DESIGN BREAKDOWN
MAP FLOWS & DESIGN INTENTIONS
This is an unofficial layout design for
the last of us 2
imagining battle royale multiplayer
The location is inspired by real-world location, in this case: Union Square NYC with additional articulated design implementations and back-story:
"After the outbreak, the government constructed this high-priority laboratory base in Union Square to conduct research and development. The shielded district allowed refugees for shelters and medical services, but more sinister attempts at human trials became the tradeoff in this desperate time. Eventually, with riots, outbreaks, and natural corrosions, the Union Square checkpoint has been left for solitude, until now…"
Based on top of the elements, here are several factors that I want this district to highlight:
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Newcomers/casual players friendly through its clear shape language, identifiable affordances, and directionality.
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Advanced and diverse additions on routes and zone interchangeability for hardcore players.
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Differentiated zoning and features to minimize combat fatigue:
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The outer rim holds low to intermediate-tier structures, and the inner rim features hot and tasty high-tier structures.
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Empowers play styles and play on mechanics.
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Blue zone – Low-tier structures: interconnected structures for fast and diverse traverses, low-level loots, multiple cover options. These structures are visually guided with the affordances such as scaffoldings of the exterior walls, which should imply explore options to exterior and interior environments, as well as offering broadened line of sights to the center hot zone.
Yellow zone – Medium tier structures: Introduction of more distinctive features with better loots, larger explorable areas, expanded verticality, and more limited interdependent traversal options. Top yellow zone is a destroyed shopping mall, and left is a collapsed building.
Red zone – High risks high rewards. High tier structures: Specific but not limiting mechanics introduced. Special loot (Revival Syringe) and completed items (no crafting needed) are present, but more challenging exit options.
Low tier layouts are in service for safe exploration with sufficient amount of covers in different forms and orientations.
These spaces are primarily close range to limit advantages in safer conditions, but still creating various sightlines to cover different interiors and exteriors. Traverse interchangeably between spaces are easy and fast to allow for constant movements and sufficient battle spaces when things get heated and in large quantities. Verticality is limited to prevent high ground advantages, but still exists in limited presence to allow more versatile gameplays and sightlines. Cover and exit options are designed to preserve three axis availability when players get cornered.
Players should have the options to be able to go left and/or right, up and/or down, forward and/or backward.
The shielded wall provides various options for entry and exits to the district, and long-distance traversal. This is a hybrid of long/close quarter combat location. It offers the best line of sight to the entire district, but its exposure to the open, narrow, and primarily bi-directional interior, and short supplies of loot makes it a location that requires tactics.
These are medium tier above the floor level.
Not drastically different to average low tier spaces, these areas contain most of the features a low tier space would highlight, but in more limited aspects to tradeoff with its own features. The mall holds much more vertical gameplay from the destruction caused by its neighbor collapsed building.
The verticality of the mall induced a more intense and long-distance engagement environment. The high ground sightlines are widened with three floors crushed open and exposed. Yet, high grounds are also less equipped with covers and traversal options.
