At the break of dawn, the city awakens in a haze of untold dreams and routines to follow. Cars flow through the grid, halting now and then at the mercy of traffic. Soft morning light reflects off the windows on modern buildings, all designed to expectation and made tall by collective ambition. Snowflakes flutter down on the bustling metropolis. It’s business as usual until day turns into night when the streets take on their second identity and neon colors emerge from stacked billboard ads. A helicopter surveys the area, free from the restraints of the grid, rising above office buildings of tech giants. It finds the highest helipad on the tallest tower. Somewhere inside the tower, a breaching charge detonates.
Descend on Mok Myeok, a staggering communications and observation tower in Seoul, South Korea. The tower brushes the clouds and overlooks the entire cityscape, a marvel of futuristic construction. Inside, traditional Korean architecture meets contemporary style: Tea rooms and lounges furnished in wood and homespun motifs, and bright and sleek modern offices. Art Director Gregory Fromenteau explained, “We are always looking to have contrast in the maps. Modern and old school, the duality of styles.”
Unfortunately, Mok Myeok is under attack, the sins of its corrupt CEO being laid bare. You must fight your way through the restaurant, nightclub, art gallery, and offices of the tower’s floors.
The first element the team wanted to take advantage of was the tower’s soaring height. “Our goal was to bring the fear of heights and a sensation of falling,” says Jacques Wong, one of the Level Designers. “The verticality and sense of being high-up is felt inside just as much as it is outside."
When it came to designing and creating Mok Myeok Tower as the game’s newest map, the entire process proved to be a significant challenge to the Dev team. In contrast to previous maps where there were multiple paths leading to the main building, the Level Designers decided to take a different approach. “The new feature utilizes the Tower’s structure and allows players to rappel down and through the access points,” Wong explained. Should players be worried though about campers? “The map itself is pretty large and was designed specifically so that the majority of battles would take place in the center.” Combat starts out mostly at long-range, but once players draw closer to the center of the tower, it becomes a head-to-head shoot out.
Check our blog regularly for more updates on what’s coming up and catch the action at the Pro League finals in São Paulo on November 18-19 at twitch.tv/rainbow6.
For the latest updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join the discussion on our subreddit and Forums!
