World's Edge Map Update 2
(Apex Legends' Season 6 Map)
Released:
August 18, 2020 (Season 6)
Map Theme:
Hammond continues to expand their operations while Apex Games were off of World's Edge during Season 5, and have created new Hammond facilities around World's Edge to bring resources on and off world via launch sites.
These launch sites and Hammond structures were meant to narratively tie into the reveal and transport of the Apex Games to the new map releasing the following season, Olympus.
Here is the Official Respawn page about World's Edge Map Update for Season 6 that I helped write:
https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends/news/season-6-map-updates
My Role:
I was the designer on World's Edge Map Update 2 (MU2), taking the map from concept to finish having full ownership and responsibility over map's design and quality from start to finish.
To make World's Edge play and feel different than previous versions, I designed:
August 18, 2020 (Season 6)
Map Theme:
Hammond continues to expand their operations while Apex Games were off of World's Edge during Season 5, and have created new Hammond facilities around World's Edge to bring resources on and off world via launch sites.
These launch sites and Hammond structures were meant to narratively tie into the reveal and transport of the Apex Games to the new map releasing the following season, Olympus.
Here is the Official Respawn page about World's Edge Map Update for Season 6 that I helped write:
https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends/news/season-6-map-updates
My Role:
I was the designer on World's Edge Map Update 2 (MU2), taking the map from concept to finish having full ownership and responsibility over map's design and quality from start to finish.
To make World's Edge play and feel different than previous versions, I designed:
- 4 major changes around map (including 3 new POIs):
- Countdown
- Launch Site
- Staging
- Survey Camp/Sky Hook Cut Through (significant new pathways thru the map's North Cliff)
- Designed & prototyped interactive map toys (Risible Walls & Rising loot platform)
- Several QoL changes to help overall player experiences around map
- Ex: New significant pathways around the map, improved cover and choke designs, etc
- Removed moving train and filled the open train tracks with cover and towns
- Designed 3 highly reusable Hammond-styled Fortress structures for MU2's POIs
- Removed Mirage Voy'age (due to technical limitations) and replaced the area with the original zone's geo.
- Manually clipped environments for players + abilities, placed several trigger types, and adjusted designs and map changes to meet technical/optimization restrictions
As a Level Designer, I am responsible for the whole map from start to finish, working with all departments to get map finalized and polished. Besides design responsibilities, I also:
- Pitched and prototyped this MU's narratives and high-level changes to team
- Bug fixed and polished map for smooth, optimized player experiences
- Worked with Env Artists, FX, Narrative, Marketing, QA, and other departments to release map for Season 6
New Changes:
As someone who plays and watches lots of Apex Legends, I realized some pain points around the map that I wanted to tackle with this Map Update:
Solving these pain points was the driving force behind most of the designs I made for this update.
These changes were greatly appreciated by the community, especially by Pros and streamers. My mix between a marketable Map Update and a Health Update inspired what future Map Updates for Apex Legends could be.
My designs for World's Edge MU2 showed how smaller, QoL changes mixed with spaced out, significant changes around maps, by smart use of re-usable structures, helped the overall map experience and appreciated by players more than 1 or 2 big changes in the map.
As someone who plays and watches lots of Apex Legends, I realized some pain points around the map that I wanted to tackle with this Map Update:
- Improve play and rotations in Snow and Lava sides of the map
- Better rotational options for less restrictive chokes
- Introduce new map mechanics that change how players experience World's Edge
Solving these pain points was the driving force behind most of the designs I made for this update.
These changes were greatly appreciated by the community, especially by Pros and streamers. My mix between a marketable Map Update and a Health Update inspired what future Map Updates for Apex Legends could be.
My designs for World's Edge MU2 showed how smaller, QoL changes mixed with spaced out, significant changes around maps, by smart use of re-usable structures, helped the overall map experience and appreciated by players more than 1 or 2 big changes in the map.
MU2's New POIs
I tried to spread the main changes out across the map so players would come across new experiences within the map almost every match despite where they landed. These core changes mixed with other QoL changes I made around the map significantly changed players' experiences on World's Edge.
I was able to change so much around the map with our tight schedule for MUs by designing 3 instanced structures (Large Fortress, Small Fortress, Corner Piece) that I would reuse in several ways to create the core geo of every new POI for MU2 (more on these structures and their designs further below).
Listed below are all 4 major changes/POIs for World's Edge Mu2:
Listed below are all 4 major changes/POIs for World's Edge Mu2:
1) Countdown:
Countdown was the first successful POI I blocked out for this Map Update. Utilizing the Risible Wall prototypes and some early Large Fortress designs I was toying with, Countdown was designed to be an elevated, fortress-style POI near the center of World's Edge.
