Community: Message List - Woeful Map Design

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:27:57 GMT

I can't really comment on the "geometry" of their map making, as I have done no research (and dont care to) into the matter, however I will say that out of all the cods...BlackOps2 has my favorite maps. There is only one map that I dislike and I'm sure I'll warm up to it after time and that is Aftermath. All the other cods, I only had a couple I liked and there were always at least 3-4, that I would back out if I could tell we were going to get that map. I don't ever do that on this game.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:25:17 GMT

you right.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:21:50 GMT

Team A shoots team B until they push far enough into the map to switch spawns.

Rinse

Repeat

All these maps work left to right, up and down whichever way you want look at it, there's no real flanking opponents it's just an option of picking door 1 2 or 3 and rushing spawns.

There are no power points that take battles and skill to control, no sneaky routes through areas to flank it's just run run shoot die, run run shoot die, aka boring

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:52:00 GMT

I quite like all the maps (apart from Hijacked). Something is still missing from them and i don't quite know what it is. I would like to see more buildings you can use which have second maybe third storeys. The geography on most maps is mostly flat with only very small gradients up and down equaling them out.

Will have to see what the new maps are like. It looks like they have catered for some of this plus inroduced a new dynamic with the curved corners of the skate park! This seems innovative and I think will be a refreshing change which will bring memorable gun fights to all!

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:44:09 GMT

Yep 3 routes to the centre!

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:12:40 GMT

Maps are just one of those things that are going to boil down to personal preference. For me I'd have to agree with the OP. Not so much because of the symmetrical aspect but for me most of the maps are just blah. I don't necessarily hate them but I don't exactly love them either. Can't really explain it. There are a couple I enjoy more than others but ya. Probably my least favorite in the series but we'll see what they come up with in the map packs.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:23:47 GMT

maccabi wrote:

ALL maps in EVERY cod follow the three route rule

Even Wasteland? (just kidding)

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:05:52 GMT

I'd never considered that the designers had put maps together with competitive play in mind. And to be honest, if they did, that would surprise me, given comp players are such a tiny, tiny minority of players.

Thanks for the responses, though. Some good ones in there.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:03:43 GMT

And that's why I cited CoD4, not MW2. My point was about uninspired map design full stop.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 23:42:11 GMT

honestly, the only real problem is that the design team decided to go to every corner and edge and drop a box or a barrel or a concrete barrier or some stupid item to head glitch behind. you remove those and these maps aren't half bad. but thats kind of like saying remove the terrible lag and the games not half bad. both the lag and the extensive head glitches spots exist so the game is pretty terrible atm.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 23:29:24 GMT

Crossfire was one of the best maps ever in CoD imo

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 23:26:13 GMT

I think I agree with this haha espically zombies!

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 23:11:38 GMT

Foxhound-Pro wrote:

McZOMBI wrote:

I tend to think Treyarch design maps with certain game modes in mind with one eye on competitive gaming. The symmetry of most maps is to stop one side being at an advantage. Problems arise when you take these maps away from the game mode they were designed for e.g. Aftermath is workable for Domination or Demolition but something like TDM or KC turns it into the worse COD map ever, same with Turbine. Hijacked is great for TDM but Domination just becomes about who can nade B quickest from spawn.
I like and agree with this comment. I'm primarily an objective player and I can't stand playing many maps in a slayer variant.

I like to think of Paulo88 as Treyarch's Alex Roycewicz. They both make/made great maps and I wouldn't say that either one of them is better than the other.

People are still playing Paulo's maps in CODUO. That's pretty crazy!

Edit: Holy crap I need to L2English.

pauls an awesome map maker and def in my top 3 of all time favourite "professional" map makers. People seem to forget that some of the guys working in the various studios have been involved in the cod franchise way before the "cod4 console era" or "the dark times before the empire" as i refer to that started.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 23:03:50 GMT

I don't think the map designs are bad. I just feel they lean towards rushers and smgs more so any other weapon's, that not to say you can't use other weapons but when push comes to shove most player reach for the smgs before the any other weapon.

the problem with map design is you have to make then fast paced for rusher but also have spots where campers can also put there mark on the game.

Take seelow from WAW, a large map that was slow paced where rushers got punished, then you now have hijacked where you sit for 2 seconds or you'll be shot in the back. 2 very extremely different maps, that offers has the same out come ie one type of player will get punished.

On the other hand firing range had everything, long and shot sight lines with just enough cover to allow players to either rush or camp, most maps in blops1 gave this and thats why they were great maps. blops2 needs to open up a bit and bring in more mid to long range sight lines

Personally speaking WAW had the best designed maps just a shame the weapon balance back then wasn't what it is today

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:52:06 GMT

yay know op even though it might not be apparent at first glance ALL maps in EVERY cod follow the three route rule , some arent easily apparent as theres a few additional bits added but they all follow this basic map making rule

also not all maps work for every mode so there has to be an element of redundancy built in for some gamemodes versus maps.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:07:06 GMT

I agree with BO1 having my favorite maps.

To the OP, I've come to realize a big problem is how the community votes. You play BO2 and you're consistently on hijacked, slums, standoff, etc. Two of my favorite maps are cargo and yemen. Partially because I feel like they're not played enough.

Cargo-4 routes out of spawn: left, right, middle high, middle low.

Yemen-Far left, far right, middle left, middle right

The problem with slums is there isn't any verticality around the middle. So, once you can control the middle you have to watch three narrow entry points. At least a map like hijacked has vertical overlooks and the below deck flank route.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:43:22 GMT

Agreed. I guess a game to some extent is only as good as the maps.

BO2 has some of the worst I think I've ever played in a multiplayer FPS.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:07:00 GMT

Seems clutter really came in with MW3. Its a bad thing that they started putting so much clutter in and headglich barrels.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:05:44 GMT

See I kind of look at that as backwards if that's how they look at it. They should look at each map with TDM in mind, since that is what most people play.

Re: Woeful Map Design

donotreply@activision.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:04:44 GMT

xour wrote:

I think you've hit the nail on the head there with your comment about competitive gaming, and trying to make maps that cater to that. Personally the maps feel staged, and play like a go-kart circuirts...just going round and round and round...they don't feel like real environments.

Couldn't of said it better myself!