World building

The process of designing the first Hunt map was a long one. It took a lot of back and forth and trial and error before we figured out what worked, and what would be the most fun to play. When we build a map for the first time we start by generating rules, which cover things like the density of locations, their general layouts, size of boss spaces, number of clues, number of entry points, etc. Typically, when creating a new map, we start with the recipe (rules) and then look for interesting new locations and ideas within that framework. After that, we work with the concept and art teams to develop those ideas and create blockouts. We don’t draw any of it on paper though.

We knew what we wanted from a Hunt map—a replayable experience, tension, that creeping fear of the unknown—and those goals led us to create an open world that you can explore freely, and that is packed with randomized features. We had to get the balance of size, a number of locations, and feature variety right to prevent the space from feeling stale.

Depending on the phase of the mission, the level needs to do different things, and that adds another handful of factors to the design process. For example, at the beginning of a match searching for clues/exploration is the focus, so players are pretty mobile, and that lends itself much more to open, unrestricted, and natural space design. As the game progresses to a banishing/boss kill, where players tend to be static, the level requirements shift to very rigid and structured metrics and quite traditional space design at very specific locations in the map. In those areas, you need to design the spaces like little multiplayer maps within the larger map, while providing both teams with defensive and offensive options. Then, to complicate things further, we add AI into the mix with their own spatial requirements. It’s quite a lot to think about.