Hello all,
I would like to begin a topic devoted to the discussion of level design. I am going to focus mainly on the campaign levels.
Assuming most of you have played the entire Halo series (CE, 2, 3, ODST, Reach, 4), I’m sure you have all noticed a decline in the quality and scale of campaign levels, partly due to the ever-increasing focus on multiplayer.
In Halo CE we had rather expansive levels that were divided into several open areas, unless the mission was specifically intended to be close quarters, such as 343 Guilty Spark. A good example of this is the level Assault on the Control Room, in which the map is divided into “pockets” of open space connected by relatively narrow canyons. This way of creating a sense of scale and openness worked very effectively, and for the most part you felt like you were in a true, non-linear battlefield, even though the general progression of the mission was linear.
Halo 2 continued with this style of level design, albeit some missions were on a smaller scale than in CE. The thing is, even the more linear levels, such as Delta Halo and Regret, still felt open and felt like they had a large scale. For example, on the level Delta Halo, you have to follow a fairly straightforward and limited path from the opening play-space to the bridge and from there through the ruins. But even on these limited areas of play-space, that sense of a great scale was still there. This is due to the expansiveness of the non-playable space. On the path to the bridge in the level Delta Halo, the left-hand side is opened to reveal a cliff and expansive lake with a temple. This is all non-playable space (or at least intended that way), but the sheer visibility makes your factually linear, compacted play-space feel much larger than it actually is. This same “illusion” is present on most of the campaign levels. Another example that comes to mind is Gravemind. Your actual path is relatively small and linear, besides the Hanging Gardens, but since you are able to see the vast alien city with the Keyship in the distance, the map feels large.
Halo 3 compacted levels even more than Halo 2 did, but the sense of scale was still quite large. Tsavo Highway, for example, had a vast non-playable space that shows the Ark Portal in the background and the remains of the New Mombasa Space Elevator. Once again, the actual playable space was quite linear and cramped, but you still felt like a part of a large environment.
Then here comes Halo 4. The campaign levels (More on multiplayer later) felt unbelievably linear and cramped, although relatively speaking they weren’t all that much smaller in scale than previous Halo missions. Yet they still felt small and linear. I attribute this to the fact that on the majority of campaign levels, the boundaries of the level are physically blocked off by large cliff faces or other physical objects that reduce visibility. Although the later Spartan Ops levels fixed this to some extent by having vast, visible non-playable space around the level, the campaign was greatly and negatively impacted by the claustrophobic feeling that the constant physical boundaries created.
Halo 5 absolutely needs to have a greater sense of scale. Even if making larger, playable space is not possible (even though it should be with the new hardware), there is no excuse for making cramped feeling levels.
I’ll give you an image example (Images are linked for less clutter)
This is an image from the opening of the level High Charity (Halo 2). The initial play-space is incredibly small, but the background, consisting of non-playable space, is incredibly large, making the player feel like they are in a much larger world.
High Charity Opening Image
Here’s another image example, showing my previous example of the Halo 2 level, Delta Halo, and its expansive non-playable space.
Delta Halo Background Image
And here we have several levels from Halo 4. They are not actually physically small, but the lack of background and physical boundaries makes them feel that way.
Halo Forerunner Level Image
Halo Dawn Level Image
Several of Halo 4’s levels are actually very large, but the feeling of scale is equally as important as the reality of scale. You can be playing in the largest environment ever created in a video game but still feel cramped. Likewise, you can be in a small play-space but still feel like you are in a large one.
If I had to summarize this, I would say that Halo 5’s levels should have a great sense of scale. There is no excuse for having players feel constantly cramped and choiceless. If you, 343i, cannot actually give us more open play-spaces, at least make them feel expansive, just like the other Halos have done with much more limited technology.
In Halo 5, i would like to explore, and have a nice stroll in the campaign.
