Why is Halo’s Blood Gulch map so popular?
Blood Gulch is one of the most popular multiplayer maps of the original Halo game. Ranging from level design to strategy building; in this post, I will dissect why I believe it is so much fun to play on. If you are unfamiliar with the map or Halo in general, I suggest taking a look at this video to get an idea of how the gameplay flows in a typical team slayer game on the blood gulch map.
Layout
Starting off with the layout, the map consists of two bases or castles on either side of the map- one for the red team and one for the blue team. In between these two castles is a huge no man’s land. There are some caves and ledges on the sides of the no man’s land (not visible in the above photo) which provide affordances for more stealthy players. And that’s it- that is really all there is at the core of this map’s design. So why is it so much fun to play on?
First let us break down the reason behind this simple design ideology. The map supports 4–16 players and it should be easier for the players to find each other on the map. So we start by placing a simple terrain where both the teams spawn opposite to each other. Next we add markers for the starting positions- a building in this case. The buildings served the following purposes- providing cover, weapon stash and an arena for close combat situations.
The castles:
The buildings have a lower level and and an upper level in the game. The lower level is primarily designed for hiding and close combat situations. The walls in the lower level are placed in such a way that the players have a chance to run around and avoid confrontations if they know their way around the walls. Some reasons that the player would like to go inside the base would be to hide from vehicle attacks and snipers, collect weapons or take down enemies in close combat situations.
The no man’s land:
The no man’s land in the center of the map is cleverly designed to allow characters and vehicles to move through it. The land is not flat, it has elevations that provide cover to characters and vehicles moving through the land. They are high enough to cover a warthog from the enemy bullets for a short time.
Other affordances:
Collectibles:
Confrontations and Strategies:
The map provides a good mix of possibilities for showdowns between different types of players. There can be sniper v sniper, 1v1, team v team, vehicle v vehicle, etc.
References:
http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Blood_Gulch