Countdown replaced a smaller POI called Drill Site, which was a cluster of buildings surrounded by high-ground terrain on all sides, creating a crater-designed POI that felt dangerous and hard to hold from within. I wanted Countdown to make this area feel more welcoming and interesting to land at, control, and navigate thru as it was a high-traffic area.
Below are some comparison shots of Countdown (MU2) and Drillsite (MU1):
Countdown replaced a smaller POI called Drill Site, which was a cluster of buildings surrounded by high-ground terrain on all sides, creating a crater-designed POI that felt dangerous and hard to hold from within. I wanted Countdown to make this area feel more welcoming and interesting to land at, control, and navigate thru as it was a high-traffic area.
Below are some comparison shots of Countdown (MU2) and Drillsite (MU1):
Countdown was designed for medium/long range fights along the elevated vantage points and across the linear, bridge-like platforms that also utilized the lower grounds for escape & flanking routes.
Meant to create understandable fights and help see enemy squads coming into the POI better to alleviate the frustrations of spontaneous 3rd parties in Apex.
With 3 Rising Walls and a rising platform in the exposed center of the POI that revealed high-tier loot, Countdown was a dynamic POI that encourage players to interact with the environment for unique experiences and strategies.
Meant to create understandable fights and help see enemy squads coming into the POI better to alleviate the frustrations of spontaneous 3rd parties in Apex.
With 3 Rising Walls and a rising platform in the exposed center of the POI that revealed high-tier loot, Countdown was a dynamic POI that encourage players to interact with the environment for unique experiences and strategies.
I placed an interactive platform that rises out of the blast doors in the exposed center of the POI that encourage and rewarded riskier strategies. There are 2 panels that can open the High-tier loot platform on opposite sides of the POI.
As the opening Center Blast Door was an unique feature for Countdown, I quickly prototyped a simple version for testing, furthering the dynamic environments for players to engage with in this area.
Below you can see my prototype (top) and the final version (bottom) of the Center Rising Platform opening:
As the opening Center Blast Door was an unique feature for Countdown, I quickly prototyped a simple version for testing, furthering the dynamic environments for players to engage with in this area.
Below you can see my prototype (top) and the final version (bottom) of the Center Rising Platform opening:
Below are some images from my final blockouts of Countdown (the Big Fortress has already begun to be arted tho):
I also made big design changes around Countdown to help the new POI connect and route better with the surrounding POIs and environment. These were welcome changes as they helped redesign some tough chokes and open fields that were easy to get caught in.
2) Staging:
Staging replaced a small, no-named town at the bottom of the springs under the tracks with an elevated POI fortress that incorporates the surrounding train track that wraps around the space.
Using my Rising Walls and Small Fortress instances, I made this new POI that created drastically new gameplay experiences in the area that helped balance the area's existing elevation and train track geo.
Since this area has always been a high-traffic area that was prone to unexpected 3rd-parties due to the extreme elevations, I wanted Staging to have more predictable fights with better frontlines to engage from. Mainly between the Small Fortress across to the train tracks for a really unique combat space.
Below are some comparison shots of the area Staging replaces between World's Edge MU2 and MU1:
Using my Rising Walls and Small Fortress instances, I made this new POI that created drastically new gameplay experiences in the area that helped balance the area's existing elevation and train track geo.
Since this area has always been a high-traffic area that was prone to unexpected 3rd-parties due to the extreme elevations, I wanted Staging to have more predictable fights with better frontlines to engage from. Mainly between the Small Fortress across to the train tracks for a really unique combat space.
Below are some comparison shots of the area Staging replaces between World's Edge MU2 and MU1:
With the removal of the fan favorite Mirage Voy'age, Mirage's Town Takeover I designed for original World's Edge & MU1, I wanted to keep that area of the map interesting as a viable landing spot via with another named POI as the Mirage Voy'age helped connect this part of the map together better.
FYI: The Mirage Voy'age was removed due to memory limitations, not design choices :(
FYI: The Mirage Voy'age was removed due to memory limitations, not design choices :(
- Red Circle: Mirage Voy'age area needing replacement POI
- Green Circle: Staging's location
I designed the lower center of Staging to support quick escapes so players could drop from the elevated play-spaces of the POI to temporarily take cover under/around the structures.
I added 3 lootbins directly in the open of the lower center to encourage these kind of plays, as well as help players who need to scatter off hot drops and allow them to loot something on their way to regrouping with their teammates in the POI.
I placed ziplines, staircases, and climbable rocks to get players back up to the high ground around the POI, balancing the elevation and routing for this POI so it is fair for engagements and repositioning plays.
I added 3 lootbins directly in the open of the lower center to encourage these kind of plays, as well as help players who need to scatter off hot drops and allow them to loot something on their way to regrouping with their teammates in the POI.
