Chapter 1: Outbreak

This is a PHENOMENAL map/plot line. It is one thing to make a good solid map without error, but there's a high level of artistry here. You do a marvelous job of creating interesting, engaging scenery, using interesting lighting and colouration.

 

I kinda disliked how you made the gametype so that you can't jump at all.
It realy makes the game like somekinda "pacman hunts for humans" where the humans can only walk while they watch the zombies attack them.

There realy wasn't too many places to hide because of the 0% jump gravity.

But other than that it was a well forged map but needed some tweaks here and there and I'm suprised that you actually added some forgemechanics into the map. That was great and we need more of that.

 

Nice job, I am simply addicted to those infection-campaign maps. I'm waiting for future chapters. Good job about making the elevator.

 

This looks like a very fun and original infection map. The whole thing looks very well constructed and I love all the different areas. Each part seems unique and interesting. A few of the weapons seemed a little bit overpowered but nothing that hurts gameplay too much. I'd recommend everyone who likes infection to download this map.

 

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Chapter 1: Outbreak

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Chapter 1: Outbreak is a map patterned off the Left4Dead style of gameplay. In such maps, the humans are required to traverse an extensive path in hopes of reaching the end. The Outbreak takes a new spin on the typical gametype by giving both humans and infected loadouts to choose from at the start. Despite this feature, the creation lacks most of the key components necessary for a fun infection game.

Most maps of this style have a few features in common: Humans often are capable of receiving more damage than normal, crescendo events force the survivors to hold out in a certain area until they can continue, and a normal zombie can become a tank by picking up a custom power-up. While the map includes all of these characteristics, it is still deficient of the central theme uniting all successful journey style infection games: the increasing zombie counts as the game progresses.

Humans start off in a small area and soon navigate through a short hallway that leads to a larger room. This room has many objects hastily thrown together to form the ceiling. The idea behind the broken ceiling is to allow zombies to drop down on humans from nearly anywhere. However, this is rarely the case due to the confusing nature of the zombie spawn which results in few attacks on the humans. Attached to this room is the first holdout area. In most games, the primary purpose of the crescendo event is to increase the zombie population. Though due to the aforementioned confusion, it is unlikely that any more than two or three zombies will be seen during this period of time, and it is even more unlikely that a human will become infected. Any injuries sustained by a human can easily be patched up by one of the few health packs placed nearby.

Once the door opens, the humans traverse through another winding hallway and arrive at the final holdout. Much like before, combat is limited in the hallway, and few humans are killed off. Due to the inability of humans to jump, they must watch their step in order to properly navigate this last room. This area provides a diverse weapon selection for the humans, meaning it is incredibly difficult for an infected player to get close enough to deal damage, especially when considering the large number of humans still remaining. In many cases, humans will leave this area to search for infected further back. The lack of combat makes for a game that drags on. In the rare instance that an infected makes its presence known, the humans will quickly gun it down. Such an experience is neither interesting nor exciting for the players, both survivors and infected.

A slight grievance towards the humans is the inability to jump. Fortunately, the entire map is built at angles, meaning there are no areas that require jumping to get to or to get out of. Nonetheless, this causes an issue at the finale as any humans who walk to the turret area cannot simply jump to get to the elevator. Instead, they must walk around all the obstacles in order to reach the finale area.

A large portion of the zombie ineffectiveness can be attributed to their confusion upon spawning. Initially, the zombies spawn over the room before the first holdout, however, from the start of the game they are granted access to the final holdout area. If an infected player accidentally does so, they must wait for the first holdout door to open before attacking. Upon re-spawning, the infected find themselves in a small room with four parallel paths leading to a drop down. At the end of each path is an armor ability. In conjunction with the initial loadouts, the only ability that is not given to the infected is the use of a drop shield. Regardless of the large variety of options, it is still rare for a human to become infected. Even the tank power-up has trouble putting a dent in the opposing forces. More often than not, the player who picks up the power-up is only seen at the final area, where the combined fire of all the human weaponry, including a turret, makes short work of the should be threat.

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Due to a large variety of factors, gameplay on The Outbreak is heavily tilted in the humans favor.

Ideally, a journey map should have the infection rate rising exponentially throughout the game; a few humans should be infected near the beginning and as time progresses, more become infected in greater frequency, ultimately resulting in few human survivors at the end. However, this map progresses in the opposite manner. A lucky infected may be able to get an assassination at the start, but as soon as the humans pass the first holdout it is unlikely that any more infections will occur. The perplexing design of the map has the infected focused more on figuring out the layout than attacking the human adversaries. The design attempts to convey the sense of damage, but all the objects sporadically thrown around only exacerbate the difficulty of orientation for the infected.

Since so few infected spawn at the start of each round, their attacking power is limited to a few strikes on humans. The element of surprise is also hindered unless a player is experienced with the map’s design. More often than not, an infected will drop down from the ceiling in an attempt to establish a sense of direction. Once they are on the same level as the humans, it makes surprising them a much more difficult task.

Even with humans in sight, it is difficult to pose a threat as a zombie. An infected player has enough shielding to sustain a few headshots, but is easily eliminated by half a clip of the assault rifle. One human would not be too pressed in taking out a single zombie, and with multiple humans shooting at the attacking infected, there is little hope of resistance. On the off chance that a lucky strike is delivered to a human, health packs litter the ground, meaning that any damage taken is easily erased.

