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Writer's pictureConor Currie

Level Design: Analysis - Halo 3

Updated: Oct 31, 2022

I have decided to analyse "The Storm", the fourth mission from the "Halo 3" entry in "Halo: The Master Chief Collection". This level has Master Chief storm an enemy base, in an effort to destroy the Anti-Air Wraiths in the base, and this will dive into some of the mechanics that are used in this game.


Advantage Points



In this level, the intensity gradually increases from Act 1 to Act 2 and 3. One way this is shown is through Advantage Points. In the first act of the level, the objective to destroy the “Anti-Air Wraith” is made to feel easy through the player having not only clear shelter they can hide behind, but also are higher than the enemy, meaning the player has a much larger advantage in having a much more stable tactical point over the enemy and makes their experience easier.


In contrast to this, the Crab Boss of Act 2 first appears on field when the player is mounted, and completely towers over them. However, the player can unmount themselves and make their way to the elevator in order to give them a height advantage on them, and allows them to target them more accurately, though still with the added rise of intensity in the beginning with their unexpected appearance.



In Act 3, the enemy completely towers over the player no matter what, as there is no location they can rise above them to, meaning they need to take them down from below while they’re at a disadvantage, showing the gradual rise in intensity in helping the player feel stronger to weaker.


However, a flaw with this can be seen in how they present intensity. In Act 2, the Crab Boss appears so suddenly that it creates mass tension in the player’s emotion. However, the enemy of Act 3 can be seen from a far distance when it presents no issue to the player, meaning the player . However, as seen in my Beat Chart, while Act 2’s Crab Boss creates the highest spike of intensity, Act 3’s boss holds the longest sustained intensity, as the player is unable to find a way to get a height advantage over them, meaning the intensity does still gradually increase in the level, with the Act 2 and 3 being it presented in different ways.


Lines And Curves


This level has multiple ways it attempts to frame a path for the player in placement of items. For example, here the player can see the path that the level has built for them through the debris, creating a clear route for where they need to follow to make it out of the room. This is highlighted through lines and curves that can be drawn on that shows clearly what the player can see in their mind in the path they'd most realistically take, while helping the room to still look visually unique in not being an enclosed room that simply leads it’s players to the destination through walls attached to the exit.



Landmarks


One way the player is guided through the level is through landmarks. “Landmarks” help establish a certain point of the level through usage of a large model that the player can see from a far distance. This helps lead the player to that point while also creating a sense of wonder and awe, being good both functionally and aesthetically. In Halo 3’s case in-particular, it helps to create suspense and tension when the player sees the large enemy, and creates a sense of dread as to what’s to come while, in combining with the breadcrumbs method of the path, along with not blending in with any other “Landmarks”, being an easily accessible point for the player to find.


Mental Mapping - Symmetry



One way the level helps for the player to traverse it easily is through symmetry. While the room above looks rather complex, it's nothing more than a rectangle. With this simple layout instead of a complex, over-the place layout, the player can clearly traverse through the room and find their way around in making their way from Point A to B.


Framing



Halo 3 also helps the player experience by framing an easy path for them to find. For example, the image above shows a singular space between the wall and the glass that, if the player travels through, are able to find the corridor that continues the level. However, the player would be less inclined to travel through the space if all the glass was not there, or there was no gap, and they weren't sure if they were able to break it, and may find themselves lost for longer, with this usage of framing helping to instead create a smoother play session.


Breadcrumbs


A way this level tries to establish a clear path for the player is through the use of Breadcrumbs. This is when there’s a clear route indicator in the ground that the player is inclined to follow without thinking twice. While a simple choice, the dirt path leading to the final boss of the level helps for the player not to get lost upon the way and shows clearly where they need to follow.


Cutscenes


Cutscenes are a staple of almost every modern video game, however, Halo 3 helps deliver it’s cutscenes in a way that doesn’t obstruct the player from the world, In this level, the player is continually stopped for brief moments of time by a vision they see. This never exceeds five seconds, and helps create mystery and intrigue around the narrative of the game while not ruining the game experience. The longer cutscenes Halo 3 does have instead lies at the end of this level, the only long cutscene in the level only happening when it’s beat helping to create more incentive to reach the end of the level for not just game progression, but also promise of story progression.



Additionally, this level also helps maintain a strong narrative through cutscenes that are going on in the world that doesn't obstruct the player. For example, here we can see a random ship be shot out of the sky while the player is in active gameplay. While it does nothing to the enviornment, it helps create a sense of awe and compells the player in the narrative of the level and the world of the game itself.


Dialogue



Another way Halo 3 delivers a level narrative without long cutscenes is having these cutscenes taking place in the world. For example, here we can see the enemies watching a hologram talking about their enemies demise, which ends as soon as the player initiates the battle, which helps give a further glimpse into the narrative of Halo and allows the player to decide for themselves how much of the narrative they themselves want to stop and listen to themselves.


Beat Chart



To better understand the intensity of this level, "The Storm", I made a Beat Chart for it. I found from it that Act 2 had higher intensity in terms of shock value, while Act 3 had more sustained intensity in the level. I found this unique usage of intensity interesting, as the player is challenged more through lower, sustained intensity, as brief glimpses of high intensity before it lowers only provides short challenges which are, in turn, easier than longer ones.

Flow Chart

Additionally, I made a Flow Chart so that I would better understand the structure of the level. This helped me break down the level into three acts for the Beat Chart, along with helping me to see the reliance on traversal that Act 1 has in contrast to how little there is in Act 2 and especially Act 3, helping for me to further understand how Halo 3's "The Storm" creates gradually increasing intensity by making enemy encounters, prominently more disanventageous ones, more frequent.


You can view both of these here:

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVPSniGIY=/?share_link_id=360945473102


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