I placed ziplines, staircases, and climbable rocks to get players back up to the high ground around the POI, balancing the elevation and routing for this POI so it is fair for engagements and repositioning plays.
I added additional ziplines, cover, and stairs to the surround area around Staging to help the new POI connect better with the surrounding environment, acting as additional QoL for the map too.
3) Launch Site:
To improve play & routing in the South, lava side of World's Edge, I placed a new POI near Dome. This gave new purpose and gameplay advantages to this area, opening it up a bit more for combat predictability and create better overall routes on this South side.
Launch Site replaced an empty lot of lava and islands of scattered loot, which felt tedious to traverse and loot (why no one ever went there). Launch Site's location and designs were meant to make The Dome and this whole lava area more ideal to land at and traverse thru, connecting with Sorting Factory too, making Sorting Factory engagements feel new and fresh too.
Below are some comparison shots of Launch Site from World's Edge MU2 and MU1:
Launch Site replaced an empty lot of lava and islands of scattered loot, which felt tedious to traverse and loot (why no one ever went there). Launch Site's location and designs were meant to make The Dome and this whole lava area more ideal to land at and traverse thru, connecting with Sorting Factory too, making Sorting Factory engagements feel new and fresh too.
Below are some comparison shots of Launch Site from World's Edge MU2 and MU1:
Launch Site's design was to support medium/long range fights in a circular environment, and with the Fortress and catwalk structures, it made for unique push/pull encounters inside and around the POI.
It was designed to be spread out and support multiple Squads dropping comfortably here and having various ways into the surrounding POIs, helping connect this side of the map with the other high-traffic areas better, for navigation and combat alike.
Ziplines and the hilly-terrain creates balanced frontlines and navigation around the POI's drastic elevation, creating predicable engagements for all players. However, holding the high ground and the Large Fortress on the hill are ideal here, especially for late circle defenses.
It was designed to be spread out and support multiple Squads dropping comfortably here and having various ways into the surrounding POIs, helping connect this side of the map with the other high-traffic areas better, for navigation and combat alike.
Ziplines and the hilly-terrain creates balanced frontlines and navigation around the POI's drastic elevation, creating predicable engagements for all players. However, holding the high ground and the Large Fortress on the hill are ideal here, especially for late circle defenses.
Launch Site brought several other changes to this area, including new major routing between nearby POIs, making the map feel more connected than before.
A large new opening has been made East of The Tree, connecting this popular POI to Launch Site, aiding new rotations in/out of this area and bringing more traffic to the lava side.
This was great for late game rotations as it was hard to push up to The Tree if an enemy squad held it already in previous versions of World's Edge. As well as opened a whole new way to rotate out of Tree.
A large new opening has been made East of The Tree, connecting this popular POI to Launch Site, aiding new rotations in/out of this area and bringing more traffic to the lava side.
This was great for late game rotations as it was hard to push up to The Tree if an enemy squad held it already in previous versions of World's Edge. As well as opened a whole new way to rotate out of Tree.
A new route was also made thru the mountain South of Sorting Factory. The Large Fortress in the mountain opened up a new route that overlooked into Sorting Factory, creating new ways to rotate and engage squads in Sorting Factory with Launch Site's new geo.
Additional platforms and Fortress structures wrap around Launch Site's exterior cliff wall to further improve combat and routing around Launch Site & Sorting Factory, as this area was previously pretty empty and hard to engage from.
Additional platforms and Fortress structures wrap around Launch Site's exterior cliff wall to further improve combat and routing around Launch Site & Sorting Factory, as this area was previously pretty empty and hard to engage from.
I made other QoL adjustments to make Launch Site connect and play nicely with the surrounding areas. This included removing scattered buildings in the Lava Area to make Launch Site the focus for combat/loot, as well as adding cover, bridges, and moving the Redeploy Balloon in this area to be more central between Launch Site and Dome, creating better overall routing & frontlines in this whole area.
At the launch of Season 6, Launch Site had a large Rocket in the center of it. As it was only meant as a teaser for the reveal of the 3rd map coming to Apex in the following Season, I had to design the rocket so it didn't affect gameplay as it would be removed mid-way thru Season 6. So the Rocket was held up above gameplay space so Launch Site would play the same with the rocket gone.
Launch Site with Rocket pictured below:
At the launch of Season 6, Launch Site had a large Rocket in the center of it. As it was only meant as a teaser for the reveal of the 3rd map coming to Apex in the following Season, I had to design the rocket so it didn't affect gameplay as it would be removed mid-way thru Season 6. So the Rocket was held up above gameplay space so Launch Site would play the same with the rocket gone.
Launch Site with Rocket pictured below:
Rocket sits above center platform, thrusters seen at top of image here
The Rocket acted a tall landmark seen across the map, it was lost when it was removed unfortunately
4) Survey Camp/Sky Hook Cut Through
Although not a named POI, the redesigns and expansion to this North mountain in World's Edge Mu2 turned this isolated train tunnel into a mini POI with its new loot density and engagement design.
