Campaign maps need a redesign

Again I'm replaying the campaign, and again I get the same feeling I did before: they feel too big, extremely confusing and with so many pointless dead ends that it becomes unbearable.

After replaying the campaign so many times, by now I know every layout by heart, and they still manage to feel like a complete mess.

I understood why this is the case after looking at a map layout guide out of curiosity


(this is the old layout, just to illustrate the point)

This is what map designers see.

It looks great on paper, right? On paper, this is great map design.

Sadly though, anyone who played Apex of Filth (or the majority of the maps in the game) knows that in reality, while playing the game, this map is nothing short of a maze and you will be going to those dead ends that serve no purpose other than being annoying. Unless, of course, you know those layouts on a speedruner level.

Not only is this map huge even if you never miss the boss, but those dead ends can easily add 30 minutes.

And this is only talking about one map, which isn't even the most annoying, but almost every single one of them has the exact same problem.

The update to maps in 0.2 did nothing to solve the problem, because the problem isn't only that they're too big, it's that their layout is completely terrible, which 0.2 didn't fix at all despite what was said in the patch notes *and it's not only act 3 maps, although they're the worst ones*.



If you ask me, my guess of what happened is that the map design team was done too early with their job while everyone else still had things to do, and with nothing else to do they just decide to fill the maps with pointless random shit like this because they were bored or something.

Please, redesign the maps. At least more than half of them shouldn't have passed the test phase unless your intention is to make players suffer for no reason.

The maps being a maze doesn't make the game more fun, it's not rewarding, it doesn't make the game harder, it doesn't accomplish anything other than being annoying

Pretty sure that map was the original for Apex of Filth and it made sense because you are climbing in a spiral to the apex. Since the last update it seems more random with dead ends everywhere

agree though some maps make you wonder why its designed that way

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GuiltyParty32#9913 wrote:

Pretty sure that map was the original for Apex of Filth and it made sense because you are climbing in a spiral to the apex. Since the last update it seems more random with dead ends everywhere

agree though some maps make you wonder why its designed that way

Yea, it is. It was just to illustrate the point, I can't find the new layout

A simple spiral with cauldron on one level and the Queen on another would have been good enough and thematically accurate.

I actually really enjoy that map now with the mob density...layout sucks but its very visual and mobs is great for blasting.

+1

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GuiltyParty32#9913 wrote:

A simple spiral with cauldron on one level and the Queen on another would have been good enough and thematically accurate.

I actually really enjoy that map now with the mob density...layout sucks but its very visual and mobs is great for blasting.

Exactly.

Like, take for example Drowned City. That map layout was/is the one I always disliked the most because when I first started playing I probably spent close to 1 hour there every time (and that's 2x per character because of cruel, which makes it even worst)

The layout sucked and still sucks, but it's fun blasting the mobs there and the map looks nice, even the mechanic where they spawn from the sides of the road is fun

That's fun, yes. But it's only fun while I know I'm on the right path and actually progressing towards my goal, not towards a dead end with absolutely nothing (which btw that map has at least 20). Otherwise, only feels like a waste of time. That's especially the case when mob level scales with you on the next map