Friday, October 15, 2010

Halo 3: Map and Responses to Scott Rogers



The Sierra 117 map of Halo 3 is mostly confined in very narrow hallways, comprised of thin ravines and a few caves.  The map opens up at a few points to allow for firefights, but it immediately returns to cramped, claustrophobic caverns.  This limits freedom and mobility, but you always know exactly where to go, and there are always small clusters of enemies in front of you to guide you.  Later in the level, a helicopter is shot down in front of you, crashing just beyond a mountain.  This was the level's only weenie.

Enhanced Weenies and encountering player movement -- The only large visual element that motivates the player is the helicopter crash.  This happens directly in front of you, motivating you to find the crash site and see if there are any survivors.

Using lighting to encourage player movement -- It is very dark in the caverns, but there are small cracks that let sunlight through.  These cracks are strategically placed to allow the sunlight to act as a spotlight, guiding the player towards the way back out.

Presented Path vs. Exploration -- The only room for exploration was on the coast on the upper left corner of the map.  There were some rocks you could jump around on by the ocean, and this is where we found a small golden skull.  Other than this, the whole map was thin and linear.

Warning/Foreshadowing
-- The large enemy located towards the bottom of the map rips apart a fellow human right in front of you.  This is a warning that up ahead things aren't going so well for the humans, and your help is needed.  This leads into the helicopter crash that happens in front of you.

Map and Discovered Information -- At one point you find some alien weapons, showing that they've been starting to set up a base here, and stocking up on weapons for a big fight.

The Clear Path Out
-- The lighting in the caverns showed a clear path out.

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