I created 2 new openings in the side of this cliff that made for new rotational options on both the West and East side of the map (from Skyhook and Survey Camp). I also created a new back room at the Northern end of the tunnel, and filled the tunnel with static train cars, cover, and loot.
This made for a much needed pathway between these 2 sides of the map that supported combat and was a viable looting option for mid-games (as well as a viable landing spot).
My new designs here made the North side of the map flow and play significantly better, especially during late circle rotations and ranked Apex games. It helped connect the map together, increasing player traffic around this area, and offered a significant new way to experience World Edge in meaningful ways.
Below are some comparison shots of the new openings and interior between MU2 & MU1:
I created 2 new openings in the side of this cliff that made for new rotational options on both the West and East side of the map (from Skyhook and Survey Camp). I also created a new back room at the Northern end of the tunnel, and filled the tunnel with static train cars, cover, and loot.
This made for a much needed pathway between these 2 sides of the map that supported combat and was a viable looting option for mid-games (as well as a viable landing spot).
My new designs here made the North side of the map flow and play significantly better, especially during late circle rotations and ranked Apex games. It helped connect the map together, increasing player traffic around this area, and offered a significant new way to experience World Edge in meaningful ways.
Below are some comparison shots of the new openings and interior between MU2 & MU1:
The new room I added at the end of the tunnel was designed to help combat flow and to be a mini landing spot Squads could loot before heading into Skyhook or Survey Camp, adding a new landing/rotational experience for players.
The new room has an opening in the roof so squads can land directly in the room off drop. I also added a Redeploy Balloon in the room, creating a quick way to traverse the area, making coming to the new room/tunnel feel more worth it and reduce back tracking and tedious looting routes.
The Redeploy Balloon also peaks thru the top of the mountain to let players know there's an opening there.
The new room has an opening in the roof so squads can land directly in the room off drop. I also added a Redeploy Balloon in the room, creating a quick way to traverse the area, making coming to the new room/tunnel feel more worth it and reduce back tracking and tedious looting routes.
The Redeploy Balloon also peaks thru the top of the mountain to let players know there's an opening there.
Inside new back room from MU2
The changes to this mountain and all the new routing it offers was a big success as it helped with rotational and combat options in this area.
Hammond Structures
For World's Edge MU2, I wanted to make several drastic changes to improve the map, essentially combining normal MU changes (big, new changes like POIs) with smaller changes scattered around the map. This way, changes were felt everywhere on the map and offered a new experience than any previous version of World's Edge while also alleviating several gameplay issues I noticed with the map at the time.
For the team to accomplish this with our tight MU schedules, I needed to design my new fortress structures and Rising Wall map toy to be reusable and offer solid gameplay in various locations/positions with as little rework as possible.
I was able to design 3 reusable Fortress structures for MU2:
I reused these instances in such ways so each location's version played and felt different than other uses, making each POI feel unique and balanced despite being made up from the same structures.
Being able to design these structures in ways that made them so reusable, yet engaging to play in and around at several angles and positions was tough, but made all the changes in World's Edge MU2 possible.
For the team to accomplish this with our tight MU schedules, I needed to design my new fortress structures and Rising Wall map toy to be reusable and offer solid gameplay in various locations/positions with as little rework as possible.
I was able to design 3 reusable Fortress structures for MU2:
- Large Fortress
- Small Fortress
- Corner Fortress
I reused these instances in such ways so each location's version played and felt different than other uses, making each POI feel unique and balanced despite being made up from the same structures.
Being able to design these structures in ways that made them so reusable, yet engaging to play in and around at several angles and positions was tough, but made all the changes in World's Edge MU2 possible.
1) Large Fortress
I used these Large Fortresses to support the grand scale I was going for with each new Hammond-themed POI in MU2. I wanted the interior to feel grand yet predicable for gameplay so it allowed for breathable, close-ranged engagements.
With the help from Robert Taube, our Environmental Art Director at the time, we were able to blockout the aesthetic of the Large Fortress quickly. I took his empty, kit-bashed fortress shell that gave the fortress it's exterior shape, and I fully designed the interior, exterior, and slightly rescaled the building to fit the desired gameplay I was going for.
A center room was used to separate the Fortress' interior into 2 semi-symmetrical sides that played like linear corridors with elevated platforms so it created clear vantage points to hold inside over the lower level. The main vantage point on each side is a platform housing consoles for cover and leads to a large glass wall that has 3 openings for players to engage and move through.
