INTRODUCTION
Rooftop is a multiplayer map made in Halo: Infinite using Forge. My goal was to create an asymmetric level with a focus on the game mode King of the Hill. I’ve been working on this level for the past couple of months and have spent roughly 80 hours on it so far.
VERSION 1
To start this project, I took one of my old paper designs and decided to bring it to Halo: Infinite. It has all the tools at my disposal, so I can start blocking and playtesting right away.
The first step was to make a cleaner version of my sketch since the paper design was a bit rough and full of colors to help me remember different information. A simpler sketch helps me focus on the foundation of the level (walls, structure, layers, and other necessary elements). After that, it was time to start the blocking.
BLOCKING VERSION 1
VERSION 2
After the first version walkthrough, I decided to go back to the drawing board. The flow wasn’t working, and the map was way too small. I decided to keep some of my favorite areas and relocate them to a larger version of the map.
The old left Spawn is now the middle of the map. I added a new area on the left to serve as a spawn. I made a new upper lane to attack the middle area or avoid it. Other smaller changes were also made.
BLOCKING VERSION 2
FINAL VERSION
This is the latest iteration of the map from a top view. It’s pretty close to version 2, but I found myself making a lot of changes during the blocking and playtesting of the map.
Overlap top view.
Overlap top view with Hill rotation (for King of the Hill).
Split top view.
Split top view with hill rotation (for King of the Hill).
LIGHTING
Lighting was necessary for the overall clarity of the map. It allows me to define clear entrances and points of attack.
HILL DESIGN
King of the Hill (in Halo: Infinite) is a game mode where a team needs to control a key area (named Hill) until their score meter is full. When a hill has been captured, a new one appears until one team has captured the required number of hills to win.
I have a set of personal guidelines that I like to follow when I’m choosing my hill locations:
1. My first hill needs to be in the center of the map.
– This allows for a fair first fight and a similar time to get back in the action from either side of the map.
2. The other hills are placed back and forth between the right side and
the left side.
– This is to avoid a side being too strong for two consecutive hills.
– It also forces players to move across the map and rewards map control.
3. I usually try to place a maximum of 5 hills
– This is my magic number. I feel like it’s enough to cover most of the map while avoiding areas that feel too similar.
With these guidelines in mind, I then chose my five general hill locations. For this map, I took a screenshot while I was blocking for the second version and numbered the order I was thinking.
HILL 01 – MID MAP
This is the most chaotic hill on the map, and that was its goal.
– This Hill is set in the middle with a few walls to serve as cover.
– Since both sides have different layouts, I made sure it took the same time to get there from Spawn A and Spawn B.
This hill didn’t change a lot, but the areas around it did. I blocked a lot of angles and paths to limit the possible angles of attack since it felt too chaotic during the first playtests.
HILL 02 – ORANGE SPAWN
This hill is a battle between the upper and lower floors.
– A hole in the upper floor allows for attacks from above.
– Two entry points at the lower floor force the defending team to stay on guard.
– A middle structure creates a bit of cover and cuts the line of sight between the two lower entries. This structure also enables players to move from the lower floor to the upper floor.
HILL 03 – CONSTRUCTION
Construction is meant to be a very defensive hill.
– With 3 well-defined entry points, the attacks are easier to detect and respond to.
– Some well-placed objects limit the line of sight, so the defenders can only keep track of two entries at a time.
– Although it is easier to defend, I decided to make the hill quite big, so it is also easier to contest and wait for back-up.
– Unlike hills 2 and 5, higher platforms are included in the scoring area to help with the simplicity and size of the hill.
HILL 04 – LOWER MID
Lower mid was the first hill I had in mind for this map.
– Like in the first version of the map, this is a hill where the attacking team is falling down on the defending team.
– With the changes made to the map, it also became a fight between platforms. The new area in front of the hill allow for more medium to long range engagements.
– A small hiding spot in the wall help the players to get cover from the danger raining down on the hill.
HILL 05 – CATWALKS
Hill 05 was the hardest to figure out.
My first idea was to place it in spawn B, near the elevator entry, mirroring the second hill being close to spawn A. I had to change it since the team not controlling the area was spawning way too far, and they weren’t able to contest the hill at all. After each fight, the defending team would simply respawn right next to the hill, making it even harder to attack.
After this attempt, I moved the hill in a very small area with only two entry points, which I called Kitchen. This one felt nice and different from the other hills by being more focused on close-range action.
Although I liked the previous iteration (Kitchen), I settled the hill in the area right next to it. After reworking the zone, the Catwalks area felt better.
– It is similar to hill 2 by having higher platforms, allowing for attacks from the upper floor.
– But this one is more focused on flanking since there are more ways to enter the room.
– The covers locations encourage players to stay in the corners of the hill instead of the middle structure of hill 2.
WEAPONS
For this map, I wanted some balance between the two sides. So I gave the same weapons to each side:
The Bulldog (shotgun) for close range
The Battle Rifle for long range
And the Commando (an assault rifle with a lot of recoil) for middle range.
Each side also gets some plasma grenades and a power-up:
Spawn A side gets the Repulsor, which allows a player to push away grenades and enemies when they get too close. A player can also use it on the ground to make a powerful jump. It is located in an area where the players need to jump a lot, and where they can also use it to push players to their deaths.
Spawn B gets the Threat Scanner, which can be thrown to scan a few times in a radius where it lands. It is located in an area where there is a lot of cover, which helps the players to spot hidden enemies.
I also put 3 powerful weapons and 1 powerful ability placed in the center areas of the map:
The Sniper is placed in the top lane, with a close to mid-range fight to get it.
The Active Camo is in the center of the map.
The Sword and the Shock Rifle are in the bottom lane of the map.
The Sniper and the Sword spawn after the first 30 seconds. The goal for this delay is to focus some of the actions on the side lanes instead of the first hill. They also create a choice since the players can either rush to the objective or get ready by securing a powerful advantage.
Then, the active camo spawns after 1:40. The goal of this delay is to help either team capture the hill if it takes too much time. If the hill is captured quickly, it’s a reward for the team controlling the area.
The Shock Rifle is not as powerful and is a bit harder to use compared to the other weapons. This weapon spawns automatically on the map and respawns at a faster rate. Its goal is to give a smaller advantage to a team while the other power weapons are down. While this weapon is near the Sword, it has a completely different usage, so it’s not problematic to have both weapons so close to each other.
Sniper
Active Camo
Sword
GAMEPLAY (KING OF THE HILL)
Timestamps: Hill 01 – 0:33 and 7:01
Hill 02 – 2:22 and 8:29
Hill 03 – 3:51
Hill 04 – 4:56
Hill 05 – 6:10
LEARNINGS AND
NEXT STEPS
This project allowed me to practice a lot of multiplayer elements. Things like objective placements, weapon placements, respawn location, covers, line of sight, and even more. I also got a reminder of the importance of playtesting (with playtesters of different levels when it comes to FPS skills) and analyzing how each of them interact with the level. Both their feedback and actions affected the changes I made in the level. From changing and blocking paths to restructure the level, adding additional covers, blocking line of sight, or even adding ways for players to navigate the level. Those were all made with the players in mind.
I’m very pleased with the current state of the map, but there’s still more I would like to do. I want to add more game modes (Capture the Flag), do more playtests, and adjust some areas. I would also like to do the level art to give a unique look to the map.
Alexis Roy
- Level Design
- Integration (Spawns, game mode, weapons, and more.)
Softwares
- - Halo Infinite
- - Clip Studio Paint
Thanks
- To everyone who gave me feedback and playtested the map!
Contact
email@domain.com
000-000-000