DEV Community: Charlie Perry

Level 4 CSGO Hammer Editor

Charlie Perry — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:06:37 +0000

Day 1 (Learning more about the engine)

As I used an older version of this engine last week, it's quite handy to go into another project with the same sort of tools. Although this new one has a different UI, it still has a lot of similarities and resembles its predecessor in many ways.

Today was spent collecting video guides to use as a baseline for learning what I need to know about the engine.

Day 2 (Learning about CSGO map layouts)

If I were to make a map for CS:GO, then I would need to examine what makes a CS:GO map. I pulled three of the most popular maps and looked for similarities.

The first thing I noticed is that the CT (Counter-Terrorist) side is always close enough to the objective to arrive there at least 10–25 seconds before the Terrorists. This gives them enough time to hold angles on the site.

Another thing I noticed, represented by the blue square, is that each map has one essential corridor to a site (the objective for the enemy), often referred to in-game as "Long." This is the main way to the site.

This leads into the next point: access to the Long site is often possible through the middle, represented by orange. Middle is usually in between sites and can be used to get to either one.

The red objective represents the other site, which usually consists of tight corners and multiple entrances. This design gives the Terrorist team different strategies and is a very smart way of making a competitive shooter.

Day 3 (Basic block out exercise & More tutorials)

Today I decided to try and make a simple block out of a random house on google maps in the engine, this simple exercise in the engine got me to figure out some of the mesh editing tools, look through the asset folder for models and textures and helped me learn some of the hot keys.

After this I watched a couple more tutorials on the engine, theres not too many as CSGO 2 is fairly new.

Day 4 (Simple Block out of starting map)

Today I made a simple concept map and then started to block it out trying to get the essential elements I discoverd from my research.

I need to get the timing right for CT to be able to get to there site objective.
I need a middle control point for the map.
I need a long corridor to get to site red and a route to get there from middle.
I need site blue to have tight sight lines and multiple entrances.

Day 5 (Shaping up the block out)

With this project coming to a close I really needed to speed up the process and add more detail and update the scale of the map. This has been one of the highlights for me definately in the top 3 projects.

Level 3 Gmod/Hammer Engine

Charlie Perry — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:23:22 +0000

Day 1 (Learning the editor engine)

The engine used to make Gmod maps is the Hammer engine, using this was quite unique as it didnt feel like anything I had used before. Usually with game engines (Unity, Unreal, Godot and gamemaker) they all share some simialarties but this one has felt the most alien even putting a 3D model into the scene is weird.

Today I gathered my youtube tutorial playlist which is linked below if someone else is interested in learning the Hammer engine.

Day 2 (My first house)

Today I started following tutorials and I have learnt a couple things in the engine. I have learnt how to bring 3D models into the scene, texture the objects, add a sky box to the scene, add multiple player spawn points, rotate said objects and how to edit the meshes of standard 3D cubes within the scene.

I have used this skills to build the house below.

Day 3 (Other Commitments)

Today unfortunately I had to take a break and focus on my team game project so I didnt get the chance to work on the hammer engine today, I am hoping I can do more work tomorrow. You can check the project out here: https://lazy-studio.itch.io/slime-slinger

Day 4 (Ideation)

Towards the end of yesterday I had a thought of what I could do and today I spent researching Alcatraz prision, I watched videos, checked the steam workshop to see if other people had made maps, and browsed some pictures online to make a moodboard. After this I then began a simple block out of the scene using my moodboard images for inspiration.

Day 5 (More block out)

Working from yesterday I had a lot of work to do, I needed to make the cells, add decorations, add lighting and build some of the upper section.

Below is what I created for this week and I think this is a really good project, this would be a section of a gmod map with the purpose of prison role playing. Looking at this scene I feel like most people would be able to see the vision here.

Level 2 Godot

Charlie Perry — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 18:13:42 +0000

To make this project a bit more interesting I have decided to use a random name generator to give me my next project, I think this also forces me to use the engines I am unfamiliar with earlier on.

Day 1 Lots to learn

With this being a new engine I need to increase my knowledge of the engine which will require some research. From searching on youtube I found this video below that features 23 Godot tutorials. This is going to be a hard week but I’m excited to learn a new engine and this isn't the first or even the second time I have had to do this so I have a lot of faith (I've linked all the tutorials I have watched below).

