MLGs Map Selection

[StormInk]

Hey maybe you'll think this is a dumb topic, and if you do please don't flame just hit Backspace, but I was just wondering about how MLG decides to use certain maps.

Obviously for some they see great potential for a certain gametype. But I was just wondering if someone could explain or outline the things which deter MLG from choosing Snowbound, Isolation and High Ground and suitable maps.

[Cadillac]

Hey maybe you'll think this is a dumb topic, and if you do please don't flame just hit Backspace, but I was just wondering about how MLG decides to use certain maps.

Obviously for some they see great potential for a certain gametype. But I was just wondering if someone could explain or outline the things which deter MLG from choosing Snowbound, Isolation and High Ground and suitable maps.

Well first off in the v1 settings both Iso and High Ground were maps that MLG used.. but ill explain a little bit about why they arent any more.

Snowbound is not used mainly because of the shield doors. While there are other reasons, shield doors, encourage many things that MLG isnt trying to promote. One of these things is camping. Games where people sit in corners in rooms with shotguns dont exactly show a great deal of skill and they certainly arent fun to watch from a spectators point of view.

Heres a good example of the problems with shield doors if you need further explanation. Take bottom center on Lockout in H2 and put a guy in the corner with a sword. You run through and he swords you. Well the next time you simply fall down to the swords spawn point, bounce a few nades in, and proceed to use his sword how it should be used. Now take that same bottom center room and put shield doors on all sides. It prevents nading from a distance, which has always been the anti-camp tool in Halo. Now just imagine the increased difficulty of killing that sword guy when you are forced into a small area with an overpowering close range weapon.

In addition Halo 3 maps in general have very segregated gameplay. Im unsure if you played earlier Halo games or not, but the maps in Halo 3 do not flow as one. Snowbound has a top that is completely seperate from the bottom on almost all instances.

Next is High Ground... High Ground was used for 1 flag in the v1 settings, however it was just thrown in so we would have something to play quickly after H3 came out. High Ground was clearly made for 1 flag CTF and cant be used for 2 flag, oddball, etc, because of the imbalances it creates. However when you play one flag you create a base system where you know both teams are going to spawn in certain locations. The main problem with this on an asymetrical map like High Ground is that one team is on higher ground while another team is spawning on low ground over and over again. Its like putting one team on a mountain and another in a ditch. I dont feel as though I explained this very well, however, hopefully you can see that a map such as midship is much more fair for both teams than a map such as High Ground or Zanzibar.

Last is Iso because this is a map that many believe should still be in the settings. Not that it doesnt have its own problems but simply that it is the best of the worst. Isolations main problem is that spawning is very predictable and forcable and the open nature of the map does not lend itself well to predictable spawning. It also faces the same problem with map segregation that snowbound does where the top and bottom could realistically be two entirely different maps. In addition a third problem is its size. MLG uses maps that fit the successful range of the BR and Isolation is actually fairly large. While the hill in the middle helps this by breaking site in half from a lot of angles, it doesnt really fix the problem. While Isolation has some of the makings of a great MLG map, it also has as many downfalls.

I hope this helps... its a lot of info at once and if your confused then repost. Ill be glad to explain anything that needs to be clarified. If anyone else has anything to add then please do.

[StormInk]

Thanks so much for the explanation man. Makes a lot of sense. Hopefully bungie will introduce some new maps that work for MLB so we can play on sexy terrains instead of on foundry.

PS. Just wrote all of this on my girlfriends iPhone which is pimpin'!

[3sKFalleN]

Thanks so much for the explanation man. Makes a lot of sense. Hopefully bungie will introduce some new maps that work for MLB so we can play on sexy terrains instead of on foundry.

PS. Just wrote all of this on my girlfriends iPhone which is pimpin'!
A baseball stadium map would be pretty sweet. ;-)

[RYAN-the-LION]

A baseball stadium map would be pretty sweet. ;-)
lol. dont post this on bungies forums. they will probably think it to be a great idea. and purple reign will go from a derelict style map to a baseball stadium and the green monster will be made out of a giant shield door.

[Gamebreaker25]

Snowbound is not used mainly because of the shield doors.
Exactly, but have you ever played on Snowbound w/out shield doors (http://www.mlgpro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=172094)? I think that would make for a perfect KOTH map.

[l_Ursus_l]

Exactly, but have you ever played on Snowbound w/out shield doors (http://www.mlgpro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=172094)? I think that would make for a perfect KOTH map.

