Call of Duty 4: Gameplay standards
Gameplay Standards are extremely important when mapping a level as they determine how the player will see the world but also how the gameplay will be affected. Building a doorway to small or a ledge too high might result in poor game flow...
General
- 1 COD World unit = 1 inch = 0.08334 feet = 0.02778 yard
- 1 COD World unit = 2.54 centimeters = 0.0254 meters
Doorways and windows
Doorways = 56 units wide/96 units high
For high traffic areas it is sometime best to make it a double door.
Double door = 128 units wide/96 units high
Window Height = 32 units from floor to the bottom of the window frame.
Window Frame = minimum of 46 units wide 72 units high. (Inside diameter)
Stairways
Interior = 8 high / 10 deep 64 unit min. width
Mantles (Climbing)
The tallest distance a player will climb automatically is 18 units. However, while 18 is the limit, stairs and curbs should be around 8 units high.
The highest a player can mantle ("climb") is eye level (approx. 64 units). Of course, if the player jumps, their eye level goes higher and they can climb higher things - but they player won't see the mantle icon if their eye isn't above the ledge.
Hallways
Hallways = 489 units wide
Walls
Building wall/One story high = 128 units high
Wall thickness = 8 units
Columns = 32-48 units wide
A 32 unit wide column is barely enough to still offer valid cover for the player. And after the column_cover node animations have been added 32-48 units will also provide valid cover and firing angles from both sides of the column for AI as well.
Streets
Large - Four car width = 600 units
Small - Two Tank width = 300 units
Alleyway – small street = 300 units wide
Sidewalk
Small = 128 units wide
Medium = 192 units wide
Large = 256 units wide (this is more for Singleplayer levels)
Cover
Standing cover height = 48 units high
Crouching = 32 units
Prone cover height = 16 units high
Prone crawling height clearance = 32 units high
Engagement ranges
These would be the range at which a firefight takes place. These ranges make sure the player is shooting at a target that is a good size to hit and interact with. This will help keep the levels from getting too big and having pixel shooting distances.
There is a model in the game called mw_scale_soldier. It has two rings around him, one at 600 and one at 1024. Based off of COD2’s weapons settings, 512 was a good distance to shoot an SMG at a target and 1024 was a good distance for a rifle. These can be adjusted if the new weapons get changed drastically. You can drop the model in your level to make sure your geo is not getting too big.
Player Models
Standing = 72 units
Crouch = 36 units
