Don't worry too much about MM maps being put in campaign.

There's been a ton of discussion regarding the design decision to craft multiplayer spaces first, then inject them into the campaign. While it's certainly understandable why this makes sense in development terms (sharing of assets, time and cost savings), many people are concerned with how this will affect overall playability, particularly in these areas:

Point - Overall character of the map. People feel that campaign spaces, due to being part of a larger whole, tend to lack the personality that a dedicated space would receive. Many modern shooters that use tweaked campaign spaces for their multiplayer suffer from a "stripped down", rather flavourless feel. Lacking the motivations and set-pieces of the main story, they can become flat and same-y.

Counterpoint - As far as I know, Reach is the only shooter with shared multiplayer/campaign spaces that has focused on designing the multiplayer maps first. They have made certain to express this nuance in nearly every interview, although the fact tends to get skimmed over with a "maps taken from campaign" quicker explanation. We know Bungie can make an amazing map, and we've seen in the Beta the amount of character that exists even at an early stage of development (looking at you, Powerhouse). Those Beta maps didn't feel like a campaign inspired map does from comparable games; They felt like their own unique space with their own comfort zones and familiar corridors to haunt (Powerhouse office roof <3). Differing entries, exits, objectives, weapon placements, weather, and lighting will all contribute to that feeling of true and separate uniqueness. Imagine how many people will be talking on here about how they ran through a campaign level and didn't even realize they passed through a multiplayer map.

Point - Lack of true symmetrical arena style maps is also another major concern. People feel that inserting symmetrical spaces into the campaign would feel contrived and forced, and take away from suspension of disbelief. The organic design of Halo campaign spaces also seems to tend away from the rigid symmetry of the beloved multiplayer maps such as The Pit and Midship.

Counterpoint - As stated above, multiplayer maps were made first in the design process. Symmetrical, competitively focused maps are a mainstay of the multiplayer sandbox, and I have no doubt in my mind that they will make a return, and in no small number. There are several ways that Bungie can accomplish this. They can create a bilaterally symmetrical map such as Assembly, but have you enter the campaign space on a 90 degree axis from where you would spawn in multiplayer (ie. spawn at the batteries instead of the bases). This different perspective would create a sense of progression through a steadily changing area, instead of looking across to see the same architecture on the other side. A small and simple change, but with enough storyline motivation to cross quickly or fight desperately, a powerful perspective switch. Also, take the same space, and simply close doors in the bases. So much more streamlined, point A to point B, and you'd never notice the inner, more telling details. One can also remember that campaign symmetry is not always a bad thing; Narrows is a beloved map based on the equally beloved and epic bridge battles from Halo CE, and it never suffers from its symmetry (in fact, it embraces it). Finally, there is nothing to stop Bungie from creating an epic symmetrical map, perfectly mirrored down to the last detail, for pure competitive gameplay... and simply place a wall running down the center of it. You'd never know the difference during campaign.

Point - Lack of truly inspired, outlandish, or unique multiplayer environments is definitely my largest concern. In the need to tell a coherent, directed story, Reach will be limited in the locales it can introduce. That seems to suggest that the art design extremes seen between such levels as Guardian and Snowbound (my two aesthetic favourites from Halo 3) may not be found in Reach.

Counterpoint - While this may seem like a sad fact given Reach's overwhelmingly future human aesthetic, the fact is that we've seen barely any of Bungie's largest, most ambitious and most epic game yet. When we think of what made Halo CE so amazing, we almost all think of the incredible Forerunner and Covenant architecture and vistas. Bungie wants to recapture that sense of wonder, they've stated so many times; one has to conclude that there will be some absolutely stunning and alien structures to fight in and amongst. While the more far-fetched and disparate environments will probably not make it in, we can be sure what is in will look and feel like the artistic peaks of Halo CE.

 

True enough! Thanks for jogging my memory. I guess that Covenant ship aesthetic is covered, but that definitely makes sense story-wise for Reach, so I'm more missing the abstract but still remotely canonical locations in H3.