At PAX East last month, Respawn Entertainment gave us our first look at Titanfall: Expedition, the first map pack to be released for the multiplayer shooter. Swampland is one of three maps coming to us some time this month and Respawn has taken some time to briefly detail the concept and making of it.
In a post yesterday, level designer Chris Dionne explained that the first version of Swampland was almost completely flat with yellow fog and towering redwoods. Later iterations to the layout added IMC buildings, temples, and massive infrastructure which created clearly defined paths and places to wall-run, but resulted in the level losing its "personality."
"During playtesting of these early variations, something else became clear – the towering trees (which had been pushed to the periphery) needed to take center stage," explained Dionne. "They were a blast! Titans dodging around massive trunks; Pilots jumping from tree-to-tree like ninjas. All that additional infrastructure had pulled players away from this new and interesting fun that was happening around (and on!) the trees."
So Dionne put the dense forest section to the center of the map and moved the three main structures around the perimeter to serve as anchor points. "This encouraged Pilots and Titans to pass through the woods as they moved from building to building," Dionne said. "The final design push then focused on small changes to enhance those interactions – adjusting sight lines, making interiors more interesting to fight over, encouraging flow, and so on."
To give us a better idea of the evolution of Swampland, Respawn has released a "Making Of" video for it which can be viewed above. Titanfall: Expedition will be released some time in May and is included with the $25 Titanfall Season Pass.
[Respawn]