With the help from Robert Taube, our Environmental Art Director at the time, we were able to blockout the aesthetic of the Large Fortress quickly. I took his empty, kit-bashed fortress shell that gave the fortress it's exterior shape, and I fully designed the interior, exterior, and slightly rescaled the building to fit the desired gameplay I was going for.
A center room was used to separate the Fortress' interior into 2 semi-symmetrical sides that played like linear corridors with elevated platforms so it created clear vantage points to hold inside over the lower level. The main vantage point on each side is a platform housing consoles for cover and leads to a large glass wall that has 3 openings for players to engage and move through.
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The exterior has an elevated platform wrapping around the fortress structure, allowing for a 360 field of play, allowing any part of the structure to be playable and/or restricted depending how I wanted to place them.
The exterior walkway is also angled at the corners so they could connect to the Rising Walls or other elevated walkways easily.
The large ramps on both sides of the Fortress allowed for unique engagements and created ideal ways for players to push the fortress from lower grounds, making for some interesting plays in and around the structure no matter how it was placed and its elevation, furthering its reuse options.
The exterior walkway is also angled at the corners so they could connect to the Rising Walls or other elevated walkways easily.
The large ramps on both sides of the Fortress allowed for unique engagements and created ideal ways for players to push the fortress from lower grounds, making for some interesting plays in and around the structure no matter how it was placed and its elevation, furthering its reuse options.
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Adding a platform & catwalks to the exterior of this Large Fortress in Launch Site made for a drastically different experience with little extra work
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2) Small Fortress
Following the Hammond aesthetic from the Large Fortress, I made a smaller fortress style building, but instead of being designed to support a 360 gameplay space, this structure was designed to be used on only one side. The back side was meant to be placed against cliffs and non-playable spaces for a shelf-like structure.
A small, symmetrical room is in the center that the fortress funnels players to. This linear room connects to all the exterior platforms, acting an enclosed routing option and key area to hold.
A giant pipe in the middle of the interior blocked LoS from across the room, creating more close-quartered skirmishes, making holding the interior a little a harder, encouraging squads to move in and around the room to win fights.
At some spots, I placed large leg-beams on the side platforms for this fortress type (pictured below), as they created nice structures for framing the entry points as well as clean cover to swirl around, and created a unique silhouette for the Small Fortresses.
Small Fortresses were able to be connected to any type of geo I wanted to create new, elevated spaces that flowed and supported combat nicely, becoming key areas for World's Edge.
A small, symmetrical room is in the center that the fortress funnels players to. This linear room connects to all the exterior platforms, acting an enclosed routing option and key area to hold.
A giant pipe in the middle of the interior blocked LoS from across the room, creating more close-quartered skirmishes, making holding the interior a little a harder, encouraging squads to move in and around the room to win fights.
At some spots, I placed large leg-beams on the side platforms for this fortress type (pictured below), as they created nice structures for framing the entry points as well as clean cover to swirl around, and created a unique silhouette for the Small Fortresses.
Small Fortresses were able to be connected to any type of geo I wanted to create new, elevated spaces that flowed and supported combat nicely, becoming key areas for World's Edge.
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3) Corner Fortress
Like the Small Fortress' design, the Corner Fortress structure connected paths to a center combat space. However, the space was much more linear here, like a bridge. A small catwalk platform acts as a small perch to fight from, creating cool dynamics to engage/traverse from depending on how and where I placed these structures.
To incorporate the 2 elevations and fights between defenders on the structure and approaching attackers, there is an elevator shaft with a vertical zipline in the center that the catwalk perch wraps around, as well as 2 tunnel openings at the base for players to go thru and remain covered from squads on the high ground. Creating more options for players to out play and make clutch plays from.
A really small room is in the center of the elevated path. The interior of the room intentionally has little cover and a basic layout to emphasize that room isn't designed to support combat, but rather be a temporary spot to hold and heal from during fights.
To incorporate the 2 elevations and fights between defenders on the structure and approaching attackers, there is an elevator shaft with a vertical zipline in the center that the catwalk perch wraps around, as well as 2 tunnel openings at the base for players to go thru and remain covered from squads on the high ground. Creating more options for players to out play and make clutch plays from.
A really small room is in the center of the elevated path. The interior of the room intentionally has little cover and a basic layout to emphasize that room isn't designed to support combat, but rather be a temporary spot to hold and heal from during fights.
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3) Risible Walls
The Risible Walls was an early idea I had for MU2 back when it was supposed to be a Rampart-themed update. It was part of a buildable Fortress idea that players activated to assemble a dynamic fortress environment. This idea was later scrapped in favor of a Hammond-themed update for World's Edge MU2.
However, the Risible Walls were cool enough that I wanted to keep them. They were later narratively sculpted into risible blast doors to keep exhausts from rockets in and outside variables out.
The design goal of the Risible Walls were:
There are 6 Risible Walls around the map. All the walls start each game in their flat, lowered state.
