Does anybody else think that map design has been heavily overlooked? I just haven’t seen many people talk about it, but games like csgo or lol seem to have great variety in the way every round/game plays out because of how many different ways you can approach each situation. Maybe if they redesign maps for the second game it might make the game less repetitive? Or is that too much of a change? Just genuinely curious. It just feels that the maps don’t really change much - group up, shoot each other at the map’s choke point, and hopefully walk out victorious. The only cover you have are corners. It also feels that games like cs and lol have this constant game of informational chess of trying to figure out your opponent’s location and items and weapons. Everything in OW feels really predictable, the only thing you need to figure out is your opponents’ ult percentage… Nerfing characters doesn’t really seem to increase variety (especially in esports). It just makes peopel shift to another meta. Any thoughts?
Edit: Forgive me if i said anything stupid, I’m not too knowledgable on particular issues with the game. I would just like to know what people think :p.
I seem to recall, part of the reason they haven’t wanted to do day/night/weather alternatives of maps (which I personally think we should have and would make the maps feel fresher) outside seasonal maps is because they want the maps to be as consistent as possible. Though, I guess that would be moot argument really given KoTH.
Probably, the main issue is that it would take a lot of work to make alternative versions for each map and they feel the resources are better spent on brand new maps instead.
But personally, especially since I’m not crazy about most of the newer maps and map pools are now a thing, I’d prefer it if they slowed down map production a bit in favor of adding variety to and improving the quality of the maps we already have.
Well yes, it does feel like that. The only maps that stand out in their design are Junkertown (because it’s long and open) and Paris (for the same reason).
Doesn’t everyone in CS just play dust2 over and over? I think if we had the option we’d all gladly play Kings Row indefinitely, but we don’t get that like in CS.
Overwatch I think for the most part OW is pretty good on it’s map design though. Definitely a few that should be redesigned, like Paris, but most are decent enough. I think the fundamental game play objectives, like 2cp are more of an issue than the maps that make up them. It’s just not a fun design.
They need to remove clutter and round out corners. We’ve all gotten caught on a doorframe trying to blind retreat while shooting the enemy or healing our teammates and gotten killed for it.
Paris is terrible for that very reason. The walk back from spawn is as long as walking all the way back from the spawn to where the payload’s at on payload and hybrid maps given how much progress it made. In fact, Paris is the longest 2cp map to have ever existed (I would say Anubis is a close second but I’m not exactly sure, as on Paris the walk back from the spawn after capping the first point to the place where the fight breaks out is ridiculously long).
I definetly agree. I heard that pve and map design was difficult because of the custom engine. Perhaps in the second game we could looked forward to more map changes.
You know what I wouldnt mind seeing. If they’re doing Hero pools why not do Map Pools? By that I mean why not just swap out the maps say ever 2 weeks? Keep things fresh.
hmm perhaps. I played Dust2 for 2 hours straight and it still felt decently fresh every time though, and it may be because of all the mini-battles and the varying angles/covers in every different area of the map. 2cp are definetly one of the more stale maps, I’d totally agree. Maybe two capture points at the same time would be super cool. Idk.
I kinda like the idea of these walls, but yeah rng may not be the best. But maybe more interactibility in the environment to grant advantages for your team would be interesting.
I do think that the game’s map design could be better. Many of us have a map we hate with a passion (my un-favourite is Anubis) and there are pretty clear trends there, judging by the forums. I think part of the problem is the design of certain map types in general, though (Assault/2CP catches a lot of flak, and most of the hated maps seem to be Assault maps) and as such, tweaking them could ease some of the map frustrations.
Talking about map design, what’s up with overwatchs fetish for super tight chokepoints? There’s soo many maps that especially on first point have these chokes with like two or often even just one way to the point
To me chokes are one of the most frustrating and unfun parts of the game but the designteam seems to think otherwise
Not really map design, it’s game modes. 2cp will be forever hated in it’s current state by many, for instance. Doesn’t really matter how the map is laid out – it just feels unfair either way.
It wasn’t overlooked. It’s the internal design philosophy.
The maps are designed this way on purpose. In any section of a map, there’s usually either:
A) a single very hard choke requiring the attacking team to group up and push through together. It also highlights the importance of the defender’s positioning and composition (i.e. holding the choke).
or
B) an open map with very long sightlines and high grounds for snipers that attackers have to quickly traverse the distance using as much cover as possible to avoid getting deleted.
That’s been Blizzard’s map design philosophy up til now. However, given how disliked Paris and Havana have been (and how these maps were missing from the map pool), I think they’re starting to notice that it’s really unfun. We won’t know unless they redesign some maps or release a new map.
The thing is, without these element it quickly turns into a FFA/Deathmatch, which was problematic before the days of role-queue because you could just swap to 6 dps and win. Now that there is role-queue, maybe we can also change the design philosophy.
Then the timer is really sporadic and confusing. Sometimes it stays up for 10 seconds, sometimes 30. Not to mention, it’s a really dumb feature to have on the point.