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Posted: 12 Dec 2010 03:44 PM PST

In the continuing spirit of open discussion, we'd like to let you guys in on some of the design insights that came about in the creation of the new 3v3 map, Grimm's Crossing, that will be released with HoN 2.0 and be featured with the new 3v3 Matchmaking.

1. Darkwood Vale v2
Our desire to revamp matchmaking eventually became a directive to include a 3v3 option to increase the robustness of the system. We first turned to Darkwood Vale, our only 3v3 map at the time. Though the initial idea for Grimm's Crossing arose from the ashes of Darkwood Vale, the end result would eventually evolve into a vastly different product.

2. Initial Concepting
We began the project with the intention of altering Darkwood Vale, our previous 3v3 map. Though Darkwood Vale accommodated four less players, the map itself was just as big as Forests of Caldavar, our 5v5 map. To compensate for this, we drastically decreased the map size, particularly in regards to the middle neutral area and lane length. Over the span of a single week, more and more adjustments were made until the map snowballed from a simple rework to a completely new map. Along the way, we had several insights regarding what players looked for in a 3v3--that it should be small, action packed, and fast as hell. This brought about a few special additions to the map:

Teleporters add an interesting offensive and defensive
element to the map, especially for juking. Despite the
already small size of the map, they add a way to reach the
battle faster, cementing the characteristic fast-paced
gameplay. The idea for teleporters had been on our minds
for quite a while; it was something we had considered for
the original remake of Darkwood Vale. There would be
one-way teleporters that offered a way to get into the
action faster, and would be part of the remedy of the huge
map size. On Grimm's Crossing however, they simply
supercharge the pace... wait until you have your first
starting rune fight on Grimm's Crossing!

There is no random number generator at work here. You
know where the rune will be every two minutes... you just
don't know what rune it is, or who else will be trying to get
it. Because there are only two lanes, with the rune at the
center of the map, leaving a lane allows players to obtain
the rune and gank in one swift move without slowing the
action down with backtracking.

Even the terrain itself is reflective of our goal of action, action, action.

While elevation differences and the unique gameplay features they
bring are core to strategy in 5v5, we felt that removing
elevation differences in lanes and bases was better for 3v3 in
order to fulfill a faster-paced gameplay style, as we wanted to
avoid prolonged sieges outside of bases on high ground. The only
walkable higher ground can be found at the teleporters, which will
be vital for map control.

There are trees galore! Both lanes are essentially flanked by
additional tree-lined paths specifically for ganking and
juking. A savvy Thunderbringer player could, for example,
theoretically spend the entirety of the laning stage playing
from the cover of trees. The fact that many of the treelines
are single-row creates even more potential for great plays
when you consider heroes and items with the ability to
destroy trees.

Being a 3v3 map, you will inevitably have at least one solo
lane. Unlike Forests of Caldavar, there is no "safe" middle
lane--both lanes are "long" lanes with plenty of ganking
potential.

In addition to the above, we came up with some additional concepts, some that didn't make it to the final map.

Visible vision blockers: As a solution to potentially imbalanced ward spots on high ground, visible lines of tall grass are used to notify players of a sight obstruction. This feature was also incorporated on Forests of Caldavar, where notable grass and reeds now populate Kongor's lair where blind vision blockers used to be.
Tower armor reduction: Though this system eventually made it into casual mode as a standard feature, it originally began as one of the solutions to turtling on Grimm's Crossing. Eventually, that problem was solved by the removal of elevation differences.

3. Release on Test Client
Once we felt pretty good about the map, we decided to release it on the Test Client for open beta testing. The map at this point was supposed to outright replace Darkwood Vale, but that idea was met with open hostility, so we set Darkwood Vale as 4v4 and spared it the fate of deletion. Though we received a lot of valuable feedback, we felt that in the end, the map was not ready for immediate release. The design and programming teams were prepping for the big move from California to Michigan, and we still lacked focused input from dedicated testers, as the Super Beta team was not yet created. For the next three months, the design team focused on the other features of HoN 2.0 and creating additional heroes and items. Grimms Crossing laid at the side with the intention of being resurrected near the end stage of 2.0.

4. Final Iterations
As HoN 2.0 was looming, Grimm's Crossing was brought back to the forefront of attention. Iterative test games were hammered out daily to make sure the final product was polished to our standards. Details like ward spots, juke paths, and fog issues were resolved to make the map what it is now.

Although development occurred over several months, we only required one month of dedicated design work to complete Grimm's Crossing--the actual creation and major iterating process--a cycle of doodling, editing, and playing--occurred over a period of just two weeks. The best part about this is that like our new hero production schedule, now that we've set up the backbone for map creation, new additions to the Heroes of Newerth map arsenal should take even less time!

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