Below is a comparison on the wall's flat (left) and risen (right) state:
However, the Risible Walls were cool enough that I wanted to keep them. They were later narratively sculpted into risible blast doors to keep exhausts from rockets in and outside variables out.
The design goal of the Risible Walls were:
- Have a cool map toy players interact with that creates more dynamic play spaces in Apex
- Have players change how they play the area depending on the state of the environment's walls
- Indicators where squads are around you via visuals and audio ques based on non-combat actions
There are 6 Risible Walls around the map. All the walls start each game in their flat, lowered state.
Below is a comparison on the wall's flat (left) and risen (right) state:
Default, flat state
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Risen state
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Walls are only raised when players activate them via that wall's Activation Panels. Each wall has 3 Activation Panels. One on the center platform of the bridge, and one on each side of the platform the wall rises to (circled below).
I prototyped the Risible Walls to prove it was an idea worth pursuing by using script_movers and rotators in the level editor, which are entities LDs use to get script function without actually needing to script.
These movers/rotators were super finicky to adjust and get working for something like this. However, it worked well enough to convey my design goals and prove to me and the team that it was a fun idea definitely worth the effort to pull off.
Here is my early prototype rising, followed by the final, in-game version:
These movers/rotators were super finicky to adjust and get working for something like this. However, it worked well enough to convey my design goals and prove to me and the team that it was a fun idea definitely worth the effort to pull off.
Here is my early prototype rising, followed by the final, in-game version:
The walls can only be raised once and cannot be lowered again. This was a design decision I made because as these Risible Walls were used at all the new POIs for MU2, they acted as cool visual indicators for teams approaching the POI to tell if the area had been hit or not already based on if the walls were up or down.
To keep fights predicable, I also didn't want the wall to be continuously raised and lowered mid-fights, especially since they were designed to be loud.
The Risible Walls give off a distinct, loud audio que when they're being raised. Squads in the surrounding area can hear the wall being activated. This acts as a good indicator of where enemies are around you, influencing where squads can go to get in fights. It also acts as a soft risk/reward when activating the walls as nearby enemies will hear it.
To keep fights predicable, I also didn't want the wall to be continuously raised and lowered mid-fights, especially since they were designed to be loud.
The Risible Walls give off a distinct, loud audio que when they're being raised. Squads in the surrounding area can hear the wall being activated. This acts as a good indicator of where enemies are around you, influencing where squads can go to get in fights. It also acts as a soft risk/reward when activating the walls as nearby enemies will hear it.
I worked closely with the scripter to get the timings and pieces to all move properly, and the Artist to get the dimensions/scale right for the moving pieces so it all moves together without clipping or other issues, along with Animation and FX too which animated the wall's hydraulics on the back.
I was in lots of conversations and managing a lot between departments to get the walls working as intended and giving everyone involved correct measurements, timings, and design goals so the walls moved perfectly in sync with everything. Mostly while Work from Home too due to the start of Covid in 2020.
As moving geo is tough to pull off in Apex as it has to interact with players, loot, character abilities, etc, I worked closely with Art, script, engineers, Animation, Fx, and other departments to pull off this feat. Which I think was totally worth it as using the walls and fighting along them are super cool and makes for a super unique experience in World's Edge. Cheers Team involved for pulling off such a feat!
I was in lots of conversations and managing a lot between departments to get the walls working as intended and giving everyone involved correct measurements, timings, and design goals so the walls moved perfectly in sync with everything. Mostly while Work from Home too due to the start of Covid in 2020.
As moving geo is tough to pull off in Apex as it has to interact with players, loot, character abilities, etc, I worked closely with Art, script, engineers, Animation, Fx, and other departments to pull off this feat. Which I think was totally worth it as using the walls and fighting along them are super cool and makes for a super unique experience in World's Edge. Cheers Team involved for pulling off such a feat!
MU2's QoL Changes
As an avid player of Apex Legends and as someone who understood our game at various skill levels, there were several QoL changes I wanted to make to World's Edge so it played better for pubs, ranked, and Competitive Apex players.
Like a Health Update done in other Live Service games, I wanted to introduce small, but significant changes around the map to help the overall player experience, making World's Edge have the best player experience yet. My design goals was to make World's Edge even more balanced and interesting for fights and rotations.
The biggest QoL changes were:
Like a Health Update done in other Live Service games, I wanted to introduce small, but significant changes around the map to help the overall player experience, making World's Edge have the best player experience yet. My design goals was to make World's Edge even more balanced and interesting for fights and rotations.
