My first reaction to the map Orxgens - "What the hell kind of a name is Orxgens?"
My second reaction to the map Orxgens - "Uhh...where are the trees?"

While Orxgens doesn't have any of the photosynthetic creatures thefro3po is so fond of, it does posses many tree-like attributes.

Any formidable tree must have strong roots. On a map, this translates to the core design. Orxgens consists of four primary sections that interconnect, with each section offering both advantages and disadvantages. Occupying one section of the map may provide a height or line of sight advantage over adjacent sections, but have more vulnerable paths to approach the primary weapon pickups. Advantages and disadvantages...this is the sign of a strong core design.

The next part of a strong tree is its trunk. This is the intermediary between the roots and the branches. In this case, I would liken the trunk to the general flow of the map. Orxgens has a flow that bends to the will of the players, much like a tree bends to the will of the wind. It produced probably the most varied set of gameplay experiences of any map submitted to the 2v2 Throwdown contest. Some games played out relatively methodically, with one team or the other focusing on attempting to hold down a particular section of the map. Other games played at a frantic pace, with each team relentlessly attacking their opponent in an effort to establish their dominance.

Now we come to the branches, which are nourished by the roots and supported by the trunk. The pathing of Orxgens acts as its branches. Much like a monkey, players traverse the branches from one side of the tree to another. This particular tree has a lush set of branches on it. As is often the case, thefro3po has found a way to pack massive amounts of depth into a small space. In at least one part of the map, there are 6 distinct playable levels. Sometimes that degree of depth can be counterproductive, but in the case of Orxgens it all feels completely fluid and intuitive. The levels are layered in a way that allows teams to move in a coordinated effort through the map at completely different elevations, providing the opportunity for an entirely different type of teamwork than any other map in the contest.

Finally, we arrive at the leaves. This is what really gives any tree its pizazz. Obviously we're talking about the aesthetics. Orxgens offers a look that's simple and consistent, with a little bit of flash here and there. All of the paths are marked in black and trimmed in white, with orange being used to accent some areas of the map. The textures of the floors and walls strike the delicate balance of keeping everything looking interesting, without looking overly busy.

And now we come to the point where the perfect analogy falls apart... We haven't yet talked about the weapons, and I haven't a clue what to equate them to so I'm just going to talk about the weapons. Orxgens is packed full of pickups. It has a Railgun, an SMG, a Needler, a Plasma Pistol, a Storm Rifle, a Light Rifle, a DMR, BR's, every type of Grenade, and maybe some other things I'm forgetting about. Every one of them has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the right situation. The main pickups that teams generally find themselves being focused on, though, are the Overshield and Camo. They spawn on opposite sides of the map, and controlling them is almost a necessity if you wish to be victorious.

You can take everything I've just written about Orxgens and disregard it, because there's ultimately only one reason it ranked amongst the top maps in the contest. Win or lose, I enjoyed every game I played.

WARHOLIC: I love your design, its incredibly strong. Can you show me the original sketch you drew? I remember looking at it ages ago thinking it was overly complex and now I'm looking at this really balanced and interesting design in game. I just have to view and compare the two together so I can revaluate those early presumptions.

theFro3po: I ended up trashing the first sketch I posted that you gave me feedback on and went with something a bit simpler. This was the second set of sketches I posted.





The general flow is the same, but I iced the bottom right room and the highest areas accessible through teleporters.

WARHOLIC: Thanks for sharing these! The space definitely plays a lot more controlled than my initial reaction for the sketches. I like that you didn't segment the areas too much as each room feels like interconnected atriums. Thanks again for creating such a fantastic map and sharing it with us here!

Orxgens Map Thread - http://www.forgehub.com/maps/orxgens.1871/
Download Orxgens - https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/...hefro3po_b4f96901-49c6-4348-8d76-65157f830b26