Bow Down
Far Cry 5 Arcade Multiplayer Deathmatch Map
Check out a real match that was played just after releasing the map to the Far Cry Arcade community. Prefer watching over reading? Watch the 12 min. video walkthrough.
When initially planning this deathmatch experience, one of the main focuses I had was the speed and feel of the map. Avoiding creating areas in the map where a player has an unfair advantage was paramount.
I wanted players to be constantly moving and carry a "shoot and move" feel and for the emphasis to be on map knowledge and game sense over pure gun skill, camping, or weapon TTK.
Unlike your typical deathmatch experience, the "one shot kill" mode rewards players for map knowledge and game sense. A reliance on head shots or recoil mastery disappears. It affords for those with lower gun skill to create memorable moments through movement and traversal and win fights they may not typically win even when they have the advantage on their opponent. Loadouts can then be chosen for desired play style (CQC, long range, etc.) vs. time to kill metrics.
The verticality and elevation I desired for the map caused an issue with the default settings within the editor and this particular game mode.
Higher falls would result in deaths or a slow animation that occurs when the player hits the ground slowing the speed of play and impacting the feel of the match. By eliminating fall damage and slightly tweaking the gravity to remove the landing animation the flow of movement around the map is maintained and the experience is not nearly as choppy as intended.
By limiting the loadouts to a single weapon with limited ammo it forces players to more to seek out more ammo through kills or finding ammo drops throughout the level.
Players have to consider reload times, fire rate settings, and distance based on chosen loadouts and play style and movement strategy. Close quarters or long range play styles promote a different approach to movement strategy around the map.
M16 and BP2 loadouts contain only 30 rounds that come preloaded into the rifle. The initial fire rate is set to burst but can be changed to single shot or fully automatic.
The shotgun loadout contains 7 rounds preloaded and an additional 7 rounds that the player can reload with.
45/75 rifle comes with 4 rounds preloaded and 6 extra rounds for a total of two reload cycles with the second reload being only a partial reload. Only weapon with attached optical scope.
Each player starts the match and subsequent spawns with one throwing knife and a single stick of dynamite. All players have a melee weapon.
Players are quickly forced to various ammo locations throughout the map or death locations of other players to ensure they will have all the ammo needed when on a hot streak.
The higher the player count the less likely running out of ammo is a factor. For lower player count games it can be an indication of where players may move especially after a respawn or initial kill.
.jpg)
By using consistently colored assets and limited assets I was able to maintain a cohesive feel and theme within the level as well as increase performance of the map. This also helped with creation timelines and focus.
When breaking away from the main assets it allowed for an area to really feel different without going over the top and only introducing one or two new items whether a building or a forest area.
.jpg)
When initially creating the level the white walls made it hard to see player characters from a distance as they were lost in the wall and floor. By making the outer walls dark it provided a high level of contrast throughout the level and made it easier to pick out player characters especially from vertical positions.
.jpg)
I knew from the start that I wanted to use one of the amazing huge bridge assets provided in the library. With the statue theme already established and integrated I decided that the bridge could lead those who lived here before the fight to another place to worship which gave the bridge a purpose and believable use.
.jpg)
Every location on the map, especially elevated locations, have multiple access points or flanking affordances. The goal was to be sure that there is no one position on the map that was all powerful and allowed a player to post up with a batch of ammo without a worry of getting flanked.
Check out a few examples of the flanking affordances available within the map:
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Check out a real match to see flanking routes and options in action or Watch the 12 min. video walkthrough.
Before starting to create the map I had turned the editor grid on with the intention of providing a four grid spaces per player. While play testing it became apparent the original grid I had planned was going slow down game play more than I wanted and too big of map was not as fun to traverse and move through.
I designed the map by building POI's form the inside middle of the map to the edge playtesting the map all the while. It was easy to determine when the map was getting down and slashing assets and bringing in the walls solved the problem.
.jpg)
When first play testing all the spawns were still out in the open with no cover. Obviously people were getting instantly deleted and matches were choppy and frustrating.
I quickly updated both the number of spawns and locations to always have cover while at the same time not giving a spawn instant advantage through elevation specifically. Spawns are on the edge of the map as to give not give center to much power.
.jpg)
In the middle of the map there are two additional weapons to help spice up the playstyle as well as create a POI that brings a different feel to the match.
Use the grenade launcher to cut of lanes or pre-fire corners or lob grenades towards a fight in the distance.
.jpg)
"Bow Down" was mainly created using Far Cry 4 assets to carry a Himalayan Shangri-La look and feel. Trying to keep to a similar set of assets that were originally meant to be together was helpful and made the level feel cohesive.
