. From space to land, oceanside, rivers, mountains and snow. Oh yes and dungeons. Several dungeons.

This is gonna take awhile.