Most of today was spent watching youtube videos both game dev and not game dev related, this was half procrastination and half actual work, I'm hoping motivation for the new engine goes up as the project goes along.

https://youtu.be/2ifq1k-B0oY?si=gbBJcZgvkjMyQcLc

Day 2 More Tutorials

This day has been spent following the tutorials I collected and skimmed through the day before, today I have learnt how to create a 3D first person character controller and a 2D character controller in Godot, this was quite easy as Godot has a built in template for this although the first person does not include mouse camera movement so I had to add it. Today I also spent time familiarizing myself with the hot keys.

Day 3 More and More Tutorials

This day was spent following more tutorials and I have learnt quite a lot of the systems today, I have learnt how to implement character animations, put a tile set in Godot and create a scene with it with collisions, I have learnt how to implement regular animations onto objects within the scene, create pick ups and how to do player death.

Towards the end of the day I was starting to ideate on what I actually want to create for this week and have decided to go in a 2D direction as most the tutorials I have been watching are 2D related and also for the fact that most the levels I will be making for these 10 weeks will be 3D I thought it might be nice to have some contrast.

Day 4 Propper Ideation

With not a lot of time left after learning about the engine I have decided to build off of the main brackeys tutorial that lead to me understanding the most basic fundamentals of the engine (Link to the asset pack and youtube tutorial below)

https://brackeysgames.itch.io/brackeys-platformer-bundle

https://youtu.be/LOhfqjmasi0?si=NhcHZl5BbsKKF17n

The brackeys tutorial has given me a basic platformer template to build off from and the further I have gone through the week the more I have come to enjoy using Godot and all I can think to myself is its a shame I only have a week as I the ideas are flooding in. I drew out a basic level in photoshop and then began to implement it.

Day 5 Kicking stuff into gear

With only one day left I have finished implementing the final level and this level is about 1-2 mins similar in length to the first one and I am looking forward to the weekend summary post as this project has been a massive learning experience.

Today I have finished the main level and I think I have done a good job of really making the most out of this platformer template. I have left room for expansion because I kind of want to go back and make a small game out of this project.

The Weekend

Like the last week this was mostly spent going through the blog and resting to avoid burnout.

What I Learned – Week 2

This week was all about learning, and honestly, it was a tough but rewarding one. Jumping into Godot was overwhelming at first, but I quickly saw how powerful it can be once you get past the surface. I spent a lot of time going through tutorials—probably more than I should have—but they really helped lay the groundwork. I learnt how to build both 2D and 3D character controllers, implement animations, use tilemaps, and even set up pickups and death systems. Choosing to go with a 2D level was definitely the right call—not only because most tutorials were 2D-focused, but it also gave me a bit of a creative break from 3D design. What surprised me most was how much I started to enjoy using Godot by the end of the week. It’s lightweight, clean, and feels like a really solid engine once you get used to it. I do wish I had more time to explore it further, but I’m happy I managed to pull off a full level in just a few days. Overall, this week reminded me how important it is to keep learning new tools—it keeps things fresh and forces you to grow.

Level 1 Unreal Engine

Charlie Perry — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 15:04:11 +0000

Day 1 (Ideation)

For the first day I had to come up with what engine I was going to use and what I wanted to make. The engine I decided was Unreal as this is the most recent one I have used and it's the one I have been enjoying. Next the project, over the past couple of weeks I have been working on a project called last awakening. I did think to myself this might be cheating but I had an idea of what I wanted to create and this is the project I wanted to create it in.

What I wanted to make was a short intro sequence 1-2 mins long inspired by the Uncharted games and Breath of the wild, one of the things I think they do really well is showing stuff in the distance which the player can get to eventually, I feel like because of how far they are at the start it makes it feel like you have traveled a long way. Also I like how it makes the area feel grand and creates this feeling of being a small part of the world you are exploring. Below is a mood board I put together to give me inspiration.

I got into Unreal engine and began laying out the white box into the scene, because this project has already been worked on. I had a player model and a character controller which meant I could fully focus on the actual level for this project.

Day 2 (Landscape & White box progress)

To start today I began messing with the terrain a bit more as this is the focus of the scene for me. I want the player to see this massive open space and truly feel small in this world. Yesterday I created some rough hills, this was just to make the area feel a bit closed off and as I work more on it I will add more detail. Another thing I added was an exponential height fog to the scene which already makes the landscape look more interesting as it works like a disguise, it also instantly makes the rough mountains in the distant look better.

