The Gate on Zanzibar is the one most people probably remember. Opening the gate, by activating the Gate Switch, was a crucial step in successfully pulling the flag from the Defender’s base. Even in Slayer gametypes, Halo has always been about securing “mini objectives”. Off spawn you rush to secure a power weapon then rush to secure a power position. Giving players an optional mini objective, like a gate to open, allowed for more depth in gameplay by letting players make choices that affected their available strategies later in the round.
Unlike Zanzibar’s Gate, Containment’s Ramped Gate allowed players to exit from inside the base but did not allow players to enter from outside the base. Another difference is the impermanent effects of Containment’s Gate Switch. Once Zanzibar’s Gate was opened, it remained open for the remainder of the round. If Containment’s Gate Switch was activated, the Ramped Gate only remained open for a limited time before closing again.
Zanzibar’s Gate and Gate Switch, which opened a new path into the Defender’s base, and Relic’s One Way Teleporter and Teleporter Switch served a similar function. Unlike Zanzibar’s Gate, which opened both an entrance into and an exit out of the Defender’s base, Relic’s One Way Teleporter only opened an entrance into the Defender’s base. Similar to Zanzibar’s Gate Switch, Relic’s Teleporter Switch is located inside the Defender’s base. Unlike Zanzibar’s Gate, which is located on one of the base’s outer walls, the entrance to Relic’s One Way Teleporter is in a separate, away from the base, location.
The Spinning Fan on Zanzibar could be ridden on by infantry to move from bottom wheel to mid wheel. Different lines of sight were presented to the player as he was gradually pushed upwards by the fan blade. Vehicles had to time their jumps through the wheel in order to avoid colliding with the fan blades. The sword room could only be accessed when the fan was in one, of three, specific orientations. Aside from gameplay related reasons, the giant fan gave the map a unique feel. It gave the map character.
Like Zanzibar’s Spinning Fan, which pushed players upward, Elongation’s Conveyor Belts also moved players but pushed them horizontally rather than vertically. Crates were also pushed by the Conveyor Belts. These moving crates could be used as mobile cover or as temporary platforms to make jumps off of. Since these Conveyor Belts terminated in death pits, it allowed for a continuous stream of crates to enter the map because they had an exit as well. The death pits also forced players to be aware of their position in order to avoid falling to their doom.
Similar to Zanzibar’s Spinning Fan, Ascension’s Rotating Antenna created a dynamic environment where sightlines were opening and closing based on the antenna’s orientation. Zanzibar’s Spinning Fan opened new sightlines for the player by physically moving him upwards. Ascension’s Rotating Antenna opened new sightlines by modifying the structure of the map itself. A map that modifies itself is capable of shifting the relative power of different positions through the opening and closing of sightlines, the addition or removal of cover, and the addition or removal of traversable paths. A map with shifting power positions encourages players to move in order to remain in control of the current power position or to avoid being in the killzone of the current power position. Promethean weapons assembling themselves and Forerunner structures modifying themselves, like the structure above top mid on Monolith, mesh well with the concept of self modifying maps.
Terminal’s Train was similar to Zanzibar’s Fan in that it was a moving element on the map that could affect players. Terminal’s Train is unlike Zanzibar’s Fan in that it does not assist players in traversing the map, rather the opposite. Terminal’s Train, speeding through the map at lethal speeds, acted to disincentivize players from traversing one particular portion of the map: the train’s tracks. Power Ups, located on the tracks, acted as incentive items, drawing players into the dangerous area. The train tracks pushed and pulled player movement depending on the current situation. The train could be improved by giving it a consistent cadence. Instead of speeding through the map at random intervals, the time between trains should be predictable (not necessarily the same interval between each pass e.g. long interval, short interval, long interval, short interval…). This predictability would allow players to plan for the arrival of the train and use that to their advantage.
Similar to the vertical beams above Turf’s streets, that could act as traversable walkways once they were knocked down to lie horizontally, Zanzibar’s Draw Bridge could be accessed by destroying the mount holding it upright but enemies were alerted to the bridge’s deployment by an audible emission.
Once the Glass Panes, located on the roofs/ceilings of Beaver Creek’s bases, were destroyed through damage, they could not be rebuilt. Similarly, once Zanzibar’s Window Shutter Supports were destroyed, through damage, they could not be rebuilt. Unlike the destruction of the glass panes, which opened new paths, the destruction of the shutter supports closed existing sightlines.
The ground level of the Defender’s base on Zanzibar had four columns that could have large chunks broken off through damage, creating a more open area. Unlike Waterworks’ Stalactites, damaging Zanzibar’s Columns did not cause any additional effect beyond the reduction of available cover. Dealing enough damage to Waterworks’ Stalactites would cause the massive rock formations to break from the ceiling and come plummeting down to the ground, dealing high damage to any players caught underneath.
On Zanzibar, players could modify the base which modifies the map as a whole. On Sandtrap, the player can move his base which modifies the map as a whole. Where Zanzibar’s Fan moves the player, Sandtrap’s Elephant requires the player to move it. On Zanzibar, a part of the map moves the player. On Sandtrap, the player moves a part of the map.
Interactive Map Elements do not need to be overly complex. IMEs can be as simple as the doors that automatically opened for proximate players on Turf or Gemini. Tilting platforms, like top mid on Midship or the hanging joist on Headlong, are simple examples. Providing the player with the ability to push an explosive item into a lift, like on Colossus, gave him everything he needed to assemble a futuristic catapult.