Mapping for Arena Mod

From Red Faction Wiki

What is Arena Mod?

Good question!

Arena Mod is a custom style of Deathmatch gameplay designed by nick. Here's what's different about Arena Mod gameplay when compared to stock DM gameplay:

  • Force Respawn is on
  • Force Skin is on (elite guard)
  • Hitsounds are on
  • Players spawn with 100 health and 100 armour
  • Players are reset to 100 health and 100 armour every time they get a frag
  • Players spawn with the Assault Rifle
  • Arena Mod is played on maps specifically designed for it - which is what this guide is all about!

How do I make a Arena Mod map?

Most Arena Mod maps are sections taken from other maps, but of course they don't have to be.

Requirements for Arena Mod Maps

All Arena Mod maps must meet the following requirements:

  • Map has an abundance of respawn points (ideally 24-32)
    • Most spawn points should be visible from the central play area, with a few behind cover
    • Placement of spawn points should ensure that the time for a player to get back "into the action" after spawning is no more than a few seconds
  • Each spawn point has an Assault Rifle item on top of it
    • Respawn time for Assault Rifle pickups must be set to 1 second
  • The only other items in the map are Shotgun and Rocket Launcher
    • No Shotgun or Rocket Launcher pickups can be on top of respawn points
    • All Shotgun and Rocket Launcher pickups must have respawn time set to 1 second

What makes a good Arena Mod map?

In addition to the hard requirements listed above, most well-received and popular Arena Mod maps also meet the following criteria:

  • Fairly small, and very open layout
  • Few (ideally no) dead ends
  • No difficult to navigate terrain (stairs you need to jump up, crates you need to climb, clutter you get stuck on during fast-paced combat, etc.)
  • Interesting geometry to fight around, including cover, height level changes, etc.
  • Shotguns are in medium risk locations, and the map has no more than 6-8 of them
  • Rocket Launchers are in high risk locations, and the map has no more than 1-2 of them
  • Map uses the Lighting Trick

If you're planning to map for Arena Mod, I'd strongly advise you play a bunch of Arena Mod first, and take note of what the most popular Arena Mod maps have in common, then be sure to incorporate those elements into your map.