Jason McCord / Level Designer

   


Big Red One was my first project as a game developer.

I started at Gray Matter, where they had just come off of the expansion pack for CoD1, United Offensive. We later merged studios with Treyarch and focused our efforts on making a console version of Call of Duty. The design team was green, but motivated, and we worked really hard to get this game done in 8 months.

As a level designer at Treyarch, I would design levels on paper, build them out for gameplay, detail them out to completion (with the help of a fantastic art team), do lighting, optimization and bug fix for shipping.

 Every level shown is a product of the whole team, with many assets being designed and implemented by other departments such as art, fx, audio.
These are the levels that I worked on to some extent on Call of Duty 2: Big Red One.

Thanks to the Playstation 2 being easily emulated now, I was able to find high quality screenshots and videos of each level to show below. This is great, as it feels like my early work is getting preserved, where a few years ago the only way to see this again would be to fire up a Playstation 2 and get low resolution captures.

PIANO LUPO
Single Player
Mission 8



My first Call of Duty map. Working on the PlayStation 2 was fun at first, until I realized how limited it was. There was a lot of work that went into optimizing this level to fit into memory. Rewatching this, I should have cut out the middle of the level, it's too long and just filler, but I enjoyed building out the Italian ruins. The big blocky shapes remind me of Quake levels and allow for some fun level design.
I worked on this level from paper design to completion. Jesse Snyder was the gameplay scripter.

Full Playthrough (Thanks Levan4KGaming)

Screenshot Gallery




TANKERS
Single Player
Mission 3 / Vehicle Mission



I was put on this mission after it had been blocked out, but it needed to go through a bunch of changes. I redesigned it on paper and started changing the block out. It was fun to work on a completely vehicle mission, you have to think about a whole different set of issues and problems to solve.

I also had to come up with a workable destruction system, since the buildings in the player path were destructible by the tank.
I worked on this map from (re)design to completion.

Full Game Playthrough - Time stamp at Tankers Mission (Thanks Levan4KGaming)

Screenshot Gallery




THE DESERT FOX
Single Player
Mission 4



I was brought on to this level to help finish it up. I did an environment detail pass on just about the whole thing. This level is also very long!

Full Game Playthrough - Time stamp at The Desert Fox Mission (Thanks Levan4KGaming)

Screenshot Gallery




OPERATION HUSKY
Single Player
Mission 7



This level was designed and built by my good friend Ryan Rutherford.

I was brought on to this level to help finish up the beach. I mostly just did an environment detail pass on the beach and the trench system in the beginning.

Full Game Playthrough - Time stamp at Operation Husky Mission (Thanks Levan4KGaming)

Screenshot Gallery




DRAGON'S TEETH
Single Player
Mission 14



Another level where I was brought on to help finish it up. I was pretty stoked to work on a bright, snowy level. I did an overall environmental detail pass.

Full Game Playthrough - Time stamp at Dragon's Teeth Mission (Thanks Levan4KGaming)

Screenshot Gallery


MONSTERCLIP.