The Holy Grail of Multiplayer Level Design: Casual and Competitive Maps

Summary

This video explores the design challenges and iterative process behind creating maps for a competitive game. The speaker discusses the importance of strategic variety, simplicity in design, and the balance between core mechanics like the healer-tank-DPS trinity. It also highlights the divide between casual and competitive players' needs, emphasizing the role of player feedback in shaping map designs. The team experimented with different designs through a Public Test Queue, learning valuable lessons about player preferences. Ultimately, the talk focuses on designing maps to serve the audience, blending experimentation and feedback to create engaging and dynamic gameplay experiences.

Takeaways

• 😀 Strategic variety is key in map design, ensuring players have multiple options for gameplay approaches, enhancing replayability and tactical depth.
• 😀 Maps need to be simple and intuitive to avoid hindering player movement, especially for characters with large-scale abilities like AoEs and dodge rolls.
• 😀 The core mechanics of the game (healer, tank, and DPS roles) should be prioritized, with maps being designed to support these roles rather than favoring specific playstyles like snipers.
• 😀 Limiting zoning and allowing for recovery is crucial to ensuring that players have opportunities to contest objectives, especially after losing the first fight.
• 😀 The principle of 'what you see is what you get' is essential to avoid frustration, especially for flying characters who might hit invisible walls in complex map designs.
• 😀 A balance must be struck between serving the competitive audience and the casual audience, as these two groups often have conflicting map preferences.
• 😀 Feedback from the Public Test Queue (PTQ) revealed that while competitive players favored simpler, more balanced maps, casual players wanted bigger, more asymmetrical maps with strong themes.
• 😀 Themes and narratives in maps (e.g., besieging a fortress) can significantly enhance the player experience, especially for casual players who crave richer world-building.
• 😀 Through testing, the design team learned that feedback-driven iteration is vital. A map that challenges core design principles may resonate unexpectedly well with the audience.
• 😀 The introduction of new game modes like Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill is a way to cater to casual players, allowing more creative and asymmetrical map designs without affecting the competitive scene.
• 😀 The main takeaway from the design process is to focus on creating maps that serve the needs of the target audience, rather than aiming for a universally perfect map.

Q & A

What was the main objective behind the map design changes discussed in the video?

The main objective was to create maps that catered to both casual and competitive players, balancing strategic variety, accessibility, and gameplay integrity, while addressing issues with older map designs that favored certain strategies, like sniper dominance or excessive zoning.

Why was it important to have strategic variety in map design?

Strategic variety is crucial because it ensures players have multiple options when approaching objectives or executing plays. This keeps the gameplay dynamic and engaging, offering different tactics and strategies for players to explore.

What role does simplicity play in map design, according to the speaker?

Simplicity in map design helps players navigate the map more easily, avoiding unnecessary complexity in geometry that could hinder gameplay. The focus is on making sure that the environment doesn't distract from the core mechanics, such as large abilities and movement abilities.

How did the map design aim to balance between accessibility for casual players and competitiveness for pros?

While the maps were designed with competitive players in mind—focusing on roles like healer, tank, and DPS—the team realized that casual players preferred larger maps, more variety, and asymmetry. They adjusted their designs to strike a balance between these needs by considering both sides when developing maps.

What was the issue with the older maps in terms of competitive play?

The older maps often resulted in overly punishing zoning, where teams that won the initial fight could easily prevent the losing team from contesting objectives. This zoning dynamic made it difficult for the losing team to recover, reducing the competitiveness of the match.

What feedback did the design team receive from the competitive community regarding sniper-dominant maps?

The competitive community did not respond positively to sniper-dominant maps. Competitive players preferred maps that were more balanced, where the core roles (healer, tank, DPS) had equal opportunities for success rather than maps that favored long-range or specialized strategies.

What did the design team learn from the feedback on the public test queue maps?

The feedback from the public test queue revealed that some experimental maps, like 'Sandbridge', which included asymmetry and sniper towers, were well-received by casual players but criticized by competitive players. This highlighted the divide between casual and competitive player preferences and helped the team refine their map design approach.

How did the 'Sewer' map reflect the design team's attempt to focus on competitive players?

The 'Sewer' map was designed specifically to limit flying and flanking options, focusing on the core healer-tank-DPS roles. However, the map didn’t resonate well with players, showing that overly restrictive designs can detract from the enjoyment and engagement of a broader player base.

What role did environmental art play in map design, and why was it crucial for the team?

Environmental art played a critical role in ensuring that what players saw in the environment matched the gameplay mechanics. For example, characters with special movement abilities like flying should not encounter invisible walls or other barriers that disrupt their movement, as this could cause confusion and frustration.

What steps is the design team taking to address the divide between casual and competitive players in future map designs?

To address this divide, the team is introducing new game modes, such as Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill, where they can create maps specifically designed for casual players without affecting the competitive scene. This allows for more creative freedom in map design, with asymmetry and dynamic elements that wouldn’t be appropriate in competitive modes.