Game level design is the crux of a game itself. Without a game level, there is nothing

to play in, whether the game level is nine sections in which to put naughts and

crosses, or a 10x10 kilometre world for the player to explore almost endlessly.

Multiplayer levels differ from single player levels as they are generally played in a

Death Match, a game in which players fight for the most kills in a free for all battle, or

a Team Death Match, a game in which two teams fight for the most kills. Other game

styles such as Capture the Flag or Assault games are also common in video games;

however for the focus of this document only Death Match and Team Death Match

are relevant. Aspects of Game Level Design such as Tension, Anticipation and Fun

will be discussed with reference to Halo 3‟s multiplayer level The Pit (developed by

Bungie, 2007).

The Pit is primarily a Team Death Match (TDM) map with two identical sides, as

seen below.

Fig. 1. Map of The Pit with positions of important weapons and team start spawn.

As seen above, each team spawns on identical sides of the map and have an equal

chance of reaching the powerful weapons, which are also shown.

The weapons in the middle (including Active Camouflage) are all placed in

chokepoints. A chokepoint, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is a “narrow place

causing constriction”. In fire fights, a chokepoint is a place through which enemies

can fire at each other, and people entering the chokepoint will succumb to large

amounts of suppression- and cross-fire.

While the Active Camo and Rocket Launcher are both in straight, narrow corridors,

the Energy Sword is in one a room (colloquially known as the „sword room‟) which is

entered into from the north-most point of the map. The Energy Sword is most useful

in the area around its spawn, inside the room and in the corridor that surrounds the

square room. The corridor around it is covered in some parts, protecting the sword-

bearer, and open in other parts, leaving the sword-bearer open to sniper fire from the

towers on either side.

Most kills occur around these powerful weapons, as seen below in a Heatmap of the

level (retrieved from Bungie.net).

Fig. 2. Heatmap of The Pit showing kill statistics on the map since the first ranked

multiplayer game.

In the Heatmap above, the amount of kills is determined by the colour of the map.

Red is very high, orange is high, yellow is medium, blue is low, and no colour is very

low. As shown, the highest concentrations of kills are around and inside the „sword

room‟, on either „sniper tower‟, where the rocket launcher spawns, or where the

active camouflage spawns. There is a lower amount of kills around the shotgun

spawn due to the fact that that area is rather remote, and those who take the

shotgun roam about the map rather than remaining there.

The Oxford Dictionary defines „tension‟ as a “situation in which there is conflict or

strain because of differing views, aims, or elements”. The Pit is a rather open level,

being neither too big for many to snipe on relatively safely, nor small enough for

people to move around without taking fire from far away. This builds tension during

play, as players who move for either the rocket launcher chokepoint or the „sword

room‟ can be clearly seen by players on either side of the map. The Energy Sword is

quite a useful weapon on the map, provided that the user remains inside and around

the „sword room‟. On the other hand, if the player travels out from the „sword room‟

and into more open parts of the map, their usefulness is lowered exponentially. The

sword-bearer will most likely meet heavy ranged fire if they even step one foot out of

the „sword room‟, depending on how much of a threat they are. If the enemy team

has fallen prey to the sword-bearer on multiple occasions, they are very likely to

focus all their attention on killing the sword-bearer and taking the weapon as their

own.

As a single player map, there is much more tension than there is playing in a team.

As there is a team effort in obtaining the more powerful weapons on The Pit, who

has the weapon is less important. However, when all players are against each other,

the player with the rocket launcher is more likely to get more points than the rest of

the players. Therefore, a scramble for the powerful weapons at the beginning of the

game is normal for Death Match (DM) game on The Pit.

Parts of the map on The Pit without cover are shown below.

Fig. 3. Area of The Pit without cover, defined by the yellow areas of the map.

As shown, the majority of the map is without cover. Players are likely to receive at

least some fire while in these areas, as well as give it. It is also interesting to observe

that all the powerful weapons except the sniper rifle are in areas with lower visibility

than the rest of the map. These areas are neither practical nor safe to stay in for long

however, forcing players to fight in areas with little cover and increasing the tension

of the play on the map, whether it be in TDM or just DM.

Anticipation is high at the beginning of The Pit, whether the game is DM or TDM. The

Oxford Dictionary defines „anticipation‟ as the act of “bewaring, looking forward to

and preparing for a future event”. Players are most likely to go for the powerful

weapons on the map (providing they are familiar enough with the map to know

where they are) and experienced players will generally have a tactic to gain the

weapon, or a contingency plan if they don‟t get it. The Energy Sword, for example;

from either spawn point to the Energy Sword it takes 17 seconds to reach

(„ExodusInfinite‟, 2009).

The Rocket Launcher is also a highly sought after weapon. Players will generally run

in to the chokepoint guns blazing until they are dead or the other team is dead.

There is a Needler weapon halfway between the spawn and the Rocket Launcher

however, a weapon with heat-seeking accuracy that explodes upon impact, and this

weapon is very useful for cleaning out enemies at the head or foot of the chokepoint

with a large explosion. Most players are anxious to run to the five weapons displayed

in Fig.1 above, whether they are doing it to gain the weapon, stop the enemy from

gaining the weapon, or simply going there with the knowledge that someone will be

there for them to kill. After this however, the weapons will generally be forgotten, as

they will either be in use or just picked up upon passing, creating anticipation at the

beginning of the game but discarding it almost straight afterwards.

The Oxford Dictionary defines „fun‟ as “enjoyable”, meaning something one would

enjoy. However, what people would enjoy is at discussion here. Some players find

fun in a challenging game where both teams are neck and neck for the entire game.

Others find enjoyment in overwhelming less experienced players and winning easily.

Some even have fun in losing, reconciled upon the fact that they have learnt

something from their loss. On the map The Pit, however, fun is usually generated

from exploding people with rockets, slicing them with an Energy Sword, sniping them

through the head, sneaking up behind them while invisible, or shattering their rib

cage with a shotgun shell. All these elements are taken from the more powerful

weapons on the map, and are reflected in where the open areas of the map are, and

where the most kills are garnered.

Halo 3‟s The Pit is a very balanced map, being completely symmetrical in weapon

placement, TDM spawn and map structure. The first thirty or forty seconds are the

most anticipated as they involve the acquisition of the most powerful weapons of the

level. Moving about The Pit builds tension in the player as they try to gather points

from their team at the same time as trying not to be killed. The chokepoints on the

map provide weapons that give novelty and fun to the map, and the structure of the

chokepoints themselves add to this as well. This combination of anticipation, tension

and overall fun makes The Pit a perfect TDM and even DM match, with the only flaw

being in the almost too-big areas of no-cover.

References:

„ExodusInfinite‟ (2009). Sword Runner. Retrieved October 22nd 2009 from

http://www.bungie.net/Online/Halo3UserContentDetails.aspx?h3fileid=98745708

Bleszinski, C (2000). The Art and Sciences of Level Design. Retrieved October 22nd

2009 from http://www.cliffyb.com/rants/art-sci-ld.shtml

Bungie (2007). Halo 3 [Video Game]. United States: Microsoft Game Studios

The Pit Heatmap [Image] (n.d.) Retrieved October 22nd 2009 from

http://www.bungie.net/online/heatmaps.aspx