[CSGO DLC] Cascade (aka Prime) - Level Art

On Cascade (aka de_prime), I was responsible for art direction and creation of all visual in-game art, including 2D and 3D asset creation, set-dressing, lighting setups, workflow development, visual FX design, and so on. I was also responsible for creating the initial level blockout before passing it off for gameplay design and level refinement to my friend, Konstantin "RZL" Löffler. The level started development in March 2021 and concluded in August 2022.
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My primary focus was to develop workflows for Source to target efficient production of high-fidelity assets and bring a level of granular detail, atmosphere, and motion rarely seen in Source. There was a heavy use of DCC and community-made tools to extend the aesthetic of CSGO beyond the status quo of Source's usual visual look.
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After it was included into CSGO as free DLC for all players, the name was changed to "Cascade" to avoid confusion with CSGO's Prime Account Status feature, though originally was called "Prime" through all of development and upon first release.
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Morten "MF_Kitten" Fjeld (Fjeld Audio) worked as the resident sound designer, working to create the in-game soundscapes used throughout the entire level. Jon "Jonmcbane" Meyers worked to create the logo for the map that is used in the applications used to access and play the level. 90% of all assets were created by me, though 5% are stock CSGO assets, and another 5% were licensed from Megascans, Textures.com, and Substance (many were highly modified).
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Source Engine 1 has no PBR, no realtime lighting, no custom shaders, outdated stock shaders, and a tradition of mostly diffuse based workflows. Much time and effort went into making all materials utilize the engine's strengths that were there, making use of Substance to port my PBR materials into Source, while still retaining a relatively high fidelity.
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In terms of rendering, Source Engine 1 is significantly hindered by the aging tech, so many visual shortcuts were taken to mimic many newer graphical effects. Cubemaps, phong, and esoteric shader presets were used to extreme extent to create separation between material types across a variety of metals and non-metals. Though not perfect, the large amount of detailed assets produced and placed in the scene, alongside careful use of lighting and particles were able to help create a playable level that still achieves a level of fidelity rarely seen in Source Engine. For five months of 2022 the level was playable in official matchmaking, allowing all CSGO players to have a refreshing take on Counter-Strike's aesthetics for free.
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All media rendered 100% in CSGO's branch of Source Engine 1.