Weapons that are scattered around the map include a shotgun, sniper, AR’s, spikers, a turret, and a few others. A shotgun is easily accessible before the first holdout, and works well to prevent the few infected from entering the holdout room through the main door. AR’s and spikers are both possibilities as starting loadouts, meaning that they serve more as extra ammo than alternative weapons. A DMR and sniper are available at the final holdout, both of which make picking off infected from a distance much simpler. Granted, the twists and turns of the map mean that there are few areas with long lines of sight, but a quick player can still utilize the weapons efficiently. The turret is only present at the end, but it provides a devastating weapon against the infected. A smart human can easily rip the turret off and wait in the elevator, tearing the infected that draw near to shreds.

The infrequent appearance of the tank rarely hurts the human forces. The combined fire of at least six automatic weapons makes short work of the physically enhanced zombie. A hammer is available for the tank, but it is soon picked up by the humans when this alpha zombie falls. This gives the humans access to a weapon capable of radial damage, meaning that defense becomes much easier.

At one point, humans waiting in the elevator can press a button which drops the crates that they are standing on into a narrow shaft, effectively placing them in the safe haven. Capture plates block the view above, increasing the claustrophobic atmosphere. As with the rest of the map, it is rare for a human to see an infected once they enter this area. Even if an infected does make it past the humans that likely waited up top, humans in the safe haven are given 1000% damage resistance, over three times the normal amount. The only chance of getting a kill in this area is an assassination, which is difficult to coordinate due to the opaque capture plates. The final minute of the game is filled with humans jumping around aimlessly in the elevator shaft, with limited movement and little to no zombie threat.

There is one prominent point in The Outbreak that can be abused by humans. After the first holdout door opens, it is not uncommon to see a human with a sword camp the small alcove by the side of the door. The sword allows for an instant kill on unsuspecting zombies, and it is much easier for the human to swing before the zombie.

The most hope that the infected are given are with the armor abilities, invisibility and evade in particular. Invisibility allows for a quick assassination or perhaps a few strikes to bring down an unaware human. If used correctly, evade allows for a zombie to disappear from a humans sight, and appear at another angle to attack them from. Nonetheless, the spawning of these armor abilities takes an unreasonable amount of time. In conjunction with the setup of the spawns, it is uncommon to see these used more than once or twice.

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Perhaps one of the better aspects of The Outbreak is that it is completely inescapable. The entire map is completely enclosed, meaning escape is an impossibility. Humans cannot jump which insures that they will not get into an area exclusive to the infected. Many maps claim to be unbreakable through the extensive use of kill barriers. While this method is effective, it interrupts realism which in turn detracts from the emotions that come with good gameplay. The Outbreak does not use kill barriers, and therefore allows player to roam its limits without fear of unexplainable death or interrupted gameplay. As a whole, there are only a few aspects that can be exploited in The Outbreak. Some of the other nuisances, such as the quantity of humans waiting in the elevator at the end, are due more in part to map design than to exploitation and therefore do not encumber the maps’ durability.

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Infection maps often use aesthetics to aid in telling a story. More often than not, destruction is a ubiquitous, overlaying theme in such maps, as one would expect after a zombie apocalypse. The Outbreak is certainly not an exception.

The first thing a player notices is the torn and ragged ceiling. Though it is not the damaged appearance that the eye is drawn to; it is how overdone it is that draws the eye. Countless small antennas stick out in varying directions, and teleporter frames dot the area. While these objects are placed to allow for greater movement for the infected, they do not realistically look like a collapsing structure.

Conversely, there are many structures that are aesthetically pleasing but do not make sense. For example, at the finale area, a human who looks up will see a room blocked off by bars. This adds to the creepy atmosphere since the humans can see the infected as they run by above, but it does not make much sense in context.

The original post mentions that the map takes place in a space station; however no structures in the map are used to reinforce this setting. Granted, the visual aspects do not make the map look as if it is anything else in particular, but that alone cannot be considered an improvement.

An attempt was made to write the words “Hold till 1” on the wall using pieces of the forge pallet. While the idea behind this is sound, the execution is not nearly as effective. The message does not look as if it was really written by a human who had been there before. In addition, in context of the backstory, it makes no logical sense. The number one is representative of the game timer, which would not be present if such an event were to occur.

That is not to say that the entirety of the map has deficient aesthetic value. After the first holdout area, humans make their way down a ramp with military barriers already set up. This aids in telling the story that efforts were previously made to restrain the infection. Weapons scattered about chaotically show that previous humans had died in attempts to ward off the undead. Both aspects work towards conveying the feeling of despair that should be present in a map such as this.

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Many attempts have been made to recreate the style of gameplay that the Left4Dead series is famous for. Linear infection maps are not brand new in the Halo: Reach community. However, there are quite a few original facets in the map that contribute to gameplay otherwise unseen in this style of infection.

The primary example of this is the spectrum of armor abilities given to the infected. Most maps give the zombies either evade or sprint. Rarely are armor abilities like armor lock and jetpack seen. Such contributions add variability to gameplay, which is a necessity for a memorable experience.

In addition, humans and zombies are given a few loadouts to choose from. While this is not a game changing feature, it allows players to explore different possibilities and determine what works best for different situations.

Another interesting feature worth mentioning is the elevator. When a minute is left in the game, a landmine spawns that drops the floor beneath the humans, effectively simulating an elevator falling. While the design does not benefit the gameplay, the idea itself is infrequently seen.

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Rating Multipliers

[floatleft]Enjoyment:
Balance:
Durability:
Aesthetic:
Originality:[/floatleft]2 x 3.0 = 6 out of 30
3 x 3.0 = 9 out of 30
8 x 1.5 = 12 out of 15
5 x 1.5 = 7.5 out of 15
6 x 1.0 = 6 out of 10

This map could be better if the infection rate was more balanced. As it is now, it is rare for a human to die which only exacerbates the problem.

Final Score




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