Snakes
Forum Staple
Posts: 2048
Registered: 09-09 |
For me, proper use of height variation can be the determining factor of whether a map plays well or not. It affects the gameplay and aesthetics in a massive way, and can be use to create unique and intricate scenarios that are otherwise unavailable. The one obvious thing is snipers, but there's also naturalistic landscapes, intricate layout design, etc.
This idea that a map doesn't 'need' height variation to be good is interesting. Someone brought up PL11 - The Hunted. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is the only flat map I've ever enjoyed. It's high-concept and at the time, was a very unique and twisted idea. Ever since then, people have taken that concept and one-upped it in wads like Vanguard and Plutonia 2, and I think height variation was one key to that. Arch-viles on a distant ledge create for a different fight than arch-viles in a flat maze.
In that way, height variation unlocks the potential of Doom engine in a way that most other aspects of it do not. Even with atmosphere, height variation can create immersive environments that would just feel bland otherwise. It can be used to create a grandiose castle or a deep, jagged canyon. Avoiding redundancy is suddenly plausible.
On a smaller scale, there's other visual aspects that are involved as well. The use of color and light are the obvious examples there.
So yeah... it affects everything. Any mapper who neglects it is missing out a ton of opportunity, and unless it's someone who is massively talented, any flat map can be improved on in some way by changing things up.
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11-20-12 09:40 
