Last modified: 2022.01.27
This is the first screenshot I took while working on this map. This was the core idea behind what I wanted to make. All three of the flat platforms in the middle would be where the hills reside, with a teleporter below the lowest platform that goes up to the top platform. Each of the three layers would then have different areas corresponding to them, with the four teams all spawning on the center layer.
After that, I started working on the low hill, as I figured it would be easiest to start by building from the bottom and going up. The hill needed some cover, but not too much cover, so I used two large barricades to achieve that. I placed a large platform just behind the top edge of the ramps going down to the teleporter. After looking at that, I decided I liked it and that I needed some bridges to connect them. I just used the straight bridge segments because I didn't realize that the diagonal bridges would have done a better job at it. This would actually turn out to be better for reasons seen later.
And later is now. I put platforms down to connect the bridges and put gravity lifts at two opposing corners. Those corners would be used for going up to the center layer and the other two would be for getting down from there. I then started working on the center layer, as the lower level's basic design was complete. Before that could start, I had to figure out where the bases would go and how they would connect to that center layer. A bridge comprised of two of the longest straight bridge segments running from the front of each base to the center hill seemed like a good fit. Poking around with the different pieces at my disposal, the dish with a cutout in the middle seemed like a good fit for the front of the base.
Now to figure out how to design the bases. More looking around for pieces. I found a circular bunker piece that I thought fit well and slapped them to the dishes. The inside was a little cramped and I wanted more space both behind and above the base, and the two-story tower did a great job of that. Above the gravity lifts from the low level to the center is a ramp structure that makes sure the player going up it bumps their head on it and slides onto the platform without falling off the map. Each of them only needed one ramp, but the extra ramp and platform were added to make it look better.
With the core structure of the bases completed, it was time to figure out the high layer. Originally, I had imagined that there would be an entire upper layer too, but instead of going with this, I decided to just make ramps and lifts to get up there. These, in conjunction with the teleporter hanging above it, could create enough ways to get up there to not need an entire separate layer. Each team has their own ramp up and a shorter ramp shared with another team that goes up to a gravity lift situated on top of the ramp for that other set of gravity lifts.
The bases felt like they were missing something and I wanted one more way for teams to be able to get up to the high hill. I found the sniper tower while looking through buildings and decided to add one of those to each base, as it would give a more elevated place to shoot at people on the high hill. I then created a way to get on top of the tower portion of the base, situated a man cannon there, and began placing platforms that they would launch players to. This would be the final way of getting up there that players needed to have.
Two things to note with this one. The first is the big slab on the side of the tower. This was to help enclose it and prevent players from getting shot at while they try to move around in their base. Second is the teleporter, which is there to teleport grenades away to keep players from having a ton of nades thrown into their base.
I figured out a way to make those platforms look a little better. Also, threw some one way shield doors in front of the base. Don't want to let enemies come in through the front door.
Gwaaarrrrhhhh! From this angle, the bases look like some kind of giant monster. I threw some cover on the sides of the long bridges leading to the center hill for some line-of-sight breaks.
With something this stupidly blatant, I'd certainly hope people would know that I made this map. And also that they think that it's good. Would probably not be good for me to have that there if this map isn't actually good.
I only realized later that it wasn't possible to jump on top of the center hill as a spartan. Apparently, spartans and elites have different jump heights in Reach. I did not know that. I also had to fix the platforms in the bases that lead to the man cannons because of this.