For this project I’m also trying to use more tools of the engine, Unreal allows you to model assets, which is quite handy for the blockouts when you can quickly mash together stuff like this. I also started a block out of a little tunnel start area, having a tight closed off and dark place for the player to start will give a greater contrast for when they exit the cave and come out to this massive open space.

Day 3 (Boxes, boxes and boxes)

To start this day I wanted to roughly add some trees and some more interesting landscape, I did this roughly so that when I’m making the players route I can see what part of the landscape I can direct them to look at. Once the white boxing is done I can layer the background more with some more points of interest and try to make the horizon a bit more natural. From the first image you can see the place where I want the player to end up, this is kind of like a race. I have a starting position for the white box and then an estimation of where I want the player to get to.

With the landscape done for now I began plotting out the route for the player, this simple obstacle course below is enough to get the player comfortable with the player controller for movement speed and jumps. I have scoped really small for this first level project as I want to create something really simple and efficient with the week I have given myself and fill out these blog entries.

Day 4 (Landscape work and playtesting)

With day four I wanted to turn my attention more to the landscaping of the project and try to build this world around the player. I thought it might be cool to build this fort on this rocky wall in the distance, this gets the player thinking. I wonder what that wall is guarding, this rocky path seems to be heading towards it and this gets the player happy to go through the platforming segment. Unreal has a pattern tool where you can pick a 3D object and then create a pattern out of it, this tool has many options but one of the best ones is the jitter mode, this adds differences to some of the objects making it look less uniform and more realistic.

After I had finished these I got a couple friends to run through the project, it's always a good idea to get someone to play through your game or level as this shows you how different people react when they don’t know where to go. Because this level was designed to be really simple, all the playtests knew where to go and found it very straightforward with little challenge.

Day 5 (Final touches and examination)

I have added some more little details to the area, these probably wouldn't even be noticed by the player but I think the best paintings are a large canvas filled with loads of little details, kind of like Where's Wally ? where there are loads of little things going on and it creates this mini world in a piece of art.

I have drawn lines over the pictures to show the design of this simple level. The orange represents the contrast I created on the wall which helps build these sight lines on the floor, the white circle represents the landmark, this is the place in the distance that you want to direct the player to. Looking back on the project I wanted to create a simple 1-2 minute experience with a focus on a big landscape around the player, I feel like I have created that, this isn't something amazing it's just a simple project with the goal of helping me to more efficiently create grand landscapes.

Day 6 & 7 (Weekend & Grammar check for the blog)

These two days are designated as a break to avoid burnout with a 10 week level challenge that's the biggest risk to the overall challenge. Saying that I still want to be productive so I am focusing on re reading through these entries.

What I Learned – Week 1

This first week taught me a lot about using contrast, scale, and sightlines to guide the player. I’ve always loved the feeling of being a small part of a huge world, and building that in Unreal with terrain tools and fog really helped create that atmosphere. I also messed around with the modeling tool in Unreal, which I hadn’t really used much before. It was super handy for quickly blocking out shapes and adding detail without needing to jump into another program—definitely something I’ll be using more. On top of that, the pattern tool (especially the jitter mode) made it way easier to scatter objects naturally, which helped the scene feel less artificial. Playtesting reminded me how even a basic layout can work if it's readable, and scoping things down made it possible to actually finish something within the week. Overall, a solid start and I’m looking forward to seeing how far I can push myself in the next ones.

Start of the 4 week level design challenge

Charlie Perry — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 16:36:14 +0000

I’m starting a project to challenge myself and highlight my passion for level design. I’ve set a personal goal: to create 4 levels in 4 weeks, each in a different engine.

This won’t be easy I'll need to stay consistent each week and also learn new tools along the way. But I believe the greater the challenge, the greater the reward.

I'll be blogging my progress at the end of each week, sharing what I did each day and explaining my design choices. Expect the first entry on June 9th.

Links to other entries

Week1: https://dev.to/charlie_perry_e1d44dc7773/level-1-unreal-engine-4f9b
Week2: https://dev.to/charlie_perry_e1d44dc7773/level-2-godot-3gfj
Week3: https://dev.to/charlie_perry_e1d44dc7773/level-3-gmodhammer-engine-278p
Week4: https://dev.to/charlie_perry_e1d44dc7773/level-4-csgo-hammer-editor-126