Crane

  • Role: Level Designer

  • Type of Project: Personal Solo

  • Duration: December 2023 - February 2024

  • Software: Halo Infinite Forge

I had the extreme privilege of having the DigiPen Halo Club use Crane as the final map in their semesterly Halo Infinite 1v1 tournament.

Overview

  • Started as a passion project on the last day of junior year winter break, with an initial 8-hour work session.

  • Focused on making bots functional before refining the map through playtesting with real users.

  • First official multiplayer PVP map, developed through multiple iterations.

  • Initially planned as a tactical slayer-only map but pivoted to a different style and game mode.

  • Chose to challenge myself by designing for a mode I wasn’t proficient in as a player.

  • Integrated equipment and weapon spawners to expand gameplay mechanics.

Pre-Production

  • Analyzed top-down layouts of Halo Infinite maps: Aquarius, Bazaar, Catalyst, Forbidden, Live Fire, and Streets.

  • Studied lane structures to inform my own layout design.

  • Addressed concerns that Forerunner-themed interior maps in Halo Infinite felt less effective for multiplayer.

  • Researched how Forerunner architecture influences level flow, noting its openness suited single-player more than PVP.

  • Focused on crafting a compelling lower section, an aspect often underdeveloped in student multiplayer maps.

  • Developed a top-down layout based on research findings.

Planning and Playtest Documents

FFA Slayer Playtest

3v3 Slayer Playtest

Lanes and Map Flow

A tennis court diagram with colored rectangles and lines indicating placement or zones.
A top-down view of an abandoned construction site inside a rocky enclosure, with scattered debris, a crane, and scattered equipment.
A top-down view of a desert-style shooting range with various structures, rocks, and equipment. Color-coded dots indicate player positions or points of interest.

  • Designed for short to medium-range combat while supporting long-range engagements.

  • Primary focus on free-for-all, with fast-paced team deathmatch support.

  • Implemented an inner and outer circle lane layout with a grid to enable easy player rotation and prevent corner trapping.

  • Ensured each building had at least three entrances/exits (doors or jumpable windows) for fluid movement.

  • Aimed for a 2-3 second time-to-engagement to create fast-paced combat, inspired by Shipment and Rust from Call of Duty.

Top-down view of a foggy outdoor shooting range with large rock formations forming a circular boundary. Several shooting stations and obstacles are marked with colored dots and arrows, indicating different firing paths or strategies. Red and blue arrows show different movement routes through the area.

  • Team Slayer Spawns: Eagle and Cobra spawns are diagonally offset with cover, providing multiple movement lanes.

  • Spawn Flexibility: Players can rotate to outer lanes via windows and doorways, increasing strategic options.

  • Anti-Spawn Camping Measures:

    • Spawns are accessible to both teams but prioritize initial sides.

    • Dynamic spawns allow teams to switch sides if the enemy is nearby, preventing predictable spawn locations.

    • Every spawn offers at least two movement paths to maintain player agency.

  • FFA Spawns:

    • Additional spawns on the outskirts ensure players can enter from all points.

    • Reduces time to engagement and prevents spawn camping in FFA matches.

Equipment and Weapon Placement

Top-down view of a tactical shooting range with a central target area, multiple shooting bays, and scattered objects. Overlaid with white concentric circles and crosshairs, as well as red, green, and yellow markers around the range.

I placed the weapons along the lanes of the map for easy access to the different weapons in the map.

A video game character in futuristic armor and helmet, holding a weapon, standing in a desert-like environment with a sandy ground.
Screenshot of a game or video with the text 'From team Cobra's POV' and a Cobra logo in the center.

Weapons were placed with initial spawns in mind allowing players to immediately grab a new weapon!

First-person view of a video game scene showing a desert environment with buildings, and an on-screen text stating "Players can easily acquire grenades." The player's hand and weapon are visible at the bottom of the screen.

Likewise grenades were also placed with the lanes in mind to create ease of access.

Top-down view of a virtual missile defense game with various structures, rocks, and scattered objects, featuring two colored goal zones and a large missile launching platform.

Red Dot = Weapon | Green Dot = Grenade | Yellow Dot = Equipment

Supporting Team Play

Top-down view of an abandoned shooting range with three circular shooting zones, a central platform, scattered bricks, rocks, and debris, enclosed by rocky walls.

In the early stages of map creation, I planned for there to be specific locations that players would be able to use as callouts to reinforce strategic gameplay and enhance map flow. I did this by use of color and visual attributes. As seen on the image to the left, I made each building have its own signifier to make it stand out from the rest.

Construction/concrete building on the left, crane in the center, then blue and green buildings on the right. This way players can specifically point out to teammates where enemies are and easily memorize the map layout to get to their favorite weapons and positions.

Playtesting & Iteration

Playtesting Process: Conducted around seven playtests across multiple modes with different user groups.

  • Feedback-Driven Iteration: Changes were only made after testing, based on user feedback, suggestions, and personal observations.

  • Power Weapon Addition:

    • Initially had no power weapons, believing it fit the map’s goals.

    • Playtesters suggested adding one to create a central point of conflict.

    • Added the Skewer and Hydra in open areas to encourage fights over them.

  • Impact of Changes:

    • Players frequently gravitated toward power weapon locations in both FFA and Team Slayer.

    • Adjusted weapon placements to fit existing lanes and improve map flow.

FFA Slayer Playtest

3v3 Slayer Playtest

Ending Notes

I learned that when working on a personal project, to bring people in sooner. The more eyes on a project, especially a multiplayer one, the better it will do. It was odd for me to feel hesitant about the project; with every other project I had worked on, I had no issue throwing it to the metaphorical wolves, but this one I did. I am happy I had that experience because it pushed me out of my comfort zone with a project that was close to my heart, which only made me a better designer. Being able to let go of your own fears when it comes to projects, whether personal or professional (or a mix of both), enables you to enter into a place that allows you to surpass what you thought was possible in your own work.

On a less philosophical note, I also learned through this project that I could go through the workflow to create a successful player map of decent size. I was able to translate my workflow from single-player, non-FPS-style games to this project, creating a map that users enjoyed playing on in multiple modes. Moreover, this project helped me overcome some unseen issues I had as a designer and prove my competence in PVP map design.

Check out my other projects!

Fusion
Trifecta