Post by a Chunk on Feb 6, 2019 17:42:42 GMT
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In 2010, Treyarch would release what some could argue as being the second-best Call of Duty game ever: Black Ops. This inaugural title that would become beloved among Call of Duty fans contained a map so fast, so frustrating, it was like you were pumped adrenaline and the supply never ran out. Nuketown became the most iconic map in the Call of Duty franchise, being remade for every Black Ops sequel ever. Some might argue that Nuketown is just a map, but the popularity that it attracted was so massive that it has transcended the franchise and ingrained itself into player’s minds. There are only so many maps that fall into this category; Blood Gulch from Halo, Dust2 from Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Summoner’s Rift from League of Legends, and now? Noshahr Canals from Battlefield 3.
Anyone who has played Battlefield 3 has played on Noshahr Canals, and specifically played Canals’ in Team Deathmatch. The non-stop chaos, the screen shake from explosives, the crane snipers, the container area; it’s all part of what makes Canals so fun and so iconic.
Anyone who has played Battlefield 3 has played on Noshahr Canals, and specifically played Canals’ in Team Deathmatch. The non-stop chaos, the screen shake from explosives, the crane snipers, the container area; it’s all part of what makes Canals so fun and so iconic.
So begins an interview between MP1st and Niclas Astrand, the desiger of Canals. The initial questions seek to understand how and why the map made it into the game.
prototypes of the favorite levels were produced in so called “pods” — pairs with a level designer and artist per map — so the team could play them to see which ones were the most promising. Then, the team as a whole weighed the maps against one another to see which ones would make the most compelling and diverse package to ship the game with.
The selection process you mentioned was a very high level one with 4 or 5 images showing the theme and few key words for each map. I dug up these documents and for Noshahr Canals the pitch said: “Infantry, ground, sea and air vehicle fighting at a large coastal city. Carrier at sea, harbor area, airstrip, city vista, sewer canals and steep cliffs.”
The selection process you mentioned was a very high level one with 4 or 5 images showing the theme and few key words for each map. I dug up these documents and for Noshahr Canals the pitch said: “Infantry, ground, sea and air vehicle fighting at a large coastal city. Carrier at sea, harbor area, airstrip, city vista, sewer canals and steep cliffs.”
Next comes a question on the general approach to level development that was used.
When building a Battlefield multiplayer map we want to make each objective area visually different. This to both make the map more interesting and easy to read for players. There is also the wish to make objectives play differently, some might be vehicle friendly, some can only be reached by infantry. Sometimes the level designer knows early exactly how the map should play, the themes and the play style of each area. Sometimes it evolves during the development process. The important thing is that each sub area fit with the neighbor areas and the overall look and feel of the map.
The base layout of the container area was built by me, not really based on some secret formula, copying older maps or other games. I basically placing object after object in the area, building it to something that felt good and that I wanted to play in. To be able to run around, sneak up on enemies in a hide-and-seek way but also allow vehicles to not only drive around the whole area but have a few routes through it. I’ve always built maps this way, on feeling rather than a detailed plan. What feels natural and best in that location. I guess you could look at it as how a painter draws – not always having a plan or spreadsheet to follow.
Was the popularity of Canals expected?
When a game is launched all maps are played a lot. As players then get to know them and find their favorite and we can start seeing a trend of maps becoming more popular. The popularity of the Team Deathmatch on Noshahr Canals is nothing more than spectacular with 80% of the Team Deathmatch players playing that map and 20% playing all the other maps.
It make me very proud to be the designer of this map and I would also like to credit my former colleague Diego Jimenez who was assigned to assist the other level designers and when it came to the setups of Team and Squad Deathmatch. Diego did multiple iterations on all the maps – including Noshahr – adjusting and tweaking layouts and gameplay based on feedback from playtests and BF veterans on the team. At the end of the project when the team was ramping down and I was again the only designer working on the map I remember going through the container area multiple times. Opening some container doors and closing others to optimize movement flow. Adding and moving crates and boxes to extend or limit line of sight. Testing jump paths up on elevated positions. I think this area had more opportunity to do mini-adjustments than other areas on the rest of the maps. This could be one reason why it work so well.
It make me very proud to be the designer of this map and I would also like to credit my former colleague Diego Jimenez who was assigned to assist the other level designers and when it came to the setups of Team and Squad Deathmatch. Diego did multiple iterations on all the maps – including Noshahr – adjusting and tweaking layouts and gameplay based on feedback from playtests and BF veterans on the team. At the end of the project when the team was ramping down and I was again the only designer working on the map I remember going through the container area multiple times. Opening some container doors and closing others to optimize movement flow. Adding and moving crates and boxes to extend or limit line of sight. Testing jump paths up on elevated positions. I think this area had more opportunity to do mini-adjustments than other areas on the rest of the maps. This could be one reason why it work so well.
And some final thoughts from Niclas:
Just go back to the beginning of the project in the pre-production phase, if I wouldn’t have suggested the harbor idea and people wouldn’t have voted on that pitch the area wouldn’t even have been thought. I guess the idea that this could be something really different and good was what made us push for some ideas which turn out to be the best Team Deathmatch map in Battlefield 3. Best ever? Well, I leave that up to each player to decide.
Source: mp1st.com/features/battlefield-best-tdm-map-and-how-it-was-made