Alright, I'm happy I found this because I really like the levels you make and I'd like to know what tactics you use to design them. You see, I'm making my own 16 level series called "Last Stand."

I'm about a third of the way done making the series. But I think the levels I've made are between decent and moderately impressive.

I'd like to know how you come up with your level ideas and the designing process. I'm going to use that information to improve my levels and thus become a better level maker.

Thanks,

Nintee

Whenever I make maps I think about difficulty. While making maps I also think about the players actions and what he/she will do whenever I release them. When it comes to the actual level design, I first see how I'm going to move the plot forward. Then I think of ideas for the map, For example the map Documents, I discovered invisible land mines. So I used those in that map because it was a rebooted version of Timur's map. the level design is anything that comes to mind.

The first thing I did when I started to make maps was reading this guide. https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=761140674
It really helped a lot. Another thing I do while make maps is listen to music.
Another example is the map Apartments, when I was making that map I was listening to Reaper and Blues because I love that DEADBOLT song. And it really gave me a theme or idea for the map.

If this series has a story, try not to rush the maps or the story. (Try to write ideas of the story in a notebook.) Take you're time, it really shows all the effort the maker put into the maps when finished. If there is no story then have fun making maps. Also, whenever I make maps I have both the level editor running and the game. So when I made a lot of progress I'll test it. Another thing I do is change the map design if I don't like it. I know how it feels when you made a lot progress but sometimes redoing it all over again is worth it.

The last thing I do before I release them is test the maps 2x. If everything goes well then I release them, I even test the workshop ver just incase.

P.S. If there's dialogue in the map then, check the spelling. If you have more questions you can friend me or just ask me here. Also I can't wait to play you're maps.

Hey man, thanks for replying! I'm happy you were willing to help me.

The thing you said about "not rushing the maps or story" switched a notch in my head to commit to my ideas. I'll start releasing my maps soon when I'm happy with them. I just have a few questions:

How did you make invisible mines in "Documents"?

How did you make water in "Docks"?

I've noticed your story might take place before the events of DEADBOLT based on how many of the characters we see in the game that are alive. Could I add some references to your story to hint that they're connected?

I was really inspired by levels such as "Questions", "Self-Talk" and "Discovery". Could I...um... borrow that concept?

I'm completely alright if you hint your story to mines. Also the story takes place after the offical DEADBOLT game. (You'll see in the next maps.) I don't know how many years but it's been quite awhile. If you want borrow the concept go ahead just try not to go really far were the point it seem like your version of my story. (Like I'm ok if you borrow characters like the Candles or the Undead. )

For the water effect in the map Docks. You make your map around the bottom white line. (Have the map background to docks. Then the play the map you'll see the water. Then you can lower the map around the water. (The water is really just your Height of your map.)

For invisible land mines, you must have a Shambler head underneath the map (specifically under the map boundary) , then you put as much land mines you want.
Then you go to Trigger System, click the Trigger Destory (It's a trash can.) Right click the trash can, then put the Shambler head as the Parent.
Then you click on Commad Spawn (looks like a blue light bulb.)
Right click the trash can and click child. You'll see a blue line, go to the Blue light bulb and click on it. You'll now see a blue line on both the trash and the bulb.
Right click the blue light bulb, and click child now put the blue line to the land mine. To know if you did this correctly you'll see the words oMine on top of the blue light buld.
Main reason why I said use a Shambler head and to place it under the map is because the game could crash if the player kills it.

Just try not to go too far were the point it's stealing.

But good luck

I just have one final question about the whole "Connecting the Stories" thing.

I recently finished "Discovery" and realized that, since my story follows DEADBOLT's reaper after Ibzan's death, then I would have to find a way to have the Corporation hunt him down and kill him so your reaper can take the wheel. So I'd like to know if you're fine with me featuring the Corporaion in my story.

I'm fine about the corporation borrowing.

Got an idea, in Documents Timur's is studying a Reaper's past life and on what he has done for the corporation.
I'll just tell you this but, Ibzan in not the enemy. The Reaper you played in the offical DEADBOLT is. It was explained why he is in the map Discovery.

But in a future map, I could mention how Offical Reaper should have killed my Reaper just like how he killed recent one. (Your Reaper)

Thats just an idea I came up with, you can do whatever you want.

Right, I was thinking that my Reaper and Official Reaper would be one in the same. Through my series he would do the "inappropriate behavior" mentioned in Documents. By the end of the series, he would be killed by the god of life and his candles. Finally, he would come back for revenge in Flatline.

Another connection, in my series the undead have discovered liquified ash, which allows them to come back to life after being killed. Years later, (During Flatline series) they have learned to manipulate it to the "spawn new enemies after one has been killed" thing.

Damn, I never thought on how to explain that feature but thats pretty good. (Spawn new enemy feature.)

I love this series already, I can't wait to play this. Good luck and have fun!
You can ask me any questions here, and if you need help in the level editor I can broadcast the stuffz.

I was gonna make a series on what happens to offical reaper after Ibzan death and being awaken from his slumber. The series name would have been Aftermath. (But Last Stand is more better given the situation. And he basically starts finding out the dark secrets of the Organization. But I love how yours is turning out. Also mention the other crimes, that was stated in Documents like how he tired to kill a candle.

I've recently finished the overall story and level organization of Last Stand. Just in case you want to understand what it is, I'm going to leave this list of events and levels.

1. Back with a Vengeance

The Reaper wakes up from his slumber and the undead discover liquified ash.

2. Clowning Around

A small group of undead open a circus to lure in undead and make more ash.

3. Crossbridge

A group of skeletons is shipping lots of liquified ash to an unknown location, they are lead by a General.

