Splinter Cell's Multiplayer Map Design 24
simoniker writes "Splinter Cell: Double Agent lead multiplayer level designer Pascal Luban has up an article at Gamasutra examining how to design a long-lasting multiplayer game level. He explains the top three attributes he bears in mind: 'Durability. A map should withstand thousands of game sessions without letting players feel bored. It must provide continuous tactical challenges... Accessibility. Navigation in a map should be clear. Remember that complex map design is one of the main difficulties a new player is confronted with... Entertainment. This need is obvious, but its rules are difficult to define.' But what are the best multiplayer game maps ever created, and why?" I'm not sure about 'all time', but we talked about some really good ones last Friday.
halo (Score:2, Interesting)
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I don't like CS, primarily because of the maps. Most maps have one or two critical choke-points, and all one team has to do is keep those areas filled with grenades and bullets, making it possible for a bad team to spam a good team to death.
On the other hand, I think Day of Defeat Source has pretty good maps, in general. Even now, I'm not really board with any of them.
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In the version of Counter-Strike I used to play, you didn't get unlimited ammunition or grenades, so that tactic wouldn't have lasted long/been very effective. I didn't realise Valve had changed the game so much.
Besides, when you shoot, that lets people know where you are.
I rather think it depends on your local definitions of 'good team' and 'bad team'.
Splinter Cell: DA (Score:2)
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The Caves... (Score:1)
Accessibility (Score:3, Insightful)
I actualy think they only got it half right on this one. The basic routes should be clear and easy to get around, however there should be LOTS of strange ways to get around, and these should be hard to find/navigate. This holds especialy true for stealth based games like SC (I have only played the Pandora Tomorow multiplayer, nothing else). lots of different enterances/exits and ways to get to/from said points. Sniping locations, ambush spots, etc etc, the more of these things there are the better.
For the not stealth games you still need to have lots of routes to/from key locations, and lots of interesting locations. Be it a large desert type map (BF sieries) that has ravines/hills/rocks to hide in/take cover behind/etc, or a indoor wwarehouse with multiple enterances/exits and places to take cover.
Variety is they key to making a GOOD map.
Then again, de_dust proves me wrong. 2 paths, one of them sorta splits, with 2 bomb locations. Why dust has managed to stay as one of the most popular CS maps I have no clue. (admitedly I don't know why CS has managed to stay so popular...)
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According to a colleague of mine, de_dust has managed this precisely because of its simplicity. But then, he also opines that CS itself remains popular because it's very forgiving of run-and-gun, kick-in-the-front-door gameplay... you know, the sort of thing which in a
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Well, it was the same with Teamfortress. Everyone always wanted the same old shit, even when people could vote for many different maps. Those stupid fucks, instead of going to a 24/7 server, went to vote servers and voted for bases, 2fort5 or well6 so nobody could play anything interesting or different.
Blood Gulch (Score:2)
And the Militia map on Counter-Strike was pure gold to me.
Doom2 (Score:1)
Random object placement (Score:3, Interesting)
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It's called, "the whole team combined has lots of grenades and bullets", and "cooperating very loosely to accomplish an objective in the cheapest way possible."
Besides, when you shoot, that lets people know where you are.
They already know where you are, due to the fact that most CS maps allow one or
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On a more serious note, I don't think random items/powerups placement is a good idea for MP maps. They may work in a single player campaign in the sense that the game will have more replayable value but MP maps are about strategies as much as the 'twitching reaction' time - specially true in case of FPS games. That is the whole point why there are different strategies for different maps because they have different types of items available at different places. If you r
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I admit, I used to play on a 24/7 server for TFC, but that was hunted, and you will be hard pressed to find hunted even in a rotation outside of a 24/7 server (and I do love hunted style game modes)