The biggest QoL changes were:
- Introducing new pathways around Map for better routing options
- Removing the moving Train and adding towns/cover on the open tracks
- Small, but impactful improvements:
- Alleviating harsh routing areas by adding stairs and ziplines
- Adjusting existing geo/POIs to support more balanced combat
- Adding 2 new Geysers around map
- Added/rearranged Banners around map to be seen better, as well as aid Crypto players more
New Pathways & Navigational Options
One of the biggest issues I experienced in World's Edge was some of its harsh chokes and lack of rotational options late circle. This led to squads being forced to go thru chokes being defended by another squad and making really hard rotations to survive. These felt unfair to die to, so I redesigned some areas of the map to introduce new openings and navigational options to offer more ways to traverse some of these scary areas.
Image below labels some major pathway changes I created for MU2 (that haven't previously been talked about yet):
One of the biggest issues I experienced in World's Edge was some of its harsh chokes and lack of rotational options late circle. This led to squads being forced to go thru chokes being defended by another squad and making really hard rotations to survive. These felt unfair to die to, so I redesigned some areas of the map to introduce new openings and navigational options to offer more ways to traverse some of these scary areas.
Image below labels some major pathway changes I created for MU2 (that haven't previously been talked about yet):
These new pathways I added to World's Edge was a major success as the player base, both casual and professional, loved these new changes as it aided for a better overall experience.
Below are some before & afters of the changes labeled above:
Below are some before & afters of the changes labeled above:
1) Tree/Thermal Station Opening:
New opening here that allowed more rotational options from Tree to Thermal Station, utilizing this small town with a Respawn Beacon better with a more direct route and overall better flow in this area, especially for late circle rotations around this area.
I also added 3 lootbins in this new choke to further attract players here, encouraging new rotations out of the surrounding POIs.
New opening here that allowed more rotational options from Tree to Thermal Station, utilizing this small town with a Respawn Beacon better with a more direct route and overall better flow in this area, especially for late circle rotations around this area.
I also added 3 lootbins in this new choke to further attract players here, encouraging new rotations out of the surrounding POIs.
2) New Corner Fortress at Sorting Factory
Replaced round building at Sorting Factory's SW corner with my Corner Fortress structure to improve combat and routing in this area of Sorting Factory.
My fortress' elevated platforms engaged better with Sorting Factory's rooftop vantage points than the round building, and zipline to The Tree creates better combat space to get between the 2 POIs better and safer than before.
This Corner Fortress also was placed here to hide a structural brush inside of it, a special brush used to help rendering/performance, which this large area needed.
Replaced round building at Sorting Factory's SW corner with my Corner Fortress structure to improve combat and routing in this area of Sorting Factory.
My fortress' elevated platforms engaged better with Sorting Factory's rooftop vantage points than the round building, and zipline to The Tree creates better combat space to get between the 2 POIs better and safer than before.
This Corner Fortress also was placed here to hide a structural brush inside of it, a special brush used to help rendering/performance, which this large area needed.
With the changes to the cliffs across from Sorting Factory where Launch Site was added, I added new cover and some new ziplines that helped create frontlines between the new launch Site fortresses and Sorting Factory's exterior better, resulting in better fights and routing. (pictured below)
3) Expanded Choke Between Lava Fissure and Countdown
Opened up the linear, tight choke here to create more room to read the space before committing into it and potentially running into another squad unexpectedly, usually resulting in another squad 3rd-partying and trapping teams in the choke to die.
Expanded choke creates better flow and engagements between the Countdown Fortress and Lava Fissure, encouraging this rotation more than before.
Opened up the linear, tight choke here to create more room to read the space before committing into it and potentially running into another squad unexpectedly, usually resulting in another squad 3rd-partying and trapping teams in the choke to die.
Expanded choke creates better flow and engagements between the Countdown Fortress and Lava Fissure, encouraging this rotation more than before.
Removed Train & Added Cover on Tracks:
One of the big issues with World's Edge was how exposed the 2-lane train tracks went around the map were, which had to be clear so the Moving Train could roam the map.
This created really open areas that felt like death traps for squads to cross while being shot at. We decided to remove the train and fill the tracks with cover and small towns for looting, as well as heavily redesigning some areas of the map for better combat experiences.
I placed and finalized all assets on the tracks myself, making sure they were up to the quality of our Art team. I'm somewhat of an Environmental Artist myself :) (I kid)
Below are some examples of the more drastic changes I made to some of the train tracks & tunnels around World's Edge:
Train Tunnel 1 MU2
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Train Tunnel 1 MU2 (top of trains meant to be held as vantage point)
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I also added 2 full train crash sights in the North-East part of the map to help the flow and connect POIs in that area better.
The goal was for players to feel more inclined to land in this area and have these trains to loot as mini towns between POIs as Refinery was pretty isolated out there in the NE corner.
The goal was for players to feel more inclined to land in this area and have these trains to loot as mini towns between POIs as Refinery was pretty isolated out there in the NE corner.