Snowbound is mini-Iso.

KotH on Snowbound would be very similar to KotH on Iso because of a segregated bottom and top to the map.

[Cadillac]

lol the next map pack features another large map. Its called Fenway park... Bungie kids would love it.


As for snowbound w/o shield doors, I agree with Ursus. It really is very comparable to Iso. Its slightly better in some ways and slightly worse in others. That being said its not really worth the work to remove the shield doors.

[iConspiracy]

Well first off in the v1 settings both Iso and High Ground were maps that MLG used.. but ill explain a little bit about why they arent any more.

Snowbound is not used mainly because of the shield doors. While there are other reasons, shield doors, encourage many things that MLG isnt trying to promote. One of these things is camping. Games where people sit in corners in rooms with shotguns dont exactly show a great deal of skill and they certainly arent fun to watch from a spectators point of view.

Heres a good example of the problems with shield doors if you need further explanation. Take bottom center on Lockout in H2 and put a guy in the corner with a sword. You run through and he swords you. Well the next time you simply fall down to the swords spawn point, bounce a few nades in, and proceed to use his sword how it should be used. Now take that same bottom center room and put shield doors on all sides. It prevents nading from a distance, which has always been the anti-camp tool in Halo. Now just imagine the increased difficulty of killing that sword guy when you are forced into a small area with an overpowering close range weapon.

In addition Halo 3 maps in general have very segregated gameplay. Im unsure if you played earlier Halo games or not, but the maps in Halo 3 do not flow as one. Snowbound has a top that is completely seperate from the bottom on almost all instances.

Next is High Ground... High Ground was used for 1 flag in the v1 settings, however it was just thrown in so we would have something to play quickly after H3 came out. High Ground was clearly made for 1 flag CTF and cant be used for 2 flag, oddball, etc, because of the imbalances it creates. However when you play one flag you create a base system where you know both teams are going to spawn in certain locations. The main problem with this on an asymetrical map like High Ground is that one team is on higher ground while another team is spawning on low ground over and over again. Its like putting one team on a mountain and another in a ditch. I dont feel as though I explained this very well, however, hopefully you can see that a map such as midship is much more fair for both teams than a map such as High Ground or Zanzibar.

Last is Iso because this is a map that many believe should still be in the settings. Not that it doesnt have its own problems but simply that it is the best of the worst. Isolations main problem is that spawning is very predictable and forcable and the open nature of the map does not lend itself well to predictable spawning. It also faces the same problem with map segregation that snowbound does where the top and bottom could realistically be two entirely different maps. In addition a third problem is its size. MLG uses maps that fit the successful range of the BR and Isolation is actually fairly large. While the hill in the middle helps this by breaking site in half from a lot of angles, it doesnt really fix the problem. While Isolation has some of the makings of a great MLG map, it also has as many downfalls.

I hope this helps... its a lot of info at once and if your confused then repost. Ill be glad to explain anything that needs to be clarified. If anyone else has anything to add then please do.

Great Post +rep :)

But I just dont think those maps would not work.But Someone has a map with the sheild doors gone on snowbound....

[RELLIK PIR]

lol the next map pack features another large map. Its called Fenway park... Bungie kids would love it.


As for snowbound w/o shield doors, I agree with Ursus. It really is very comparable to Iso. Its slightly better in some ways and slightly worse in others. That being said its not really worth the work to remove the shield doors.

Ya know the more I think of is a Baseball Stadium could make a quality MLG map if used right. Think about using the back of the stadium. There are tunnels. Clear lines of sight. Lots of chairs for cover. You could brake it up a little by adding nice symetrical debris.

[ZeRo_DiViDe]

Yankee Stadium would be a more epic map then Fenway Park imo ;-) but this is coming from a yankee fan

although New York City wold make a really cool campaign map =D

[Cadillac]

Ya know the more I think of is a Baseball Stadium could make a quality MLG map if used right. Think about using the back of the stadium. There are tunnels. Clear lines of sight. Lots of chairs for cover. You could brake it up a little by adding nice symetrical debris.

lol maybe a destroyed stadium or something, but a a field is flat and the entire large area would be completely open and not even terrain would make for good angles. I dont think a flat sports field would work... Plus chairs are hardly "cover."

[Xobecide]

I forged a crude map of snowbound with all the underground parts blocked off. Played it a few times, and it actually wasn't half bad. I dunno if something like that would be worth adding though, simply because people automatically hate the map now. It's kinda like a more squished standoff too...