VESPER – CS2 Map: Creating a World for Counter-Strike 2
For the past year, I’ve been working on something quite different from my usual digital artwork: a complete map for Counter-Strike 2.
VESPER is a bomb/defusal and deathmatch map set in a Dutch urban environment. The setting combines Amsterdam-style historic canal architecture with a village atmosphere – a church square, shops, narrow streets, canals, a café and underground catacombs.
I designed and built the map from the ground up, creating the layout, buildings and overall visual style. In addition to official materials and props, I created a series of custom textures and characteristic 3D models that help give the map its identity.
The visual direction was important from the beginning. I wanted the environment to feel recognisably Dutch, while bringing together different aspects of the Dutch landscape and built environment: historic canal houses, a typical village character, open flat landscapes and subtle changes in elevation. The architecture combines authentic details with more contemporary elements, creating a setting that feels familiar without representing one specific location.
Atmosphere was equally important. Much of the environment is shaped by lighting: from the shafts of light inside the church and the darker atmosphere of the underground catacombs to the low afternoon sun casting long shadows across the streets and square. Throughout the map, I aimed for a sense of realism, with natural materials, believable scale and lighting that supports the atmosphere of each space.
The underground catacombs provide a contrast to the open streets and square above ground. They also became an important part of the gameplay, creating tighter spaces and different routes through the map.
Working on VESPER required a different kind of design thinking than a single image. Every element has to work from different viewpoints and distances, while the environment also has to support movement, navigation and gameplay.
The project brought together many different disciplines: level design, 3D modelling, texturing and visual storytelling. It also meant learning new tools and techniques along the way and refining the environment through countless adjustments.
VESPER is now released as a v1.0 map for Counter-Strike 2.