1)Train Crash I added to the NW of Refinery was meant to help the flow between Refinery, Survey Camp, Epicenter, and MU2's new Sky Hook/Survey Camp Cut Thru.
This train location helped with combat in these exposed hills too, especially for final circles.
Intended flow with Train Crash town high-lighted below (Train Crash town circled in yellow):
This train location helped with combat in these exposed hills too, especially for final circles.
Intended flow with Train Crash town high-lighted below (Train Crash town circled in yellow):
(2)Train Crash I added to the South of Refinery was meant to help routing out of Refinery offer more loot on the way to Epicenter & Overlook, as well as offer some better cover to engage from around these super exposed snow hills.
Small, But Impactful Improvements:
I made several small, but significant changes around the map that helped the overall flow and player experience for World's Edge, making World's Edge MU2 feel like a Marketable Map Update while also fixing key issues like a Health Update:
I made several small, but significant changes around the map that helped the overall flow and player experience for World's Edge, making World's Edge MU2 feel like a Marketable Map Update while also fixing key issues like a Health Update:
- Alleviating harsh routing areas by adding stairs and ziplines around map
- Adjusting existing geo/POIs to support more balanced combat
- Adding 2 new Geysers around map
- Added and clustered Banners around map better to aid Crypto players and make more visible for players
New Stairs & Ziplines:
I Improved traversal options around the map with new ziplines and stair cases, aiding overall flow and combat balance in key areas around harsh elevations and chokes.
Below are just 2 of the many examples of new traversal options I added for MU2:
I Improved traversal options around the map with new ziplines and stair cases, aiding overall flow and combat balance in key areas around harsh elevations and chokes.
Below are just 2 of the many examples of new traversal options I added for MU2:
This bridge (pictured above in MU2) connecting the gap for better traversal/combat here was slatted as "The Best Change in this Map Update" on Reddit as a joke when it released (Reddit Post Here)
QoL Changes to Train Yard:
Adjusted and added geo to Train Yard to allow this POI to play better and not feel as unbalanced to engage around.
Train Yard was a central POI that was next to Countdown. As Train Yard was already a high traffic area, it was a tough POI to fight in/around due to the extreme height offered by 4 hanging train cars overlooking the whole area.
As the hanging train cars were tough to get up to and get squads out of, I wanted to make changes to allow this space to feel more balanced and friendly towards non-mobile characters while not ruining the uniqueness of Train Yard's design either.
To get players up to the elevation and have better fights in this POI, I made the following changes to Train Yard:
Adjusted and added geo to Train Yard to allow this POI to play better and not feel as unbalanced to engage around.
Train Yard was a central POI that was next to Countdown. As Train Yard was already a high traffic area, it was a tough POI to fight in/around due to the extreme height offered by 4 hanging train cars overlooking the whole area.
As the hanging train cars were tough to get up to and get squads out of, I wanted to make changes to allow this space to feel more balanced and friendly towards non-mobile characters while not ruining the uniqueness of Train Yard's design either.
To get players up to the elevation and have better fights in this POI, I made the following changes to Train Yard:
- Significantly lowered the 4 hanging cars, which:
- Limited the LoS and power of the hanging cars over the surrounding open fields
- Allowed players to get up to hanging cars from the roofs and vantage points around POI
- Made it easier to assault teams in the hanging cars, balancing and amplifying engagements
- Added props so players could climb elevations easier in the area, creating new frontlines for combat too
Two New Geysers Placed:
I added two additional Geysers in lower areas around the map to help combat & rotations between harsh elevations that were easy to get trapped in before.
Geysers blasted players into the air, initiating a drop sequence so they could fly up to surrounding areas easily. Previously, there was only 1 Geyser on World's Edge in the POI Geyser, but to help these probamatic areas I've experienced, add Geysers here would allievate a lot of pain points I had navigating and combating in these areas.
These new Geysers drastically helped with navigation options in the 2 areas I placed them in.
I added two additional Geysers in lower areas around the map to help combat & rotations between harsh elevations that were easy to get trapped in before.
Geysers blasted players into the air, initiating a drop sequence so they could fly up to surrounding areas easily. Previously, there was only 1 Geyser on World's Edge in the POI Geyser, but to help these probamatic areas I've experienced, add Geysers here would allievate a lot of pain points I had navigating and combating in these areas.
These new Geysers drastically helped with navigation options in the 2 areas I placed them in.
1) West Geyser
2) South Geyser
Map Updates take a lot of work and the Level Designers are responsible for most of it. So there was a lot to go through and still some key design choices and additions I made that were significant to improving player experiences, but not worth adding to this already long break down.
Thanks for reading! Everything done in this update was a team effort and couldn't have been done without all the support from other departments.
Thanks for reading! Everything done in this update was a team effort and couldn't have been done without all the support from other departments.