5. The Front

The God of Life tells the Reaper about his corporation. The Reaper locates a military base that skeletons have adopted and finds a shipping manifest to a liquified ash factory. He also learns about the Tridead Elites, a group of dangerous undead.

6. Johnny

The Reaper meets Johnny, an incubus who can duplicate himself due to a liquid ash experiment. The Reaper opens his safe to find a list of all the members of the Tridead Elites, he also learns that the General from Crossbridge is still alive.

7. The Batmen

The Reaper kills a Bartender and Nightcrawler of the Tridead Elites and finds a mysterious address.

8. Tower of the Damned

The Reaper skips one of the God of Life's missions to instead see the address he found in the previous mission. It turns out to be a tall apartment and office building. He meets Sahara, Vall's sniper apprentice. She tells him that the God of Life and his corporation is treating him like a dog and gives the address to the corporation HQ.


9. HQ

There is an argument between the God of Life and the Reaper which ends in the Reaper going to the corporation HQ by his own accord.

10. Secrets

After finding an address in the office of a high-ranking candle, the Reaper discovers the secrets of the corporation.

11. To Hell and Back

The Reaper goes back to doing his missions against the Tridead Elites. He goes to an underground liquid ash factory and meets skeleton brothers Cadmus and Magnus, the Brain and the Brawn of the Tridead Elites. He finds documents about the horrors that the corporation has done to past Reapers. Cadmus and Magnus escape with the General, which is revealed to have the ability to make clones of himself.

12. Hostage Control

The Reaper kidnaps a candle named Wick and threatens to kill him, he avoids doing so when Wick tells him that the candles, including the God of Life, are being manipulated by an unseen master.

13. Mid-Air Interception

On the way to a mission, the Reaper is interrupted by Puff and Roland, which have been revived with liquified ash and the General's magic.

14. Brotherhood

The Reaper finds Cadmus and Magnus and, after a showdown with both of them, he sees the General going down a path and follows him.

15. Memory Lane

The Reaper follows the General down a path and reflects on his past.

16. Midnight

After a huge fight with the General, the two have a conversation about the corporation. It is revealed that the undead were trying to simulate the warmth with liquified ash. Finally, the General urges the Reaper to kill him, which will disintegrate all his clones and finally let him feel the warmth.

17. Return of the King

The Reaper finds a gathering of candles and the God of Life passing the scythe to the next Reaper. The old Reaper crashes their party and fights through waves of demons.

18. End of the Road

After taking down one final wave of demons, the Reaper is cornered by the God of Life and his candles. They have one final conversation before the Reaper takes a bullet to the head. He swears revenge on the corporation and promises to return.

Wow, that was pretty unnecessarily long. I hope you like it though.

Back with a Vengeance
I love the discovery and how reaper wakes up

Clowning Around
Great circuss idea

Crossbridge
I like how things are going

The Front
Tridead Elites, I love that
I like the level idea
I like how god of life tells reaper about his corporation, I also like how you don't say it's new or old

Johnny
Try to explain how Reaper meets Johnny, for example there was an address in the map, The Front. (It really depends on you)
But I still like how everything turns out in this level. with the safe, how the general is still alive, and Johnny as a character

The Batmen
This level is good, but mention how the Reaper has been tracking down the Tridead Elites and has started with those two. Or how The god of life told reaper to start with those two. (Depends on you.)
Like the transition

Tower of the Damned
I like the level
Instead of saying being treated as a dog. (You can keep if you want) Maybe she can say that reaper is being used for the corporations own deeds. (Making him do the dirty work for them.)

HQ
This level is good

Secrets
I like how everything is about to go down

To Hell and Back
Like the characters
Like the document (if you want, don't mention or say anything on what the Organization does to the Reapers because in my opinion if you say nothing then you let the player come up with ideas, in sort the player can use their imagination on what happens. I did this in the Discovery, when the candle doesn't know what happens if they are hunted down. But it really depends on you, if you want to explain the horrors or not.)
I like the ending to this level

Hostage Control
Love how things went down in this level. (I like how you don't say who is the master)

Mid-Air Interception
Like the level, I like how he is on his way to a level. (Brotherhood)

Brotherhood
like the showdown and the ending to this one

Memory Lane
Love this one as well. (if you want come up with interesting thoughts from the offical deadbolt game. For example maybe Ibzan was a lost reaper himself)

Midnight
Love the ending for this one.

Return of the King
I love this level
But it is going to be hard on how there is going to be new reaper. (You can use Ibzan for the new reaper's appearance and then there can be a final showdown between the new Reaper and the Offical Reaper.)

End of the Road
I love the ending to this series.
But if you want you can make some candles not wanting to kill reaper. But one candle finally kills him because if nobody kills the Offical Reaper then all of the candles in that room will be, "in trouble" (Nothing will be explained, aka the player can come up with something.) In sort they are being forced to do some actions they don't want to take apart of.
I love how Reaper knows he is going to come back.

So far everything seems great. I love the story and I like how this is turning out.
I know some maps are going to be very difficult to make but I know you can do it.

But if you need help on actual map design I can help you with that anytime.

Is this our reaper, or is this just Ibzan?

The Reaper in this collection is just my depiction of what a Reaper could be. (personality, characteristics, ect.) But no this is not the offical reaper from deadbolt, and no this is not Ibzan either.

It depends on what series you're talking about.

The Flatline Series (By RPD_Hunter_482) is a different Reaper from the one in DEADBOLT.

The Last Stand Series (By me) is in fact supposed to be the official Reaper that appeared in DEADBOLT.

Both stories takes place after DEADBOLT, so Ibzan's kinda dead.

"Ded, no big surpise." - pootis, team defense fort 2.