What's the most impressive map you've ever played?

DryvBy

Member
I previously did one about mods but I think maps or levels should be a different thing.

After waiting forever, I finally decided to load up myhouse.wad and while I think the horror went over my head (it was a 1/10 scary for me), I really enjoyed how they made a level have so many cool tricks up its sleeves. Most impressive? Eh. I think every map on this old forgotten shooter Will Rock is my favorite series of maps in a game. They made a map where you can battle on this

RdKsuXE.jpeg


But as for player maps, which is what I want this to be dedicated to, myhouse.wad is at least the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. But go at it. Any platform, anything. Just release the info!

Other thread: https://www.neogaf.com/threads/whats-your-favorite-software-mod.1672111/
 
Levels then! When I was growing up, we just called them maps. Get off my lawn.
Get off your lawn?! Get off my lawn!!

Calling it "maps" is the new kids way of saying it.

When I was growing up, the only maps we had came in the game box, and were very hard to play. But absolutely treasures.
 
Always loved the original Final Fantasy 7 map (Didn't play the Remake yet).
I actively want to revisit old areas, even if there's no reason to be there.

Because it's that varied, and the places are that interesting, with compelling towns folk.
 
If I can only choose one then it's Super Metroid. It's well-known by now, the map is close to perfection, well the whole game is. So many secrets and there is no filler area and every area has a different feel. I replay it every other year, still my all time favorite.

If I can choose more I'd say that I absolutely love how Elden Ring is structured as well. The density and verticality, I really like Limgrave, fantastic starter map, and Stormveil Castle, Siofra and Deeproot area, Nokron, basically most areas below the Altus Plateau is well-thought-out, actually Leyndell is a spectacular map too and how they got all that working so well. Late game is too much filler though.

Hollow Knight is fantastic too, I really like how it's all connected and there is a ton of secrets and as with Super Metroid areas have their own feeling.

Another one is Moon Studios new No Rest for the Wicked, only in early access but the map layout is already great and especially the first city is full of small pathways and nooks and crannies. One to follow for sure. Actually Moon's Ori games have superb maps as well, fun to 100%.
 
Among FPS level designers, the Honey map for Quake is considered one of the masterpieces of the medium.

If you own Quake on a digital store, you can open the Add-Ons menu, login to Bethesda.net and download Honey that way.

If you owned Quake prior to the re-release, or want to use a better engine for running the game, follow these steps.

Fun fact: the creator of the Honey map now works for Machine Games.
 
Growing up i loved cs_office, blood gulch, Facility.

Shout out to what remains of edith finch though!
 
Last edited:
il_fullxfull.5345363748_cjt7.jpg


There isnt a specific mp map I can recall.
560 hours played, on my 5th playthrough. Found a new cave with boss and all today. This game is historically stacked with content, handcrafted, I don't understand how it didn't take them like 15 years to make it.
 
On a level design realm, probably Elden Ring's The Lands Between. It's amazing how they managed to make a giant open world that is basically a enourmous metroidvania map.

In terms of spectacle and technicality, i'd go with Cyberpunk's Night City. Futuristic urban enviroments are probably one of the most difficult types of open world to achieve and they not only achieved it, they also made it incredibly dense and full of little details and verticality.
 
Last edited:
Black op 2's maps still impress me to this day, especially considering it's an PS360 era title. Every map a bright and detailed technicolor extravaganza without any one-size-fits-all shader shit-washing the colour to make it look "realistic". Remember Battlefield 3? *ack*

Grind2.jpg

4uohzxy8av151.jpg
 
Mostly Rockstar maps.

The way they are all burned into my brain where majority of other games I just go places and see the empty painting with no interactivity. Compare that to vice city where I can still navigate today without looking at the map or minimap
 
Last edited:
It's dark souls 1. Haven't played through it in years and I still know that map like the back of my hand. The way everything comes together was mindblowing at the time.
 
First Final Fantasy map on the Nintendo. My cousin had a Nintendo and had Mario and that was really the only kind of games I thought that were out. When the Super Nintendo came out, my parents found NES at a pawn shop and it had a pad you ran on (or you kept hitting your hands on) with an Olympic game and Final Fantasy.

I was blown away looking overhead at this giant world I could travel and see like reading in my high fantasy books as a kid. Still remember the feeling of thinking just how ginormous the world was I was going to get to explore.

Some games and the maps and environments I just love. Your Witcher 3, Elden Ring type fantasy games, along with Bloodborne, pretty much any game environment I can get lost in my own head putting myself in the game, like inserting oneself into the book you are reading.
 
Several levels from Dishonored 2, that game is a level design masterpiece.

Dark Souls 1 (but mostly for the first half, when you don't have teleport).

Many levels from Tony Hawk games. These games had super clever level design, where everything is put in a very precise way to allow a perfect flow with no interuption, while trying to have an environment that feels somewhat coherent.

SSX 3's mountain.

GTA V and RDR2 have very impressive worlds as well. It might not be super noticeable if you just zoom through the map at high speed, but when you go in first person and slowly walk in small streets, go in backyards etc, you can see how much details there are everywhere, it's super impressive and immersive.

Lower City in Baldur's Gate 3. It's insane how much detail there is, with every building being explorable, so many NPCs you can interact with, it's really a lot.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom