Level Overview.

Takeoff is a map originally developed for Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2, and was later updated and released for Call Of Duty: Mobile which will be examined in this post. Takeoff was designed for the game modes Domination, S&D, and TDM. The map centers around a launch site where players fight through administrative and customer service buildings where most buildings converge onto the circular fountain in the center of the map.

Key Features.

○ A large variety of height

Height is freakquently used throughout Takeoff to separate various areas of the level. Higher points on the map that feature longer sightlines are more vulnerable to attacks from the side and back which is used to balance these locations and prevent camping. The changing of height is utilized to create a flow of players to the center of the map. By having a higher elevation in the spawn areas and a lower level in the center it funnels players to focus in on the main combat area located in the middle of the level.

○ Open engagement areas

These combat zones are defined with a mixture of height, sightlines, and player flow. Because players start at a higher elevation than the center circle they can see this larger area from farther away and naturally are drawn to it. The area in the center of the map which contains a circular fountain also acts as a foundation for orientating the player, while drawing in teammates for combat engagements.

○ Art to guide players

Various props and decals are utilized in Takeoff to guide players to key locations. Colored arrows are painted on the ground to represent movement directions and locations throughout the map, along with signs and key statues that let players orient themselves. In the center of the map a large globe statue is displayed around a cirular fountain, this is a key element in the level as it provides standard waypoint to navigate from. The background of this level is an administrative location, which allows the floor arrows and signs to be displayed without seeming out of place.

Takeoff is designed with many areas that have long sightlines into different branches of the level, yet it also contains many ways of countering these potentially exploitative positions. The most common way the map deals with these locations is by not limiting the distance or view that they can have, but instead designing those specific locations to be more risky to stay in than others. This is accomplished by making areas with long sightlines have high traffic and have more than one direction of approach. Increasing the amount of directions that players need to look for enemies while they are in this spot.

Layout.

Takeoff while not an extremely large level, combines a lot of great techniques to provide a fun and engaging experience for players. The use of height both separates, and ties the sections of the level together through the use of small sets of stairs, and raised viewing locations. Takeoff is comprised of three main 'lanes' that players compete over. These lanes branch to one another and create a web of locations for combat, and for players to slowly rotate around the map moving from lane to lane. The center 'lane' is the fastest way for a player to reach the other end of the level however, it quickly enters the most popular combat area slowing a player down drastically. While the lanes on the left and right of the map are much longer, players will face less enemies to engage in balancing the physical space and time of the map. The order of importance for these lanes can be greatly modified when the game mode is changed. Game modes such as capture the flag or domination in which teams compete over capture points can change how these lanes interact with one another.

Hot Zones.

Typically players tend to deam the best location in a team deathmatch level to be the area with the longest / best sightlines. This is also true on Takeoff however it is not encouraged by the design of those exploitative locations. The data that I collected from what I could percieve showed that players tended to not live that long while in those locations and over the course of a match the areas higher up in the map with better lines of sight were less and less populated. This is due to what was explained earlier as these locations are riddled with vulnerabilites for the players inside of them. To collect this data, I played around 53 matches of this level and took note of where I saw most players and myself converge. Although not perfectly accurate this heatmap matches where the design of hte level pushes its player base, and which lane or route they may choose to take.

Props & Art Details.

Large props and environmental details exist throughout the map, including a large space shuttle, and space themed statues. Takeoffs theme is notibly corporate, with administration and guest buildings being the primary architecture with some technology and mechanical props added for the rocket launch aspect.