In a game like Rainbow Six Siege, ensuring that all maps are as competitive as possible is crucial. As part of that effort, we have learned a lot about how our maps are played, and what goes into making all of the Bomb Site locations viable options. For some maps, this can be done with adding and removing a few walls, and making minor tweaks to the flow of the map. For others, it will require extensive overhauls to the core layout of the map, which is where our Map Reworks come in. The goal of these reworks is to make a map more player-friendly at all skill levels, but also ensure that they are as balanced as possible. As previously announced, the first map receiving a rework will arrive in Year 3 Season 3.
With the Map Rework system, the level design team heavily alters the landscape to improve map flow. The overall goal of this process is to create more feasible Defender site choices. Our hopes are not to remove the most favorable selections, but to make other choices more practical, leading to a fresh experience. Additionally, changes to the layout of the map will open up better possibilities for Defenders to move around the map, as well as for Attackers when they are assaulting the objective. For example, ensuring that players have rotation opportunities and are not funneling through a single choke point to access a portion of the map is a part of reimagining the interior layout of a map.
The theme, or visual identity, of a map is also one of the areas that may be fine-tuned. This is where the art team will use their skills to make changes that improve the art direction. This is not limited to touching up on graphical fidelity of certain aspects of the map – the team may choose to revamp the feel, or setting, for where this map exists. We believe that this is an important step in making the maps more visually pleasing.
Maps that have competitive potential, but lack in this area, will be the leading candidates for the rework process. When maps suffer from imbalanced Bomb Sites, difficult rotation options, or spawn points that are problematic, they will either be reworked (Hereford Base), or removed from Ranked/Professional play (Tower). It is important to note that a map being removed from a playlist does not guarantee it will go through a rework or buff. This will allow the team to reevaluate the layout and make the necessary changes to improve the player experience.
To find out further details about map reworks and the incoming Hereford Base in Season 3, be sure to follow us on Twitter and join the discussion on Reddit.
